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Seiichi Sugano: Aikido Across Three Continents
Seiichi Sugano 菅野誠一 (17 December 1939 – 29 August 2010) was a Japanese Aikido instructor and one of the important figures in the international development of Aikido during the second half of the twentieth century. A direct student of Aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba 植芝盛平, Sugano spent more than four decades teaching outside Japan, particularly in Australia, Europe and the United States. He eventually attained the rank of 8th Dan and the title of Shihan 師範 within the Aikikai organization. Sugano was born in Otaru 小樽市, Hokkaido 北海道, Japan, in 1939. Before taking up Aikido, he had studied Judo for approximately six years. At around the age of eighteen, he encountered…
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Master of the Power and the Basics: Yoshimitsu Yamada
Yoshimitsu Yamada 山田 嘉光, born on February 17, 1938, in Tokyo, Japan, is a prominent figure in the world of Aikido, renowned for his significant contributions to the development of Aikido in the United States. Yamada’s family has a close connection to the Abe family. His father, Ichiro Yamada, lost his parents as a child and was placed in the care of the Abe family. Ichiro and Tadashi Abe 阿部正 were raised as brothers, and Yamada referred to Abe as his uncle. Abe’s father was a supporter of Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido. Yamada first encountered Ueshiba when he was invited as a guest to Abe’s house for a…
