It was in the particular atmosphere of Cercle Tissier that I had the chance to speak with Bruno Gonzalez. Christian Tissier's successor at the head of aikido classes at the Cercle, Bruno has over thirty-seven years of martial research behind him. His journey, punctuated by explorations in disciplines as varied as theater, Iyengar yoga, systema, or even bullfighting, testifies to a permanent quest to understand the principles that govern movement and relationship with others. During this summer meeting, we discussed his vision of contemporary aikido, the challenges of transmission in a changing world, and this transversal approach that leads him to weave links between apparently distant arts. A rich conversation that reveals a teacher driven by a true researcher's spirit.

When I opened my own dojo in 2019, in the midst of the pandemic, the Takeda family were the first people to contact me and offer some help, especially in regard to spreading the word about the dojo and including us in the local Aikido scene. Thanks to their help, the dojo could survive the pandemic and we have enjoyed a wonderful relationship ever since. As importantly, at a time of uncertainty and unavoidable frustration associated with trying to create something, I found Takeda Shihan's open approach to life, good, and bad, extremely inspirational, and it allowed me to deal with difficulties and see the bigger picture. As I got to knwo him better, I decided to ask him if I could sit down with him to learn more about his life and experience.

Dr. Robert Frager is a distinguished figure in the aikido world, known both for his direct training with founder Ueshiba Morihei and for his contributions to the fields of psychology and spiritual development. An 8th dan in aikido and the founder of the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, Dr. Frager brings a rare blend of martial, psychological, and spiritual insight to his teaching. In this interview, he shares reflections on his time with O Sensei, and the art’s deeper relevance beyond the mat.

Patricia Hendricks Sensei, a 7th Dan Aikikai Shihan, has been a prominent figure in the aikido community for over five decades. Her journey began in 1974 under the tutelage of Mary Heiny and Stanley Pranin. She then spent extensive periods training in Iwama, Japan, under Saito Morihiro Shihan, becoming one of his closest students and serving as his representative in the United States. I sat down with Patricia on one evening during the 14th International Aikido Federation Summit that took place in Tokyo in late September 2024 and I was absolutely delighted to find out that all of the good things I had heard about her over the years turned out to be true.

This interview was conducted during the Kano Jirogo Anniversary Event held at the Kodokan in Tokyo on November 29th 2022. This event also marked the 140th anniversary of the founding of the Kodokan. Sameshima Motonari Sensei is an 8th Dan Judo Senior Councilor of the Kodokan Judo Institute and he was kind enough to spend time amidst his very busy day to answer my questions about judo, from the perspective of an aikidoka.

I was once told by Christian Tissier, who spent substantial time studying at the Aikikai Hombu Dojo, that while he held the role of dojo secretary (道場幹事, dojo kanji) in charge of the foreigners, he used to organize occasional meetings between Ueshiba Kisshomaru Doshu and some of the foreigners of the Hombu Dojo. I recently stumbled upon the following article, which was published simultaneously in the Japanese and English versions of the Aikikai Newspaper. I found it of great interest since it constitutes a valuable record of one of such meetings, which used to be held at Doshu’s house.

Kimura Jiro Shihan is a Japanese Aikido teacher, successor of Kobayashi Hirokazu Shihan in Japan and director of the Buikukai, one of the largest organizations affiliated with the Aikikai Foundation. Kimura Shihan is one of the main Aikido figures of the Kansai region. He received his 8th Dan at the 2016 Kagamibiraki ceremony, at the same time as Christian Tissier and Miyamoto Tsuruzo Shihan. To cover the many aspects of Kimura Sensei’s practice, I teamed up with Jordy Delage - who started Aikido in a group affiliated to Kobayashi Hirokazu - for a joint interview held at the master’s dojo in Osaka. We invite you to discover a not-so-well-known portion of Aikido practice and history with one of the kindest gentlemen we have had the opportunity to meet.

As my work is receiving more attention from the aikido community, I am sometimes getting questions from some of my readers regarding the fact that my interviews and documentaries seem to revolve essentially around the Aikikai. Notwithstanding my work on Daito-ryu aiki-jujutsu, this over representation is of course quite true, but it is not necessarily the product of a choice. Indeed, being a student of the Aikikai Hombu Dojo, most of my close connections belong to that group. However, as a historian of aikido, I do have an interest for all legitimate currents issued from the teachings of Ueshiba Morihei. Among the many people who challenge the representation biases in my work, very few ever propose to help me alleviate it. One of them is a Canadian budo practitioner living in Japan called Reg Sakamoto. We had a short conversation via social networks and he quickly offered to connect me with his own teacher, a prominent instructor from the Yoshinkan. I jumped on the occasion and a few weeks later, I was in Kyoto meeting him and his teacher, Jacques Payet, who was an uchi deshi of the great Shioda Gozo. Jacques Payet is a long term resident of Japan and he runs his own school, the Aikido Mugenjuku in Kyoto.

Hélène Doué is one of the most popular aikido teachers of her generation. An exemplary technician, she is also particularly approachable and her kindness and pedagogy have made her an example for many to follow. Hélène was part of the delegation of the International Aikido Federation having been invited to train in the O Senseï dojo, and participate in aikido demonstrations during the 74th National Sports Festival of Japan. Having been invited to help cover the event, I took the opportunity to ask Hélène to give me a moment to do this interview. Given the large number of practitioners on site, it was not easy to find a place to film, and I must warmly thank Inagaki Shigemi Shihan, the chief instructor of the Ibaraki branch of Aikikai, for l to have allowed to make this interview in the O Sensei's dojo.

In this exclusive interview, we delve into the life and insights of Kei Izawa, a distinguished figure in the global aikido community. With over five decades of dedication to the martial art, Izawa Sensei holds a 6th-degree black belt and has been instrumental in promoting aikido worldwide. In 2008, he was elected as the Secretary General of the International Aikido Federation (IAF), and in 2016, he ascended to the position of Chairman.. His leadership has been marked by efforts to unify aikido practitioners globally and to adapt the art to contemporary challenges.

In June this year, just before heading to Europe for my series of summer seminars, I traveled to Kyoto to attend the 14th International Aikido Seminar organized by Aikido Kyoto. The organization celebrated its 15th year of existence and its founder, Okamoto Yoko Shihan, was the very first Sensei who agreed to let me shoot a video interview with her. Thanks to her trust, and the resulting video, many opportunities came up for further interviews. It therefore felt quite important to me to show my support and attend this milestone event. I had of course planned to do a report of the event [read it on Aikido Journal] but I the idea also came up to take advantage of the presence of Miyamoto Tsuruzo Shihan, Christian Tissier Shihan, and Okamoto Shihan under the same roof to conduct a joint interview, to which all of them kindly agreed. The prospect of filming such a complicated setup was a daunting one and I was lucky to be able to benefit form the support of my friend Jordy Delage, the founder of Seido Co. Ltd., who has been very active lately putting together high quality videos of his own. We prepared the questions, pooled our gear together, and sat down for about an hour with the three Sensei, who generously agreed to skip their lunch to accommodate the tight schedule. What results is a wonderful back and forth discussion regarding some essential points of practice, that anyone serious about Aikido, beyond any border or culture, should contemplate.

Christopher Mulligan began training Aikido in 1972. Along with his wife Okamoto Yoko, he established the Portland Aikikai under the tutelage of Yamada Yoshimitsu Shihan. The couple later moved to Japan and founded Aikido Kyoto, where they both teach children and adult classes. Through the years, they have made Aikido Kyoto one of the most popular destinations for foreign aikidoka travelling to Japan. Mulligan currently holds the rank of 6th dan from the Aikikai. This interview was conducted by Ty Barker, a senior student of the Portland Aikikai who took over some of the teaching upon the departure of his teachers.