Biography of Christian Tissier Shihan, 8th Dan Aikikai

Sincere thanks to Micheline Tissier and Christian Tissier for kindly allowing me to reproduce pictures from their personal archives. All images remain the property of their respective owners.

Interview with Christian Tissier in Vincennes

Early beginnings in Paris

Christian Tissier was born in Paris on February 7, 1951 in a working class family. Like many other French children, he started practicing judo but he soon became fascinated by the elegant movements of a group people who used the same dojo after the judo classes. His instructor noticed his interest and he introduced to the teacher, Jean-Claude Tavernier, who was teaching a style of aikido created by Mochizuki HirooMochizuki Hiroo (born March 21, 1936 in Shizuoka, Japan), is the son of pioneer Mochizuki Minoru and the founder of Yoseikan Budo.. Tissier took his first aikido class in 1962, which made him at barely eleven years old one of the youngest practitioner in Europe.

He soon joined the dojo of Nakazono MutsuroNakazono Mutsuro (中園 睦郎, 1918 - 1994) was a Japanese acupuncturist, practitioner of oriental medicine, 6th dan in judo and 7th dan in aikido. He studied with Ueshiba Morihei and was an authority on the kotodama. near the Porte Saint-Martin in Paris. Christian Tissier trained intensively under his direction for the next seven years and this access to a Japanese teacher allowed him to get acquainted with not only the technical side of aikido, but also its cultural and philosophical components. Indeed, at that time, Nakazono Sensei was already teaching the spiritual aspects of aikido, in particular, those of the kotodamaKotodama (言霊, lit. "word spirit/soul") refers to the Japanese belief that mystical powers dwell in words and names. It presupposes that sounds influence our environment, body, mind, and soul..

In addition to regular classes, Tissier also attended a great number of seminars, including those of Tamura Nobuyoshi SenseiTamura Nobuyoshi (田村 信喜, 1933 - 2010) was an 8th dan aikido instructor. Son of a kendo teacher, he entered the Aikikai Hombu Dojo in 1953 as an uchi deshi. He moved to France in 1964 and contributed to the development of aikido in Europe. In 1999, he received the medal of “Knight of the National Order of Merit” from the French government., after he established himself in France in 1964. Interestingly, and although they became friends later, Tissier never studied under the direction of Noro MasamichiNoro Masamichi (野呂 昌道, 1935 - 2013) was an aikido teacher and the founder of the Kinomichi style. He met Ueshiba Morihei in 1955 and soon became his disciple. He moved to France in 1961. Sensei, mainly because of the rivalry that existed between him and Nakazono Sensei.

In addition to his unweaving dedication, the young Christian Tissier proved to be a very gifted student and he was awarded the second dan by Nakazono Sensei in 1968. It is at that time that he started considering dedicating himself to aikido, and made plans towards a trip to Japan in order to perfect himself. He initially intended to stay in Japan for six months after finishing high school, and before starting university.

A journey to the birthplace of aikido

In 1969, after months of hard work as a removal man and as a warehouse worker at the famous Rungis food market in Paris, Christian Tissier had saved enough money to afford the ticket that would lead him to Japan. Airline tickets were hardly affordable and most people usually travelled to Japan by boat from the port of Marseilles. However, at at the time of Tissier’s departure, the Suez Canal had been closed following the Six-Day War of June 1967, so he instead travelled by rail onboard the Trans-Siberian. The trip would take three weeks across Europe and Russia, followed by a crossing of the Sea of Japan from Vladivostok.

Partly due to his youth, but also quite typically of the travelers of the time, Tissier knew little about what the trip would have in store for him. For instance, he was not aware of the fact that on the Paris-Moscow leg, the train would not offer any catering. The Cold War was in full swing so the train was guarded by armed military men, so the passengers were not allowed to get off. As a result, all that Tissier had to eat for the three first days was the chocolate that a Japanese traveler with whom he shared a compartment with had brought with him. He also assumed that he would travel all the way to Tokyo, but realized that the boat from Vladivostok would take him to Yokohama instead.

There he was welcomed by two students of Yamaguchi SeigoYamaguchi Seigo (山口 清 吾, 1924 - 1996) was a 9th dan aikido instructor and a teacher at the Aikikai Hombu Dojo. Born in Fukuoka, he was introduced to Ueshiba Morihei in 1950 and joined Aikikai in 1951. In 1958, he was sent to Burma to teach aikido to the army. He returned to Japan in 1961 and resumed lessons at the Hombu Dojo.: Noguchi Hiroyuki and Ito Mineo. They had been informed of Tissier's arrival by Arai Terunobu, a painter who was living in France and training under Nakazono at the time. Both men helped him considerably during the first months of his stay. Nakazono had also written to Yamaguchi to inform him of Tissier’s arrival, so is quite naturally that he became close to him and his students. Ito and Noguchi took Tissier to a youth hostel in Yotsuya and immediately after putting his luggage down, he made his way to the Aikikai Hombu Dojo. Unfortunately, Tissier would never meet Ueshiba Morihei since he had passed away the same year. Miss Ito, the secretary of the Hombu Dojo at the time, spoke French and introduced him to the teacher in charge of the class, Yamaguchi Sensei.

Life in Japan

Tissier arrived in Tokyo almost penniless and at eighteen years old, with no Japanese and little professional experience, he could hardly apply for any job. He soon moved from the conveniently located Yotsuya to a cheaper accommodation in the downtown district of Kinshicho, which was unfortunately much further from Hombu. As a result, he as unable to go home to rest between classes and had to hang out around the Hombu Dojo.

Living conditions would improve two or three months after his arrival when Miss Ito introduced Tissier to Mrs Kawaguchi, who lived in front of the Hombu Dojo. In exchange of providing her son with French lessons, Kawaguchi offered Tissier to stay for free in a 4.5 tatami room located in their garden. This made Tissier the closest neighbor of the Ueshiba family. This advantageous arrangement allowed him to dedicate himself full time to the practice of aikido and attend all classes.

Tissier in Tokyo.

However, reality soon struck back when he received a letter from the French government ordering him to to return to France to complete his military service, which was impossible for him since he could not afford the ticket back. Coincidentally, his visa was about to expire and Tissier was short of options. Fortunately, Mrs Kawaguchi, who was a friend of the Headmaster at Gyosei Gakuen, was informed that their French SectionThe Lycee Franco-Japonais de Tokyo, which was established in 1967 as the Department of Japanese and French Studies of the International Department of Gyosei Gakuen (暁星学園), was mainly attended by French children living in Japan, French-speaking people, and Japanese returning students. was looking for a French language teacher who could speak a bit of Japanese. Tissier had had the foresight of getting a primary school teacher certification before getting his baccalaureate in France and it just met the criteria for the job. Thanks to Gyosei's ties to the French government, Tissier was incorporated on the spot to work there for two years in lieu of fulfilling his military service. The job also came with a diplomatic visa and a comfortable salary from the French government. His teaching duty was between 10:30 to 13:00, which fitted perfectly with the daily break at Hombu Dojo.

Tissier with his students at Gyosei Gakuen (c. 1970)

He later became a French teacher at the Institut franco-japonais de Tokyo, which allowed him similar living and training conditions. As a side job, he also did some modelling. Christian Tissier knew that he wanted to integrate Japanese society so he studied the Japanese language at the Tokyo School of the Japanese Language and at Sophia University.

Tissier modelling in Japan.

A lot more work in perspective

Christian Tissier's first class at Hombu was that of Yamaguchi Sensei, and the unusual practice compared to what he had learnt was both a source of difficulty and frustration. The following day, he attended Ueshiba Kisshomaru DoshuUeshiba Kisshomaru (植芝 吉祥丸, 1921 - 1999) is the son of Ueshiba Morihei, the founder of aikido. He took the helm of aikido after the death of his father. To learn more, read a full biography of Ueshiba Kisshomaru.'s 6:30 class, which happened to be more in line with what he knew. Nevertheless, Tissier questioned the validity of the aikido that he was seeing being performed at the Aikikai Hombu Dojo compared to what he knew, but he took upon himself to open his mind and to learn as much as he could, training every day, and taking as many classes as he could. This dedication also made him realize that a lot more than six months would be necessary to truly start understanding what aikido was about, and he decided to extend his stay well beyond what he had initially planned.

Christian Tissier taking ukemi for Ueshiba Kisshomaru Doshu at Hombu Dojo.

As one of the very few foreigners, with even fewer people his age, Tissier felt quite isolated and lonely. Little by little, thanks to his assiduity, he managed to make some connections. One day, Doshu came to introduce him to a young man of abut his age and told them to train together. the youth was a white belt but he was much better than him. After practice, he introduced himself in English and said "My name is Ueshiba, let’s practice again!" The young man was Doshu's own son, Moriteru and from that time life at the dojo changed for Tissier.

Tissier training with Ueshiba Moriteru under the watchful eye of Yamaguchi Seigo.

According to Tissier, the atmosphere at Hombu was very studious. O Sensei had just passed away, Tohei Koichi SenseiTohei Koichi (藤平 光一, 1920 - 2011) was a 10th dan aikidoka and the creator of ki-aikido. From 1953, he kickstarted the introduction of aikido in the West, mainly through regular teaching trips to Hawaii, but also to the continental United States and Europe. was still teaching on Friday and Saito Morihiro Sensei was coming fromn Iwama on Sunday mornings. According to Tissier, rumors were already circulating about a possible separation of some teachers and deshi. His investment and seriousness at the dojo allowed him to quickly befriend the young instructors of the time, Suganuma Morito, Imaizumi Shizuo, Endo Seishiro, Toyoda Fumio, who had just entered as sumikomi shidoin and became a very good friend with Tissier until he left for the USA.

After the separation of Tohei Sensei, the gradual withdrawal of Saito Sensei and then the departure of Akira Tohei Sensei for the USA, the technical staff of Hombu changed substantially and became much younger, except for Osawa Sensei who was 64 in 1974. Kisshomaru Doshu was 53 and Yamaguchi Sensei was 50, and all the other instructors were between 31 for Endo Sensei and 45 for Tada Hiroshi SenseiTada Hiroshi (多田 宏, 1929 - ) is a 9th dan aikido teacher. Born in Tokyo to an ancient samurai family, Tada first studied his family's archery style with his father. He then became a member of the Waseda University karate club under the direction of Funakoshi Gichin, before starting aikido training at the Aikikai Hombu Dojo under the direction of Ueshiba Morihei in March 1950. He was sent to Rome in 1964 where he created the national association Aikikai d'Italia in 1970. He returned to Japan in 1971 to resume teaching at the Hombu Dojo. To complement his aikido training, he developped a system of breathing and meditation exercises called ki no renma (気の錬磨, ki cultivation) based largely on the teachings of Nakamura Tempu.. According to Tissier, this focused the practice more on the physical side, gradually leading to the abandon of philosophical explanations and ki exercises.

Two mentors and many major technical influences

Although he made a point training under every sensei at the Aikikai, Christian Tissier developed a particularly close relationship with two instructors that he reckons, have had particular influence on his current practice; the second Doshu Ueshiba Kisshomaru and Yamaguchi Seigo.

With Doshu he learned orthodoxy and the logic of the kihon. Perhaps partly due to the proximity of age between Tissier and his own son Moriteru, Kisshomaru Doshu would often act as a protective figure for Tissier throughout his stay in Japan and well after his return to France. Fairly quickly, Tissier became a regular uke for Doshu. Teachers tend to slect particular uke for one particular technique and Tissier was often called when demonstrating juji garami. Doshu was very discreet with people, never intrusive, and he would often ask Tissier about foreign practitioners he did not know. Ueshiba Kisshomaru Doshu made a point in personally awarding Christian Tissier his 7th dan Aikikai even though he was already bedridden.

Christian Tissier with Ueshiba Kisshomaru at the Aikikai Hombu Dojo.

With Yamaguchi Sensei, who he also followed to the dojo where he taught, he learned that aikido could be a constantly evolving personal research, once the kihon and the principles have been assimilated. Tissier often cites Yamaguchi Sensei when he says: “Aikido is the search for the ideal of purity through movement”, meaning that while one needs to learn and respect the movements and its principles, one must later make them one's own. Yamaguchi Sensei was nothing less than a fatherly figure to Tissier and the master often invited him to his own home. Interestingly, Tissier himself agrees that his aikido does not resembles that of Yamaguchi Sensei but he argues that his master was particularly adamant that people develop their own aikido and refrain from mimicking him.

Yamaguchi Sensei teaching in France (uke: Christian Tissier).

Other great influences were Masuda Seijuro Sensei and Saotome Mitsugi Sensei. On Wednesday after the first afternoon class Saotome Sensei would take Tissier to the fourth floor dojo and apply on him all the new techniques that he had sought of and afterwards, as a reward, he would teach him jo techniques, which Tissier still practices today.

Later, a new generation of teachers entered, such as Yasuno Masatoshi, Shibata Ichiro, Seki Shoji, Iwagaki Shigenori, and later Miyamoto Tsuruzo, Yokota Yoshiaki, and Osawa Hayato. The practice between these young instructors was intense and Tissier was one of the few who could sustain that pace.

Christian Tissier and Miyamoto Tsuruzo training in the back of the Hombu Dojo, a location which is still know today as a place where one can practice intensively with Hombu instructors.

Mingling with other foreigners in Japan

There were relatively few foreigners at Hombu at the time but Tissier was able to meet and train with people like Terry Dobson and Kenneth Cottier, who both had trained at Hombu while O Sensei was alive. Gerard Sachs and Jean Francois Perin were the only two other Frenchmen present when Tissier arrived and they had only recently started aikido at Hombu Dojo. By 1971, trips to Japan had become more affordable and Hombu saw an increase in the number of visiting foreigners. Masuda Sensei appointed Tissier a dojo kanjiDojo kanji (道場幹事, lit. dojo secretary), is a title given to a number of student of a dojo who are charged with helping of the running of the organization. in charge of guiding the foreign students. For this reason Tissier decided to organize dinners with Doshu and all the foreigners twice a year. These diners were informal and everyone could freely converse with him. A report of one such meeting was published in the Aikido Shinbun in May 1975.

Roundtable discussion with Doshu. Article published in the Aikido Shinbun. On the photo from left: Miguel Carlos Teuscher, Juan M. Rivera, Per Winther, Christian Tissier, Richard H. Woodworth, Leif Lyngard Nielsen, Doshu, Kenneth G. E. Cottier, Bio Gabriel (not visible).

Tissier was also in charge of coordinating the foreigner’s demonstrations during the All Japan Demonstration at Hibiya Hall.

Christian Tissier demonstrating at Hibiya Town Hall during the All Japan Aikido Demonstration in presence of the French ambassador Jean-Pierre Brunet (Aikido Shinbun, june 1975).

The French community of martial arts practitioners was quite united and thanks to their cooperation, it made things much easier for all to work out every day details such as finding work, accommodations, etc. They also readily shared their experience and techniques in various martial arts they practiced during informal gatherings on the grounds of the French Institute. Tissier notably befriended fellow aikidoka and karateka Lilou Nadenicek. This is also within this group that he met a young woman called Micheline, to whom he would later be married for a number of years and have two children. Micheline Tissier is now a 7th dan aikidoka and one of the most prominent female instructors in the world.

A well rounded martial artist with an experience in the ring

In addition to his dedication to aikido, Christian Tissier took advantage of his relocation to Japan to familiarize himself with other martial disciplines. Along with his friend Lilou, he practiced Kickboxing at the legendary Meijiro Gym under Shima Mitsuo and Fujiwara Toshio, the greatest champions of their time, and he even took part in several fights on the ring. Overall, this practice allowed him to understand the mechanics of striking arts and their timing.

Christian Tissier at the Mejiro Gym (1970).

Christian Tissier also practiced Kenjutsu extensively under the direction of Inaba Minoru Sensei at his Shiseikan Dojo. This body of knowledge proved to be very influential on his aikido, giving it its particular directness and cutting-like motions. Even after returning to France, Christian Tissier continued pursuing his martial experiences outside aikido by training with the French Karate Team led by his friend, Jean-Pierre Lavoratto, and even teaching aikido in Lavorato's dojo in Vincennes. This helped him to establish his reputation and credibility outside of aikido and to gain respect of all as a solid martial artist.

A return to France after over seven years spent in Japan

Once Christian Tissier got promoted to 4th dan during the Kagamibiraki of 1976, Yamaguchi Sensei suggested that he should return to France in order to promote aikido over there and teach what he had learnt at the Aikikai Hombu Dojo. Christian Tissier permanently relocated to France in June 1976 and started to teach shortly thereafter. Yamaguchi Sensei joined him the following month and spent two months in Europe. Chiba Kazuo SenseiChiba Kazuo (千葉 和雄, 1940 - 2015) was an 8th dan aikido teacher. Born near Tokyo, he practiced judo and Shotokan karate. In 1958, he was admitted as an uchi deshi at the Aikikai's Hombu dojo and began teaching in 1962. He lived in the United Kingdom and the United States, where he developed aikido considerably. was informed of this trip and he invited Yamaguchi Sensei as guest instructor at his summer camp in England, where Yasuno Sensei was also invited. During these two months Tissier and his teacher also travelled all over France and Switzerland. Once they were back in Paris, he organized a seminar with Yamaguchi Sensei that gathered a humble twenty three practitioners. Ten years later, it is more than a thousand people who regularly travelled from all over Europe to attend the seminars that Yamaguchi Sensei taught in Europe twice a year.

Christian Tissier and Yamaguchi Seigo.

When he returned to France, Tissier was only twenty-five years old and already a fourth dan, which was was the highest grade in France at that time. He had trained at Hombu and had the support of the Doshu. While he was very well received by Tamura Nobuyoshi Sensei, Tissier did suffer some animosity from some people around Tamura Sensei. In spite of that, Tissier started teaching in several small dojo, the biggest being around fifty square meters. Quite quickly though, he attracted a good number of yudansha from France and abroad. At that time aikido was already quite developed but not very structured in terms of pedagogy. Tissier reckoned that amongst the French instructors, the basic techniques were not well understood and the practice was quite static. He also aimed to highlight some notions that he reckoned were missing, such as that of center and contact.

A firm establishment as a leading instructor

Tissier later purchased the dojo of Jean-Pierre Lavorato. There he started his own school, Le Cercle Christian Tissier, which he still operates today as one of the most prominent private European center for Martial Arts. Indeed , its 750 square meters do not only welcome aikido classes but also that of judo, karate, ninjutsu, jujutsu to name but a few, all led by high profile instructors.

Christian Tissier teaching in Vincennes.

From the 80’s exchanges between Europe and Hombu became more and more frequent. Yamachi Sensei continued to come in France twice a year and Endo Sensei came once. The third International Aikido Federation congress was held in Paris in 1980 and Kisshomaru Doshu, Waka Sensei and Osawa Hayato as well as shihan from all over the world made the trip. Tissier was asked by Doshu to take ukemi for him, along with Osawa and Waka Sensei, during the closing demonstration.

Demonstration of Second Doshu Kisshomaru Ueshiba at the 3rd International Aikido Federation Congress in Paris (1980). Uke are Moriteru Ueshiba Waka Sensei, Hayato Osawa Sensei, and Christian Tissier Sensei.

Christian Tissier was actively involved, along with Jacques Abel, Louis Clériot and Michel Hamon, in the formation in 1983 of the Fédération Française Aïkido, Aïkibudo et Affinitaires (FFAAA), which is now the largest aikido group in France. It is indeed Tissier himself who proposed the name of the group and became de facto its charismatic leader. The FFAAA was officially recognized by the Aikikai Foundation and is the representative for France within the International Aikido Federation. It now counts over 25,000 practitioners in about 800 clubs.

Christian Tissier at “Le Cercle Tissier” in Paris.

The rise to fame

Tissier was soon invited to teach seminars outside of France and he now has dedicated students all over the world. However, unlike other teachers, he did not want to set up an international organization, stating that there is no Tissier organization, and that he is a student of the Aikikai and therefore, teaches Aikikai aikido. Tissier prefers to foster personal relationships with each of his students. My own relationship with him actually started when Cyril Lagrasta and I invited him to teach for the first time in Ireland back in 2007. We were a relatively small organization and our resources were quite limited, but Tissier made some his own travel arrangements to come help us develop our school.

Christian Tissier teaching at University College Dublin in 2007 (uke: Guillaume Erard).

In spite of his responsibilities and busy schedule teaching in France, Europe, and on the American continent, Christian Tissier made sure that he kept his ties with the Hombu Dojo, spending several months each year in Japan. He received the fifth dan Aikikai in 1981, the sixth dan in 1986, and the seventh dan in 1998. He was also awarded the prestigious title of shihan shortly after, which made him the very first non-Japanese to reach such a rank.

Tissier was one of the first foreigners to give aikido seminars in Japan, notably those organized by Okamoto Yoko Shihan, who studied in Paris with him for several years. Tissier was also the first non-Japanese to teach during an IAF Congress.

Christian Tissier teaching at the Kyoto Butokuden during the 2015 international seminar organized by Aikido Kyoto (uke: Guillaume Erard).

Tissier was appointed by Ueshiba Moriteru Doshu as a member of the Senior Council of the IAF and he regularly supports activities such as the Congresses, the Combat Games, and most recently the Martial Arts Masterships held in Korea.

Christian Tissier teaching during the 2019 Chungju World Martial Arts Masterships in Korea (uke: Guillaume Erard).

Christian Tissier is well known for promoting aikido on the tatami as much as in the media, with the annual demonstrations at the Festival des Arts Martiaux de Bercy in Paris, and through his numerous books and DVDs.

Some of Christian Tissier's books.

In July 2012, Christian Tissier was awarded the Foreign Minister’s Commendation by his excellency Komatsu Ichiro, the ambassador of Japan in France, to acknowledge his outstanding contribution to the promotion of friendship between Japan and Europe.

Christian Tissier receiving the Foreign Minister’s Commendation (2012).

Tissier was also invited as a guest of honor during the visit of Japanese Prime minister Abe Shinzo to France in 2014.

Dinner at Elysée Palace in honor of Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan (2014). From left to right: Abe Shinzo, Francois Hollande, Abe Akie, Christian Tissier.

On the 9th of January 2016, Christian Tissier was awarded the 8th dan by Ueshiba Moriteru Doshu during the Kagamibiraki ceremony, at the same time as Miyamoto Tsuruzo Shihan and Kimura Jiro Shihan.

Promotion of Christian Tissier to the 8th dan Aikikai