It's a rare privilege to sit down with someone who has achieved mastery in two seemingly disparate disciplines. Tony Smibert Shihan embodies the Japanese concept of shuhari—the journey from learning to breaking free to transcendence—in both the martial and visual arts.
Recently promoted to 8th dan by the Aikikai Hombu Dojo during the 2025 Kagamibiraki ceremony, Tony Sensei has been a cornerstone of Aikido's development outside of Japan for over five decades. As a direct student of the legendary Sugano Seiichi Shihan from 1965 until Sugano Sensei's passing in 2010, he helped establish Aiki Kai Australia and served for over two decades on the International Aikido Federation, including terms as Vice-Chairman and now as a member of the Senior Council.
But Tony Sensei's path is uniquely his own. When he's not on the tatami, he's in his studio in Deloraine, Tasmania, creating watercolours and large-scale acrylic abstracts that have earned him recognition as one of Australia's leading contemporary painters. As a Visiting Artist Researcher at Tate Britain, he has had the extraordinary opportunity to work with J.M.W. Turner's original pigments and has co-authored the Tate Watercolour Manual.
In this interview, shot during the International Aikido Federation's 14th Summit in Tokyo, we explore how these two worlds intersect, how the principles of Aikido inform artistic expression, and what it means to dedicate a lifetime to the pursuit of mastery. For Tony Sensei, the brush and the sword are not separate paths but expressions of the same underlying truth.
Note that parts 2 and 3 will be available shortly to my Patreon and YouTube supporters.
