Tomiki Aikido (富木合気道)

Shodokan Aikido (昭道館合気道)

Aikido is a Budō (武道), a modern Japanese martial art which focuses on the use of body positioning, contact and movement to achieve disturbance of balance and uses joint locks and pins to control an attacker to the ground.

The founder of Shodokan Aikido, Tomiki Kenji was a first generation student of Morihei Ueshiba (founder of Aiki-budo, later renamed Aikido) and of Jigaro Kano (founder of Judo).

Tomiki shihan made use of teaching methods he learned from Jigaro Kano to transmit Aikido. When teaching his first generation of students, Morihei Ueshiba was a teacher of Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu . It's no surprise then that the "Aikido" of Kenji Tomiki bears a closer relationship to modern Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu than to Aikikai Aikido which came later and is more widely known today.

The Aikido of Kenji Tomiki, (Tomiki Aikido or Shodokan Aikido) is also referred to as "Sport Aikido" due to the importance of competitive randori practice in it's curriculum. Outside of Japan, Tomiki Aikido has experienced growing popularity in the USA, Russia and the UK. There is a keen and growing interest in this martial art and sport in European countries including Ireland, with European Open and World Championships held every two years.

Tomiki Kenji shihan - 富木謙治

Born March 15th, 1900
Awarded 5th Dan Kodokan Judo in 1928
The first student awarded 8th Dan in Aikido by Morihei Ueshiba in 1942
Professor at Waseda University and Chief Instructor of both Judo & Aikido University Clubs in 1954
Established the Shodokan Honbu Dojo in Osaka in 1967
President of the Japanese Aikido Association in 1975
Awarded 8th Dan Kodokan Judo in 1978
Died December 25, 1979