Santa Barbara Martial Arts School to Host Hiroshi Ikeda Shihan
The seminar, which attracted nearly 40 individuals last year from as far as New York, is expected to attract a far greater number of visitors from more distant locations after the success of the previous event.
“Ikeda Shihan is a gifted instructor and Aikido-ist, who believes that Aikido students should have the opportunity to train freely across affiliations,” said Lia Suzuki Sensei, a 30 year Aikido veteran who started AKSB in 1999. “It’s an honor to host someone who has committed himself to uniting Aikido practitioners and raising the standard of Aikido in the US.”
This year, Ikeda Shihan has asked that Suzuki Sensei join him in the instruction at the seminar. “It is a great honor to have an instructor and practitioner of his caliber come to our dojo, let alone be invited to teach alongside him,” says a humbled Lia Suzuki Sensei .
Summer Aikido Seminar information
The seminar will be held June 5 – 9, opening at 6 pm on Wednesday, at the dojo training facility, located at 121A East Mason St. Santa Barbara. In addition to Aikido classes, AKSB will organize fellowship with traditional “Kampai” (or toasts) and communal meals between classes at local eateries. For information, please visit: aksb.givezooks.com or call: 805 870-5437
About Hiroshi Ikeda Shihan
Hiroshi Ikeda Shihan is the founder and chief instructor of Boulder Aikikai, a non-profit school of Aikido in Boulder, Colorado. Ikeda sensei, a 7th dan (7th degree black belt), began his study of Aikido in 1968 in Tokyo. In 1978, he immigrated to the United States. In 1980, he established Boulder Aikikai, and now travels extensively as a guest instructor in the U.S. and abroad. In 2005, he founded Aikido Bridge, an international organization bringing together teachers and students from diverse martial disciplines, including different styles of Aikido.
About Lia Suzuki Sensei
Lia Suzuki Sensei is the Chief Instructor and founder of Aikido Kenkyukai Santa Barbara. Starting in 1987, for nine years, she trained in Kamakura, Japan with Aikido Master Takeda Yoshinobu Shihan, 8th dan. She returned to the US in 1996 and founded the national AKI-USA and later AKSB and other dojos at the direction of Takeda Shihan.
Aikido Kenkyukai Santa Barbara is a nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging the practice of the Japanese non-violent martial art of Aikido and promoting Aikido as a positive and effective vehicle for self-improvement and spiritual growth. AKSB was founded in 1999 by Lia Suzuki Sensei. In addition to offering traditional Aikido classes to beginner through advanced level practitioners, AKSB has been home to the pioneering work started by Lia Suzuki Sensei. She has used Aikido as a therapeutic vehicle for youth and adults with mental health, PTSD veterans, and substance abuse issues, and has worked closely with drug rehabilitation centers, probation departments, and jails, offering workshops on Aikido Conflict Transformation.
For more information on Akidio Kenkyukai Santa Barbara or to schedule an introductory class, please visit here