Hakama

What is the name of the kind of skirt the aikidoka’s wear?

Hakama. It was originally worn by samurai’s and is used to conceal the movind of the legs. It depends on the dojo where you’re in if the wearing of it is permitted when you’re not a shodan.

Aikido Kobayashi Dojo

Aikido Kobayashi Dojo is an organization founded by Kobayashi Yasuo Dojocho (head of the dojo) in April 1969 at Gakuen-Higashi-cho in Kodaira-city, Japan. With the ideal of spreading aikido to many, they strive to instruct aikido to many. Also, the uchideshi (live-in training) program of the dojo fosters many aikido instructors. Masa Kokoro Aikido and Ben Lim Sensei are directly affiliated with them.

Inaba Sensei

Yasuhisa (Yas) Inaba Sensei was born November 26, 1952 in Osaka, Japan. He married Keiko Inaba and immigrated to Calgary in 1980. Yas began his career in Canada as a petroleum engineer, as well as to begin his own dojo as a teaching master of Aikido. He later began his own business, practising and teaching acupuncture and shiatsu. Yas obtained his sixth degree black belt in Aikido and title of Shihan. Yas took great pride in teaching his children the art of Aikido and was very proud of their accomplishments. He was a loving and devoted husband, father, teacher, healer and friend. He will be dearly missed by all his family, patients, friends and students.(November 26, 1952 – January 26, 2009)

Shikko

The practice of Shikko (or “knee-walking”), which has become an integral part of Aikido training, was originally developed when Japanese feudal lords required that all their followers remain on their knees while in the lord’s presence. It later developed into a formal movement in many Samurai ceremonies.