Affiliations

• corporate_fareAikikai Foundation

  1942

  fact_check2 sources expand_more

  “The Aikikai Foundation also currently manages one satellite dojo, the historical Iwama dojo in Ibaraki (about 100 km northeast of Tokyo).”

  — Wikipedia contributors. Aikikai - Wikipedia (English). Wikipedia (English)link history info

  “With the passing of Morihiro Saito in May 2002, Hitohiro Saito initially continued to govern the Founder's dojo and the Shrine of Aikido, Aikijinja. He also prepared to surrender these roles to the Aikikai, which owns those properties.”

  — Wikipedia contributors. Hitohiro Saito - Wikipedia (English). Wikipedia (English)link history info

Locations (1)

• location_onIwama

  warning No sources cited

Instructors (4)

• 
  Saitō Hitohiro

  2002
• 
  Saitō Morihiro

  1968
• 
  Tomita Takeji

  1985 – 2004
• 
  Ueshiba Morihei

  1946 – 1969

Trained here (6)

• 
  Saitō Morihiro

  sports_martial_artsAikidō Confirmed

  Confirmed

  Independent sources state it.

  The evidence establishes the claim: it is sufficient and consistent, and any conflicting evidence is resolved.

  under Ueshiba Morihei (1946 – 1969)

  fact_checkassessed by FSMverified

  Frederico Muñoz

  Researcher, Martialis

  2 sources expand_more

  fact_check

  Independent sources state it.

  “It was at this time, at the age of 18, that Saito joined Ueshiba for training [...] From 1946 until Ueshiba’s passing in 1969, Saito served as Ueshiba's assistant in a variety of ways at Iwama while his wife served Mrs. Ueshiba. During Saito’s period as a deshi he taught classes in the Iwama dojo.”

  — Morihiro Saito - Wikipedialink history

  “First taught by Morihei UESHIBA in Iwama in the summer of 1946.”

  — (2011-08-27). Morihiro Saito - Aikido Journal Encyclopedia. Aikido Journallink history info
• 
  Saitō Hitohiro

  sports_martial_artsAikidō Confirmed

  Confirmed

  Hitohiro Saito began learning aikido from Morihei Ueshiba at the Iwama dojo at age seven, corroborated by Wikipedia, the Aikido Blog biography and the Aikido Journal interview

  The evidence establishes the claim: it is sufficient and consistent, and any conflicting evidence is resolved.

  under Ueshiba Morihei (1964 – 1969)

  fact_checkassessed by FSMverified

  Frederico Muñoz

  Researcher, Martialis

  2 sources expand_more

  fact_check

  Hitohiro Saito began learning aikido from Morihei Ueshiba at the Iwama dojo at age seven, corroborated by Wikipedia, the Aikido Blog biography and the Aikido Journal interview

  “At age seven, he started to learn aikido from Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of aikido, who cared for him as a grandson. After Ueshiba died in 1969, he continued his practice with his father.”

  — Wikipedia contributors. Hitohiro Saito - Wikipedia (English). Wikipedia (English)link history info

  visibilityFirst-hand

  “he started studying Aikido under Morihei Ueshiba at the age of 7 and continued learning from his father Morihiro SAITO Shihan after the Founder's death in 1969.”

  — Stanley Pranin; Sonoko Tanaka. Interview with Hitohiro SAITO Sensei (Aikido Journal 113). Aikido Journallink history info

  sports_martial_artsIwama Ryu Confirmed

  Confirmed

  Hitohiro is the son of Morihiro Saito and continued his aikido training with his father after Ueshiba's death, later succeeding him at the Iwama dojo; documented across Wikipedia, the Aikido Blog and saitosensei.com

  The evidence establishes the claim: it is sufficient and consistent, and any conflicting evidence is resolved.

  under Saitō Morihiro (1969 – 2002)

  fact_checkassessed by FSMverified

  Frederico Muñoz

  Researcher, Martialis

  2 sources expand_more

  fact_check

  Hitohiro is the son of Morihiro Saito and continued his aikido training with his father after Ueshiba's death, later succeeding him at the Iwama dojo; documented across Wikipedia, the Aikido Blog and saitosensei.com

  “The younger Saito became an official instructor of the Iwama dojo in 1986 and remained so until 2004 when he separated from the Aikikai organization and formed his own group.”

  — Wikipedia contributors. Hitohiro Saito - Wikipedia (English). Wikipedia (English)link history info

  “In 1986, in a special ceremony, Hitohiro Saito Sensei was officially appointed as a teacher at the Iwama dojo. In the same year, he began to teach overseas.”

  — Eric Savalli. (2009). [EN] SAITO Hitohira Sensei link history info
• 
  Tomita Takeji

  sports_martial_artsAikidō Probable

  Probable

  Well-documented uchideshi (live-in student) of Morihiro Saito at Iwama Dojo starting in 1968, as described in Aikido Journal biography

  The evidence favours the claim and nothing credible contradicts it, but it falls short of establishing it.

  under Saitō Morihiro (1968)

  fact_checkassessed by FSMverified

  Frederico Muñoz

  Researcher, Martialis

  1 source expand_more

  fact_check

  Well-documented uchideshi (live-in student) of Morihiro Saito at Iwama Dojo starting in 1968, as described in Aikido Journal biography

  “From 1962 on, after his first visit in Iwama, he decides to follow the teaching of O'Sensei and of his assistant, Morihiro Saito Sensei [...] In 1968, he becomes Morihiro Saito's Uchideshi and is rapidly adopted by the Master's family [...] Tomita Sensei practiced for about 7 years at the Iwama Dojo. Those years were for him formativeyears dedicated to education and to discovering the way of Budo.”

  — TAKEJI TOMITA: From studying with O-Sensei to the creation of Aïki Shin Myo Den (Aikido Journal)link
• 
  Barry Knight

  sports_martial_artsIwama Ryu Confirmed

  Confirmed

  Barry Knight practiced at Iwama under Morihiro Saito from 1978 to 1980, documented by both the Aikido Journal encyclopedia entry and the saitosensei 1980s page

  The evidence establishes the claim: it is sufficient and consistent, and any conflicting evidence is resolved.

  under Saitō Morihiro (1978 – 1980)

  fact_checkassessed by FSMverified

  Frederico Muñoz

  Researcher, Martialis

  2 sources expand_more

  fact_check

  Barry Knight practiced at Iwama under Morihiro Saito from 1978 to 1980, documented by both the Aikido Journal encyclopedia entry and the saitosensei 1980s page

  “Began training in 1970 in Melbourne. Practiced at AIKIKAI HOMBU DOJO in 1976 and in IWAMA under Morihiro SAITO from 1978-1980. Upon his return to Australia, established a private dojo where he teaches IWAMA-STYLE AIKIDO.”

  — Josh Gold. (2011). Barry Alan Knight (Aikido Journal Encyclopedia). Aikido Journallink history info

  “Both these practices were first developed in 1978 when Rob Okun, Craig Brown, Berry Knight and I lived in Iwama for 2 years and Saito Sensei started to teach Asa no Keiko 7 days a week for the uchi deshi.”

  — 1980's - Morihiro Saito Senseilink history info
• 
  Carlos Portas

  sports_martial_artsAikidō Probable

  Probable

  Student of Takeji Tomita from 1985 to 2004, per his club's page; own account only

  The evidence favours the claim and nothing credible contradicts it, but it falls short of establishing it.

  under Tomita Takeji (1985 – 2004)

  fact_checkassessed by FSMverified

  Frederico Muñoz

  Researcher, Martialis

  1 source expand_more

  fact_check

  Student of Takeji Tomita from 1985 to 2004, per his club's page; own account only

  visibilityFirst-hand

  “ Em 1985, viu no jornal o anúncio de uma demonstração de Aikido por um mestre japonês (Mestre Tomita), em Estocolmo, e foi ver. Achou que tinha caído num poço de luz e logo ali perguntou ao Mestre se o aceitava como aluno, o que veio a acontecer. Regressou a Portugal em 1993”

  — Mestre Carlos Portas (Aikido Marcial Dojo Clube) link
• 
  Tristão da Cunha

  sports_martial_artsIwama Ryu Confirmed

  Confirmed

  Well-documented uchi-deshi of Morihiro Saito at Iwama, first in May 1986 for six months, returning repeatedly; the Aikishurendojo bio and the CAO interview both detail this relationship

  The evidence establishes the claim: it is sufficient and consistent, and any conflicting evidence is resolved.

  under Saitō Morihiro (1986 – 2002)

  fact_checkassessed by FSMverified

  Frederico Muñoz

  Researcher, Martialis

  2 sources expand_more

  fact_check

  Well-documented uchi-deshi of Morihiro Saito at Iwama, first in May 1986 for six months, returning repeatedly; the Aikishurendojo bio and the CAO interview both detail this relationship

  “Viajou pela primeira vez ao Japão em 1986 onde ficou como uchi deshi de Morihiro Saito no dojo do Fundador do Aikido. Voltou para Portugal com a tarefa de implantar o Aikido tradicional em Portugal. [...] Tristão da Cunha foi uchi deshi do Grande Mestre Morihiro Saito, no último ano em que este esteve activo antes de sucumbir a um cancro dos ossos.”

  — Mestre Tristão da Cunhalink history info

  visibilityFirst-hand

  “A minha primeira ida foi em Maio de 1986. [...] Eu fui o primeiro português a ir lá e Sensei recebeu-me como recebe todos os alunos”

  — Pedro Escudeiro. (2000). Entrevista ao Professor Tristão da Cunha (Pedro Escudeiro, 2000). Surya (Centro de Artes Orientais) linkhistory info

  sports_martial_artsIwama Ryu Probable

  Probable

  His own dojo's bio states that after Morihiro Saito's death in 2002, he continued with successor Hitohiro Saito, who awarded him the 6th, 7th and 8th dan grades and the Shihan title; no independent source corroborates it

  The evidence favours the claim and nothing credible contradicts it, but it falls short of establishing it.

  under Saitō Hitohiro (2002)

  fact_checkassessed by FSMverified

  Frederico Muñoz

  Researcher, Martialis

  2 sources expand_more

  fact_check

  His own dojo's bio states that after Morihiro Saito's death in 2002, he continued with successor Hitohiro Saito, who awarded him the 6th, 7th and 8th dan grades and the Shihan title; no independent source corroborates it

  “Depois de Morihiro Saito falecer continuou com o seu filho e sucessor, Hitohiro Saito Shihan. [...] Desde então voltou várias vezes ao Japão para ser uchi deshi de Hitohiro Sensei.”

  — Mestre Tristão da Cunhalink history info

  visibilityFirst-hand

  “Morihiro Sensei was still alive and healthy when his son gave me the title of Shihan of the Tanrenkan. I was 5th Dan back then.”

  — (2011). Interview with Tristão da Cunha Sensei link history info

Styles founded here (1)

Iwama Ryu

岩間流 · founded c. 1969, Iwama

Sources