Maruyama Shudo Sensei

Kokikai Aikido founder Sensei Shuji Maruyama began his study of Aikido in 1955 under Koichi Tohei Sensei who was at the time chief instructor of Aikido under Master Ueshiba. Later after receiving an introduction from Tohei, Maruyama Sensei apprenticed directly with Master Ueshiba.

Kokikai is an Aikido is based on Maruyama Sensei's many years of teaching experience in the United States and has a distinctly international character. 30 years ago Maruyama Sensei went to America on his own and opened his first dojo in Philadelphia. Later he obtained the right of permanent residence in the U.S. and strove for the spreading of Aikido over the country. 19 years ago he returned to Japan for a while in order to teach Aikido to the young generation and opened a dojo in Nagoya, Japan. Using his unique experience in America he created an especially realistic style of Aikido.

As Kokikai Aikido has developed, Maruyama Sensei has stayed true to Master Ueshiba's tradition and has refined the techniques to make Aikido more effective in modern circumstances. Maruyama Sensei has caught Ueshiba's feeling for using only necessary strength, using the minimum effort necessary to achieve maximum results, but he now applies that feeling to technique responsive to the realities of modern unarmed fighting. Kokikai Aikido practice is characterized by realistic, focused attacks, and the fluid responses that employ timing and rhythm to take the opponents balance completely before the application of either throwing or pinning techniques.