Koichi Tohei
藤平光一
Japanese aikido master with the 10th dan, student of Morihei Ueshiba and chief instructor of Aikikai, who founded Ki no Kenkyukai and the style Shin Shin Toitsu aikido in 1971.
Quick Facts
JapanBiography
Koichi Tohei was a Japanese aikido master, long-time chief instructor of Aikikai and founder of Ki no Kenkyukai and the style Shin Shin Toitsu aikido, aikido with unified mind and body, also known as Ki-Aikido. He was born on 20 January 1920 in the Shitaya district of Tokyo and died there on 19 May 2011 at the age of 91.
In his youth he practised judo, and after pleurisy he turned to zen and misogi practice at the Ichikukai dojo. In 1940 he was introduced to the founder of aikido, Morihei Ueshiba. In September 1942 he graduated in economics from Keio University and joined the army, and from February 1944 he served in central China. After demobilization in 1946 he continued with Ueshiba in Iwama and studied under Nakamura Tempu. In 1952 he received the 8th dan and in 1956 he became chief instructor of Aikikai.
From February 1953 he spread aikido in Hawaii, and from 1953 to 1971 he made about fifteen trips abroad. In 1966 he published the book Aikido in Daily Life. According to Stanley Pranin he received the 10th dan in January 1969, while Aikido Journal gives an official award from Aikikai in 1970. In September 1971 he founded Ki no Kenkyukai, and as of 1 May 1974 he left Aikikai.
In 1980 he founded the method Kiatsu, and in 1990 he moved the headquarters to the Ki no Sato center in Tochigi Prefecture. Since September 2007 the organization has been led by his son Shinichi Tohei. His students included Hiroshi Tada, Kazuo Chiba, Yoshimitsu Yamada and Koretoshi Maruyama.
Early life
Koichi Tohei was born on 20 January 1920 in the Shitaya district of Tokyo. According to the official biography of the Ki Society, the family returned to Tochigi Prefecture when he was three years old, and Koichi was often ill as a child. His father therefore taught him judo, and at fifteen he received a black belt. At sixteen he entered the preparatory school of Keio University.
During judo he injured his chest, developed pleurisy and missed a year of study. Around 1936 he began to practise zen under Josei Ota at the Daitokuji monastery in Kyoto and misogi practice under Tetsuju Ogura at the Ichikukai dojo. In September 1942 he graduated from Keio University half a year early and joined the army in the Utsunomiya division.
Training and teachers
He began to practise aikido at the age of nineteen under Morihei Ueshiba, according to Aikido Journal in 1940 at the dojo in Shinjuku. English Wikipedia states that he was brought to Ueshiba by the judo teacher Shohei Mori, which we have not found in official sources. The draft in 1942 interrupted his intensive training, and from February 1944 he served with his unit in central China.
After demobilization in August 1946 he resumed misogi and aikido, trained with Ueshiba in Iwama and studied Tempudo, a method of unity of mind and body, under Nakamura Tempu. In 1952 he received the 8th dan, in May 1956 he became chief instructor of Aikikai and in May 1960 he received the 9th dan. We have not found the date of the 5th dan in the sources.
Contribution and innovations
In February 1953 he travelled to Hawaii at the invitation of the Hawaiian branch Nishi Kai and built there a network of dojo connected to Aikikai. From 1953 to 1971 he made about fifteen trips abroad, and in 1965 and 1967 he stayed for long periods on the mainland of the USA. According to Pranin he began to publish books around 1960, and Aikido in Daily Life appeared in 1966.
In September 1971 he founded Ki no Kenkyukai, and as of 1 May 1974 he left Aikikai and founded Shin Shin Toitsu Aikidokai. He sent out a letter of explanation on 15 May 1974. In October 1977 the Japanese Ministry of Health approved the foundation Ki no Kenkyukai. In 1980 he founded Kiatsu, in April 1983 the Ki-Aikido academy, and in October 1990 the center Ki no Sato in Tochigi Prefecture became the headquarters.
Philosophy and principles
The Ki Society teaches according to the principle that mind moves body, and according to four basic principles: keep one point, relax completely, keep weight underside, and extend ki. It does not explicitly attribute them to Tohei, but the system is based on his teaching. The official biography relates that as a soldier in China he realized that the ability to keep one point is decisive and that any release of ki can mean death.
Legends and documented facts
The date of the 10th dan is disputed. Stanley Pranin gives January 1969 from Morihei Ueshiba, when Tohei became the first instructor of Aikikai with this rank, while the encyclopedia of Aikido Journal gives an official award from Aikikai in 1970. It is also often written that he developed the method Kiatsu during the war, but the Ki Society dates its founding to 1980.
It is said that Sunao Sonoda favored him as the successor of Ueshiba, but the doshu became Kisshomaru Ueshiba. Aikido Journal presents this with a reservation and we have not found a primary source. The year of the first meeting with Ueshiba is 1940 according to Aikido Journal and the Ki Society, while the blog of one dojo gives 1939.
Legacy
In October 1990 Tohei announced his retirement and, according to Aikido Journal, named Koretoshi Maruyama as his successor. In September 2007 his son Shinichi Tohei took over the leadership as president of Shinshin Toitsu Aikido Kai. The Ki Society states that in January 2012 more than fifty thousand people in 24 countries practised in its style.
He died on 19 May 2011 in Tokyo at the age of 91, and more than 1 200 people came to the farewell at the Tsukiji Honganji temple. According to Wikipedia his students included Hiroshi Tada, Kazuo Chiba, Yoshimitsu Yamada, Koretoshi Maruyama, Roy Y. Suenaka and Steven Seagal.
Teachers, students and family
Associated Martial Arts
Organisations
- Ki Society (Ki no Kenkyukai)Founder · 1971
Quotes
The instant you slacken your Ki could mean death.
Attributed