Yoshinkan Aikido
養神館合気道A line of aikido founded in 1955 by Gozo Shioda. It practises techniques broken down in a counted rhythm and since 1957 has run the senshusei course for the Tokyo police.
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About Yoshinkan Aikido
Yoshinkan is a school of aikido founded in 1955 by Shioda Gozo (1915–1994), a student of Ueshiba Morihei from 1932. Today it is run by the public-interest foundation Aikido Yoshinkai, with its hombu dojo in the Takadanobaba district of Tokyo. There was no formal break with Aikikai, and the two groups developed separately. The teaching is characteristic. The basic forms firmly fix the degree of turning, the technical points and the commands, and techniques are practised broken down into parts in a counted rhythm, so a few instructors can teach a large group at once. The lower kyu grades demonstrate techniques step by step, and a free technique is required for 1st dan. In 1957 Shioda developed the senshusei program for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, which, according to Yoshinkan, entrusted the school with the training of its riot units, the kidotai. The international senshusei course has been open since 1990, and its 37th year will take place in 2027. The motto of the school is Taisureba Aiwasu, harmony through encounter. Shioda took the name Yoshinkan from his father's dojo.
History
Yoshinkan aikido was founded by Shioda Gozo (1915–1994), born on 9 September 1915 in the Yotsuya district of Tokyo. According to the official website of the Aikido Yoshinkai foundation, he began training under Ueshiba Morihei in 1932. Stanley Pranin of Aikido Journal states that he enrolled in Ueshiba's dojo on 23 May 1932, after Ueshiba let him attack during a demonstration and quickly sent him to the ground. After the war, Shioda taught from 1950 according to Yoshinkai, and according to Pranin his demonstration in Tokyo in 1954 drew about 15 000 spectators. In 1955 he founded Aikido Yoshinkan with the support of businessmen, and the dojo opened to the public in Tsukudo Hachiman with the backing of the banker Kuda of Tomin Bank. According to Pranin, there was no formal break with Aikikai, and the two groups developed separately and remained on friendly terms. According to Inoue Kyoichi, who joined Yoshinkan on 1 November 1955, teaching technique in parts settled into its established form around 1955 to 1956. In 1990 Shioda founded the International Yoshinkan Aikido Federation with his son Yasuhisa and set up the international senshusei program.
How it differs
Yoshinkan differs from Aikikai, but it did not formally separate from it. Stanley Pranin describes it as clearly distinguishable from Aikikai under the leadership of Kisshomaru Ueshiba. The main difference lies in teaching: Yoshinkan teaches techniques in parts in a counted rhythm and, according to Yasuhisa Shioda, can teach large groups at once, which is, however, the view of the school itself. Shioda Gozo insisted that the student must first master the basics. According to Inoue Kyoichi, Aikikai and Yoshinkan did not perform at each other's demonstrations, but Aikikai teachers did attend Yoshinkan demonstrations. Neither of the two schools holds competitions. Aikikai states of itself that in aikido, tournaments do not decide who is superior. Competition was introduced only by Tomiki Kenji, who armed the attacker with a dummy knife. In November 1972, the groups of Aikikai, Yoshinkan and Tomiki's aikido performed together at the Nippon Budosai festival.
Technique
Yoshinkan rests on precisely defined basic forms. According to Inoue Kyoichi, they firmly fix the degree of turning in the exercises tai no henko and hiriki no yosei, as well as the technical points and the verbal commands. Techniques are practised broken down into parts in a counted rhythm of one, two, three, so a few instructors can teach many people at once. According to Inoue, a drawback can be stiffness. According to his son Yasuhisa, Shioda arranged Ueshiba's movements into a system and explained the basics with mathematical precision, but this is the view of the founder's family. Shioda himself stated that students repeat the basics until they master them. According to Yasuhisa Shioda, Yoshinkan today uses less force than before. We did not find in the official sources the six basic movements of kihon dosa that are commonly attributed to Yoshinkan.
Training
Adults at the hombu dojo of the Aikido Yoshinkai foundation in the Takadanobaba district of Tokyo begin with a basic course that teaches techniques step by step, and the dojo also offers classes for children. In 1957, according to Yoshinkai, Shioda developed the senshusei program for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. According to Yasuhisa Shioda, the police left the training of its riot units, the kidotai, to Yoshinkan. The international senshusei course began in 1990, and the official website does not state its length. The system of students living in the dojo (uchideshi) arose, according to Yasuhisa Shioda, four to five years after the founding of Yoshinkan and had many rules.
Ranks and progression
The kyu and dan grades are examined differently, according to Inoue Kyoichi: the lower kyu grades demonstrate techniques step by step, a candidate for 1st dan must demonstrate a free technique, and the examiners watch the leading of the attacker and the correct movement. According to Yasuhisa Shioda, dan grades are not handed out quickly. Shioda Gozo received 9th dan from Ueshiba in 1961, the title hanshi in 1983 and 10th dan from the International Budo Federation in 1985.
Today
Yoshinkan is today run by the public-interest foundation Aikido Yoshinkai, with its hombu dojo in Takadanobaba in Shinjuku, Tokyo. For 24 October 2026 it announced the 71st All Japan combined demonstration, and on 3 October 2026 it opened recruitment for the 37th year of the international senshusei course for 2027. The international network is brought together by the International Yoshinkan Aikido Federation, founded in 1990.
Did you know
The name Yoshinkan was chosen by Shioda's grandfather Todo Kato after the collection Saikontan, from a passage on the quiet cultivation of the spirit, and Shioda took it over from the dojo that his father had built on his own land. The motto of the school is Taisureba Aiwasu, harmony through encounter. In July 1941, Shioda was private secretary to General Hata Shunroku, and during the war he was deployed in China, Taiwan and Borneo. According to Aikikai, the first public demonstration of aikido took place in 1955 on the roof of the Takashimaya department store in Tokyo.
Frequently asked questions
What is yoshinkan aikido?
An aikido school founded in 1955 by Shioda Gozo and today run by the public interest foundation Aikido Yoshinkai in Tokyo. Techniques are taught in parts in a precisely set form. It differs from the main organization Aikikai, but did not formally split from it.
Who founded yoshinkan aikido?
Shioda Gozo (1915–1994), a student of Ueshiba Morihei from 1932. He founded Aikido Yoshinkan in 1955, a year after a successful demonstration in Tokyo. In 1990 he founded an international federation with his son Yasuhisa.
What is the difference between yoshinkan and aikikai?
Yoshinkan teaches techniques broken into parts in a counted rhythm and requires free technique at the 1st dan test. Stanley Pranin of Aikido Journal describes it as clearly distinguishable from Aikikai. Neither of the two schools holds competitions.
Similar styles
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