Seishiro Endo
Encyclopedia
, born 1942, is an 8th dan
ranked Aikikai
aikido
master teacher
. Endō is among the few living people who studied directly under aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba
.
He trained at Aikikai Hombu Dojo with shihan including Hiroshi Tada
, Mitsunari Kanai
, and Yasuo Kobayashi
. Later, he trained a lot with Seigo Yamaguchi shihan.
When Endo Shihan was 30 years old he dislocated his right shoulder. According to an interview, that event brought him to a turning point. After the injury, Seigo Yamaguchi said to him, You’ve been doing aikido for 10 years now, but now you have only your left arm to use, what are you going to do? This prompted Endo shihan to pursue a different direction in his Aikido. His Aikido eventually became a lot softer and more contact based.
, relaxation of the upper body, flexible movement and calmness of the mind at all times.
He also encourages his students to be investigative and not to accept things that are taught without confirming it for themselves.
, Nagano, Japan
.
Dan (rank)
The ranking system is a Japanese mark of level, which is used in modern fine arts and martial arts. Originally invented in a Go school in the Edo period, this system was applied to martial arts by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo and later introduced to other East Asia countries.In the modern...
ranked Aikikai
Aikikai
The Aikikai is the original school of Aikido. It is centered on the Aikikai Foundation in Japan, and its figurehead is the Doshu . It is represented globally through the International Aikido Federation....
aikido
Aikido
is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying life energy" or as "the Way of harmonious spirit." Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to...
master teacher
Shihan
- Title of "Master" is a Japanese Honorific Title, Expert License Certification used in Japanese martial arts for Master Level Instructors. The award of the Expert License Certification is if designated by the qualification by virtue of endorsement by the [A] Association of Chief Instructors or [B]...
. Endō is among the few living people who studied directly under aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba
Morihei Ueshiba
was a famous martial artist and founder of the Japanese martial art of aikido. He is often referred to as "the founder" or , "Great Teacher".-Early years:Morihei Ueshiba was born in Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan on December 14, 1883....
.
He trained at Aikikai Hombu Dojo with shihan including Hiroshi Tada
Hiroshi Tada
Hiroshi Tada is a Japanese aikido teacher holding the rank of 9th dan in the Aikikai....
, Mitsunari Kanai
Mitsunari Kanai
Mitsunari Kanai , was an aikido teacher born in Japan, who spent most of his teaching career in the United States. He was an 8th dan teacher with the title shihan in the organisation Aikikai.-Life:...
, and Yasuo Kobayashi
Yasuo Kobayashi
is a Japanese aikido teacher holding the rank of 8th dan Aikikai.Kobayashi was born in Tokyo, and entered the Aikikai Hombu dojo as an uchideshi under Morihei Ueshiba in 1954. In 1969, he established his own dojo in Kodaira. He is also responsible for the aikido clubs at the Meiji University,...
. Later, he trained a lot with Seigo Yamaguchi shihan.
When Endo Shihan was 30 years old he dislocated his right shoulder. According to an interview, that event brought him to a turning point. After the injury, Seigo Yamaguchi said to him, You’ve been doing aikido for 10 years now, but now you have only your left arm to use, what are you going to do? This prompted Endo shihan to pursue a different direction in his Aikido. His Aikido eventually became a lot softer and more contact based.
Teaching methodology
Endo shihan teaches mostly principles on how to connect to your partner and how to move freely. There is less focus on learning a large number of techniques. He also emphasizes that each student must confirm his feeling during each part of an exercise or technique. He talks about concentration of kiKI
Ki or KI may refer to:* .ki, the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code top level domain for Kiribati*Ki., an abbreviation for the Book of Kings in Judaeo-Christian religious texts* Ki * Ki , a Japanese syllabic character...
, relaxation of the upper body, flexible movement and calmness of the mind at all times.
He also encourages his students to be investigative and not to accept things that are taught without confirming it for themselves.
- I began to ceaselessly examine and confirm my state of mind: myself when it went well, myself when it went poorly, myself when I was trying to defeat my partner, myself when I was feeling fear, myself when I was feeling insecure, etc. From these confirmations, I learned the importance of ceaselessly keeping my mind calm.
Saku Dojo
In 1993, he created Aikido Saku Dojo in his hometown of SakuSaku, Nagano
is a city located in Nagano, Japan.Due to the refounding of Saku back on April 1, 2005, the city became the fifth city in Nagano Prefecture to go over 100,000...
, Nagano, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Instructional DVDs
After opening his own dojo, Endo shihan started to document his Aikido through a series of instructional DVDs under the name of WayMastery Store . Some of the videos are covering certain basic principles, while others are exploring how to deal with a particular attack. A special series of DVDs showing Endo shihan teaching at seminars abroad has also been released.Basic Practice Methods DVDs
- Katate-dori.
- Shomen-uchi. Basic Practice Methods.
- Yokomen-uchi.
- Suwari-waza Kokyuho, Ryote-dori.
- Morote-dori, Ushiro-ryote-dori.
Aikido Seminar DVDs
- Seminar in Washington, D.C.
- Stillness and Movement as One and Two-Attacker Practice