GOZO SHIODA

Soke Gozo Shioda was born 9 september 1915 in Tokio, Yotsuya.

1932 Becomes O’Sensei Ueshiba apprentice
1941 Works in administration during the Second World War.
Was sent to China, Taiwan and Borneo.
1946 Returns to Japan
1950 Starts to teach Aikido.
1955 The All Japan Kobudo show and achieving an award for the most unique demonstration .
1957 Creates the Shenshusei program for Tokyo Metropolitan Police.
1961 Receives the level of 9th dan from Sensei Morihei Ueshiba.
1983 Receives the title Hanshi from the International Budo Federation
1985 Receives the level of 10th dan from the International Budo Federation
1988 Awarded for Aikido activity by the International Budo Federation

Gozo Shioda took part in hundreds of aikido demonstrations during several dozen of years. When it comes to showing aikido to the audience in a easy and attractive way, Gozo Shioda usually did it by himself. He combined clear analysis of aikido theory with solid technique and a load of humour.
The inevitable meeting with Morihei Ueshiba, the creator of aikido, was in 23th May 1932. Seventeen years old Gozo came to see a demonstration in Ueshiba’s Dojo. Having experience in judo and kendo, young Shioda was sceptical about the pure and confident techniques, which he had just seen. Ueshiba sensed his dissatisfaction, so he asked the young men to attack him. Within seconds, Gozo Shioda was lying on the floor after a failure kick attack. In aikido “feeling means believing” and Shioda rapidly decided to join the Dojo. Because two guarantors were needed to register, his father and mister Abe organized a presentation. During this time there were about twenty uchideshi In Ueshiba Dojo, who were under strict plan of training, whose every day consist of 5’o clock wake up, and ending at 9 p.m. It sure was exciting for young Shioda, to become a part of this Dojo, were so many outstanding apprentices of different martial arts were training and were many very important persons showed up regularly. Young Shioda was still in high school, so he could only attend morning practices, waking up at 4’o clock every day. Later on, as his father pressed him for planning his future, Gozo decided to live a life full of adventures, joining the “Reconstruction of Mongolia”. As a part of preparation for the upcoming tough years, he decided to take a break from school for two years to fully concentrate on training aikido. Since that time, he continued his education as a student of the Takushoku university until joining the army in March 1941. In 1950 Shioda, as a result of American policy named “Red Purge”, was luckily asked to secure the Tsurumi factory, which belonged to Nihon Kokan, a steel producing company. He gathered about 55 members of kendo, judo and sumo clubs from his mother university Takushoku. Because of this, he was asked to teach aikido regularly in different factories in 1952. He also gave plenty aikido demonstrations in police forces in the early fifties. A very important event was a big aikido demonstration, which had place in Tokyo in 1954, sponsored by the Life Extension Association, in which took part about 15000 people. Shioda demonstration was recognised as the best by the huge audience and, step by step, only being created Yoshinkan Aikido organization had started to gain win renown. In the same time, Shioda’s action were gaining fame in the world of business. Especially mister Kudo, the director of the Tomin bank, started to support Yoshinkan and financially helped with the construction of the dojo. Tsukudo Hachiman factory was given to the public in 1955. In the beginning modest Yoshinkan Aikido slowly spread all across Japan and to the other countries, mostly USA and Europe. Nowadays it is the second largest aikido organization with hundreds of members whole over the world. One thing should be explained: the way of how Yoshinkan aikido depart from Aikikai is not well understood.
When Shioda started his actions in the sphere of aikido just after war, Ueshiba still stayed in Iwama, and the lessons in the Aikikai dojo (former Kobukan) were non regular and thinly attended to.
Although, it is a fact, that many families who lost their homes because of the Tokyo bombardment, lived in the Dojo. There were even dances there! As if against the situation, Shioda achieved some successes, in a time when Yoshinkan slowly became more powerful. Later on, as Aikikai developed under the lead Ueshiba’s son- Kisshomaru, the founder spent more and more time in Tokyo. As you can see, there were never any formal split between the two organizations, not to mention rather different attitude towards aikido. Both groups evolved independently, staying in more or less good terms.
Shioda trained with Ueshiba when he was at the height of his abilities at the age of fifty. That is why the techniques which he learned from the founder were different from the techniques taught after war. Because of it, Yoshinkan Aikido is easily distinguished between the one being practiced in Aikikai, which is led by the son of Ueshiba, present Aikido Doshu.
“Nowadays Aikido is non dimensional. It is empty from the inside.
People want to achieve the highest level without proper work.
That is why now it looks so similar to dance. You have to have very solid basics ,
know them with your whole body and then pass on to the next level of experience.
At present, the only thing we could see is imitating and copying, without any sense of reality.”
Gozo Shioda

Master Soke Shioda came back to the Source 17th July 1994. He was seventy nine years old.

 
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