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20-563: Hitohiro Saito (斎藤 仁弘 Saitō Hitohiro , born 12 February 1957 in Iwama ) is an aikido instructor and founding headmaster of Iwama Shin-Shin Aiki Shuren-kai . Hitohiro is the son of Morihiro Saito . At age seven, he started to learn aikido from Morihei Ueshiba , the founder of aikido, who cared for him as a grandson.. After Ueshiba died in 1969, he continued his practice with his father. The younger Saito became an official instructor of

40-629: A traditional Iwama style aikido organization. It is named Iwama Shin-Shin Aiki Shuren-kai (岩間神信合氣修練会, abbreviated as ISSASK). It has dojo in about 20 countries. With the passing of Morihiro Saito in May 2002, Hitohiro Saito initially continued to govern the Founder's dojo and the Shrine of Aikido, Aikijinja . He also prepared to surrender these roles to the Aikikai , which owns those properties. However,

60-510: A number of Morihiro Saito's students preferred to remain affiliated with the Aikikai, others decided to follow Hitohiro Saito upon his break from the organization. Today he teaches full-time at his own Tanrenkan and travels constantly inside Japan and around the world, instructing at seminars attended by hundreds of aikido students each month. Saito's Aikido is known for being precise, austere and dynamic; he emphasizes aiki-jō and aiki-ken . As

80-411: A related term, kamidana refers to the shrine itself. Other artifacts may be displayed throughout the dōjō , such as kanban (看板; signboard) that authorize the school in a style or strategy, and items such as taiko drums or armor ( Ō-yoroi ). It is not uncommon to find the name of the dōjō and the dōjō kun (roughly " dōjō rules") displayed prominently at shomen as well. Visitors may have

100-512: A school has a Dojo to train inside of, the training may sometimes be conducted outside, often in parks. Many traditional dōjō follow a prescribed pattern with shomen (正面; "front") and various entrances that are used based on student and instructor rank laid out precisely. The Shomen is designated as a wall, usually in the North of the Dojo and facing the entrance. Typically students will enter in

120-483: A special place reserved, depending on their rank and station. Weapons and other training gear will normally be found on the back wall. A honbu dōjō (本部道場) is the central training facility and administrative headquarters of a particular martial arts style. Some well-known dōjō located in Japan are: In Japan and other countries, there are additional names for training halls, that are equivalent to "dōjō". These include

140-601: A teacher he is demanding, always insisting in the deep studies of the basis of Aikido as the only way to get to understand the Aikido of the Founder and of his father Morihiro Saito. Saito is also a professional chef , calligrapher , painter, and sculptor. In his atelier, he carves mostly traditional Japanese masks and shishigashira (獅子頭, lion masks). His wife and children also practice daily at his dojo, and in 2016 his sons began teaching Aikido seminars internationally. Iwama, Ibaraki On March 19, 2006, Iwama, along with

160-506: Is held every April on the 29th (Showa holiday) and features a "hono embu" (demonstration offering) by the Aikido Doshu . More than a thousand people usually come for the celebration which also features a Shinto ceremony carried out by Ōmoto-kyō priests. Dojo A dōjō ( 道場 , Japanese pronunciation: [doꜜː(d)ʑoː] ) is a hall or place for immersive learning , experiential learning , or meditation . This

180-570: Is more specific, and more widely used. European Sōtō Zen groups affiliated with the International Zen Association prefer to use dōjō instead of zendo to describe their meditation halls as did their founding master, Taisen Deshimaru . In Japan , any facility for physical training, including professional wrestling , may be called a dōjō . In the Western world , the term dōjō (when related to physical activity)

200-679: Is traditionally in the field of martial arts . The term literally means "place of the Way " in Japanese . The word dōjō originates from Buddhism . Initially, dōjō were adjunct to temples and were formal training places for any of the Japanese arts ending in " -dō ", from the Chinese Dao , meaning "way" or "path". Sometimes meditation halls where Zen Buddhists practice zazen meditation were called dōjō . The alternative term zen-do

220-408: Is used exclusively for Japanese martial arts such as aikidō , jūdō , karate-dō , etc. A proper Japanese martial arts dōjō is considered special and is well cared for by its users. Shoes are not worn in a dōjō , which is in line with the Japanese custom to keep the premises clean and respectable. In many styles it is traditional to conduct a ritual cleaning ( sōji ; 掃除) of the dōjō at

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240-596: The Aikikai under his original students, including Chief Instructor Hiroshi Isoyama , Shigemi Inagaki and others. The Aiki Jinja , or Aikido Shrine , is situated opposite the Iwama Dojo and near the Aiki Shuren-Kai Shin-Shin Aiki-juku . The town's official matsuri is held in the last week of September, but throughout the year it also observes the usual Japanese holidays . The Aiki Jinja Rei Taisai (Aiki-Shrine Grand Festival)

260-525: The Dōshu also requested that Iwama Ryu grading certificates no longer be issued, and in return Hitohiro asked for the Aikikai to announce in publication that the Founder's original style is preserved at Iwama. The latter did not occur, and Hitohiro also came under pressures within the Iwama group. In November 2003, Hitohiro separated from the Aikikai. By February 2004 he had formed his own organisation (ISSASK). While

280-449: The Iwama dojo in 1986 and remained so until 2004 when he separated from the Aikikai organization and formed his own group. Since 2009 he is also identified as Hitohira (仁平) Saito. Years before his father's death, Hitohiro took over the main work at the Founder's dojo and Shrine of Aiki, Aiki Jinja , thus relieving his aging father of the great amount of work required in running the campus. His father spent his last years taking care of

300-464: The Atago shrine (愛宕神社 "Atago Jinja"). As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 16,588 and a density of 332.23 persons per km . The total area was 49.93 km . Iwama is known for having been the residence of Morihei Ueshiba , founder of Aikido , from 1942 until his death. It was during this period that the term "Aikido" came into use. The world's only shrine to Aikido was built here by

320-419: The beginning and/or end of each training session. Besides the obvious hygienic benefits of regular cleaning it also serves to reinforce the fact that dōjō are supposed to be supported and managed by the student body (or by special students, e.g., uchi-deshi ). In some cases, the instructional staff may choose to help the students clean, as a sign of modesty, setting a personal example. In Modern Times, even when

340-762: The founder along with a small dojo . Practitioners from around the world come to Iwama to train as uchideshi (内弟子) or “live-in students”. There are two famous Aikido dojos in the town including the original Iwama dojo (now called the Aikikai Foundation Ibaraki Branch Dojo) and the Shin-Shin Aiki-Juku . The latter is operated by Hitohiro Saito (the son of one of Ueshiba's most famous disciples Morihiro Saito ) who formed his own organisation (the Aiki Shuren-Kai ) in 2003. Ueshiba’s dojo continues to operate within

360-412: The lower-left corner of the dōjō (in reference to the shomen) with instructors in the upper right corner. Shomen typically has a shelf attached to it. On the shelf would traditionally be presented a miniature Shintō shrine with a sculpture, flower arrangement, or other artifacts. Pictures of past Masters are generally found aside the shrine, and not on it. The term kamiza means " place of honor " and

380-435: The town of Tomobe (also from Nishiibaraki District ), was merged into the expanded city of Kasama . The former town of Iwama is located about 100 km northeast of Tokyo and near the city of Mito . Iwama is at the base of Mt. Atago (愛宕山 Atago-San). Mt. Atago is part of a larger Prefectural Park that extends up towards Kasama. On top of Mt. Atago is a kids' play area with a giant slide (about 150m in length) as well as

400-461: The vegetable gardens and travelling abroad for seminars. The main teaching of the dojo was passed to Hitohiro's hands and remained so until 2004. In 2000, he inaugurated his own dojo, the Tanrenkan (鍛錬館), sponsored by his father Morihiro Saito. Upon his father's death, Hitohiro inherited his house and his dojo, then called the "Shin Dojo", built in 1990. Hitohiro Saito is the founder and leader of

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