The Founding of Shodokan Aikido
Shodokan Aikido was created by Kenji Tomiki, who had a unique background as both a senior student of Morihei Ueshiba (the founder of Aikido) and an 8th-dan judoka under Jigoro Kano. Tomiki began shaping his approach in the 1950s at Waseda University, aiming to combine Aikido’s principles with Judo’s structured, educational training methods.
In 1958, he published work introducing the idea of competitive Aikido, and in 1967 he founded the Shodokan Honbu Dojo in Osaka, establishing the style formally. Shodokan Aikido is distinctive for its use of randori (free practice) and tanto/toshu competition formats, making it the only major Aikido style with a regulated sport component. Today, it continues under organisations such as the Japan Aikido Association and the Shodokan Aikido Federation.
Nariyama Shihan
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- 1947
Born in Yamagata Prefecture. Nariyama began in judo and aimed to become an Olympic-level competitor.
- 1966
Entered Kokushikan University, where he met Kenji Tomiki, founder of Shodokan Aikido — the encounter that determined his future path. As captain of the Kokushikan Aikido Club, he served as uke for Tomiki in major demonstrations.
- Apprenticeship
After graduating, Tomiki sent him to Osaka to spread competitive aikido. At the same time, he lived as uchideshi (live-in student) under Hirokazu Kobayashi, gaining deep exposure to both Tomiki’s competitive methodology and Kobayashi’s Aikikai roots — a dual lineage that uniquely positioned Nariyama to understand both traditional and competitive aikido.
- March 1970
Tomiki sent Nariyama to the Shodokan Dojo as its new instructor.
- 1976
Shodokan was re-dedicated in a new building, and Nariyama became its full-time instructor.
- Chief Instructor
According to multiple sources, Kenji Tomiki personally appointed Nariyama as the chief instructor (Shihan) of the Shodokan Hombu Dojo — the decisive moment establishing him as the technical successor of Shodokan Aikido. He went on to become technical director of the Japan Aikido Association (JAA), teaching at Kokushikan University, Waseda University, and the Osaka Police Academy, developing the randori methodology that helped standardise competitive aikido.
Sakai Shihan
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Sakai Shihan has taught at the Osaka Honbu Dojo for more than 30 years, and has recently been promoted from Deshi to Shihan. For many practitioners, especially those who have travelled to Osaka, Sakai Shihan represents the heart of the Honbu Dojo: calm, precise, and endlessly generous with his knowledge. His aikido reflects decades of dedication to the principles established by Kenji Tomiki and carried forward through Nariyama Shihan.
Through this lineage, Sakai Shihan has become one of the senior instructors who helped preserve and transmit the technical foundations of Shodokan Aikido during a crucial period of its development. Those who have trained with him speak of his warm welcome, his patience, and his ability to teach even the smallest detail with clarity and purpose. His guidance has shaped countless practitioners from Japan and abroad, and his support for visiting aikidoka has strengthened international friendships within the Shodokan community.