Born on the 27th of June 1921, Kisshomaru began
serious aikido training as a teenager in 1937 and could be seen taking
ukemi for his father in the 1938 technical book BUDO.
He became the director of the Kobukan Dojo
while still a university student in 1942 after his father's retirement
to Iwama. During the years of war, Kisshomaru saved the dojo on several
occasions from burning to the ground as a result of the fire-bombing of
Tokyo.
Kisshomaru oversaw the postwar development
of the Aikikai Hombu in 1948. Employed for a number of years by a securities
company, he eventually quit his job in 1955 to devote all of his time
to supervision of the growth of the Aikikai. In 1957, Kisshomaru published
his first book on aikido, which was a popular success and reprinted many
times. Since then, he has authored more than 20 volumes on the art, several
of which have been translated into English.
In 1963, Kisshomaru made his first trip abroad to the U.S. and subsequently
traveled on numerous occasions to North and South America, and Europe.
Although his efforts to expand the Aikikai on an organizational level
are well-known, it should be noted that his technical influence was also
great. Kisshomaru gradually modified the technical curriculum of the Aikikai
by reducing the number of techniques taught and creating a standardised
nomenclature. His flowing style of technique that emphasizes Ki No Nagare
movements have also become a de facto standard in many Aikikai dojos worldwide.
Upon his father's death in 1969, Kisshomaru
inherited the title of Doshu. Among the numerous awards he received are
the Blue Ribbon Medal from the Japanese government on 29 March 1987 and
a Gold Medal from the French government on 19 May 1990. He passed away
on the 4th of January 1999.
