david_yoshinaga – Page 11 – Morihiro Saito Sensei

Kanpai

1972. Tokyo. The first party. This one in David’s 6-mat apartment in Nuke-benten near the Honbu Aikikai dojo where Saito Sensei had been teaching Sunday classes which always included buki-waza (jo and bokken training). Not long afterwards, David moved to Iwama for the next ten years.

Left to right: Lars Andersson (Sweden), Morihiro Saito Sensei, Takeji Tomita (Sweden), and David Alexander

Photo: David Alexander

Bill Witt with Saito Sensei and Others

1971. Bill Witt with Saito Sensei and others. Bill Witt was one of the very first “gaijin” (foreigner) to seek out Saito Sensei in the Saito Sensei and Bill Witt: The Early Years.

Toss

1969. Saito Sensei tosses Bill Witt a respectable distance

Bokken Vanquish

1969. Saito Sensei with bokken vanquishes Bill Witt with bokken

Bokken

1969. Saito Sensei works with a bokken against Bill Witt’s bokken. Back then, the dojo wainscoting was still blonde; now it has become dark and polished by countless daily “soji o shimasu”

High Wrist Strike

1969. Saito Sensei strikes high to Bill Witt’s wrist. On the shomen is the board with O-Sensei’s ink brushing–before it was smeared by accident by a nameless uchi-deshi.