1987. Hitohiro and Saito Sensei in Iwama. Informal outdoor dining.
Photo: Derek Minus
Outdoor Dining
Author: david_yoshinaga
Hot Air Balloon
1987. Hitohiro and Derek Minus and the ‘hot-air balloon’ kami pre-flight purification. 🙂
Photo: Derek Minus
Party in Iwama
1986. Party in Iwama. Hitohiro in a great jacket, with Carlos Nogueira (Aikido-Iwama-Brasil) and Takao Fukuda from nearby Hitachi.
Photo: Carlos Nogueira
Tori
June 21, 2002. The Aiki Jinja tori looks towards the Saito residence and dojo.
Saito Sensei’s legacy of hard, technically astute training, a welcoming heart, and a firm connection with Iwama continues to inspire us. How fortunate we were to have shared the aiki-michi with him.
Photo: Patricia Yarrow
Saito Sensei’s Students
June 23, 2002. Some of Saito Sensei’s dedicated students. From Turkey, Germany, USA, England,and France, they left their various dojo and flew to Japan to take part in the funeral services, reminisce, consider the future, and, we must admit, watch the Soccer World Cup 2002 together.
Photo: Patricia Yarrow
Saito Sensei’s Altar
2002. Saito Sensei’s urn (silver box) and the public funeral shomen. The urn stood in the dojo for several days before this ceremony.
Photo: Patricia Yarrow
Saito Sensei’s Dogi and Hakama
June 22-23, 2002. Saito Sensei’s public funeral. His gi and hakama. Hitohiro’s magnificent artwork-the shishi-gashira or “lion-faced mask”.
Photo: Patricia Yarrow
Public Funeral
June 22, 2002. Saito Sensei’s public funeral and photo. His son-in-law, Umezawa-san, a Buddhist monk, looks on. Who is the man in the framed photograph in front of the flowers, I wonder?
Photo: Patricia Yarrow
Taisai
2002, April. Taisai. Saito Sensei is speaking with Gaku Homma (in front). Kawabe and Narita (with glasses) looks on. Uchideshi in back are (behind post)? from Poland, Tom from England, and Stefen Miller from Scotland.
Photo: Gaku Homma
Taisai
2002. April Taisai. Saito Sensei and Hitohiro and the Shinto officials. This was to be the last event for our Sensei.
Photo: Gaku Homma