1994. Iwama snowbattle. Real steel in the snow! Wish you were here.
Photo: Aikido Journal
Snow Battle
Author: david_yoshinaga
Reno, Nevada
1993. Reno, Nevada. Uke is Simon
Photo: Aviv Goldsmith
Towel Hats
A casual lunch in California with towels for hats. Wolfgang Baumgartner, Patricia Hendricks, and Sensei
Photo: Patricia Yarrow
Fireside Chat
1992. Iwama. Saito Sensei’s version of a “fireside chat” revolving around O-Sensei stories and demos with the deshi. Luis DeQuiros on the right. Uke: Miles Kessler
Photo: Aviv Goldsmith
Reading from “Budo”
Reading from “Budo”, by OSensei. “See? This is just like I showed you…”
Photo: Stan Pranin, who rediscovered the original book. Photo from Aikido Journal
Celebration
1992. Mrs. Saito and Saito Sensei in regal formal attire at his huge first party in Iwama’s Kabuki Wedding Palace, celebrating his promotion to 9th dan by Honbu Aikikai and the 50th anniversary of aikido in Iwama. There followed an informal party of mighty proportion at the dojo, and later a third, smaller party around the indoor campfire at Hitohiro’s house nearby, although my own memory grew a bit hazy around this point…
Photo: Aikido Journal
All Japan Demo
1992. Saito Sensei and Shibata in the All Japan demo
Photo: Aikido Journal
The Saitos
1992. Iwama. The Saitos: Saito Sensei, okusan, and Hitohiro.
Photo: Aikido Journal
Dinner Party
1992. “Entertaining at a dinner party for uchideshi from Reno and the local sotodeshi”
Photo: Aviv Goldsmith
After a Storm
1991. One September evening a tremendous storm toppled a large pine tree. It snapped about 1.5 meters above the ground and crashed down, just missing the dojo, its crown brushing the wooden dojo steps. It was quite an alarming sight to awaken to. After morning keiko, Sensei and Hitohiro cut the tree into logs for the uchi deshi to carry off and stack for future winters.
Photo: Joerg Beile