Osensei prays in Hawaii
Pearl City Aikido Dojo
History of the Pearl City Aikido Dojo
Pearl City Aikido Dojo was founded and established in 1955 by then Resident Minister Ryoshin Okano Sensei of the Jodo Shinsu Section and former Chief Instructor of Hawaii Aiki Kwai, Yukiso Yamamoto. Over the years, more than 2,000 students have practiced at Pearl City Aikido Dojo with over one hundred practitioners receiving a Shodan or higher ranking. Currently the club has nine shodans, one nidan, one yondan and two godans. Children's classes are very popular, as many students from the earlier generation of practitioners are now sending their children to Aikido.
The Chief Instructor of Pearl City Aikido Dojo is Donald S. Moriyama Shihan. For nearly half a century, Donald S. Moriyama Shihan, has devoted his life to the study, practice and perpetuation of the Japanese martial art of Aikido in its traditional form.
Affiliation
Pearl City Aikido Club's organizational affiliation is with Aikikai Hombu Dojo, Tokyo, Japan.
Schedule of Classes and Seminar Information
Aikido classes are offered for men, women and children (ten or eleven years and up) at the Pearl City Hongwanji Mission located at 858 Second Street, Pearl City. Class Schedule:
Tuesday and Thursday Evenings
- 6:00PM to 7:30PM (beginners/open)
Hongwanji functions, summer and winter School schedules, and holidays may affect class days and times. Color belts and sempai’s assist in conducting classes.
Visitors are welcome to attend any class and are encouraged to call to confirm class days and times. For further information, or directions to the Dojo, telephone 488-6747 during regular class hours.
Once a year Pearl City Aikido Dojo has a family outing and seminar on a neighbor island, beach home or at the Dojo. The club also hosts a Bonekai (End of Year) and a Shinnekai (New Year) celebration for students and their families.
In the past, Pearl City Aikido Dojo has had the honor of hosting guest instructors such as Kisshomaru Doshu Sensei, Koichi Tohei Sensei, Hitohiro Saito Sensei, and Akira Tohei Sensei.
TAKEMUSU AIKI
"The secret of Aikido is to harmonize ourselves with the movement of the universe and bring ourselves into accord with the universe itself." -Morihei Ueshiba
The heart and soul of Aikido is Takemusu Aiki. To acquire the true meaning of Aikido is to master Takemusu Aiki. This unique philosophy should be the goal of every Aikido trainee. When practicing Aikido, Takemusu Aiki means to be in perfect blend or harmony with your partners. If there is no harmony between partners Takemusu Aiki will never be attained and if there is no Takemusu Aiki there is no Aikido. Master Ueshiba emphasized that Aikido techniques will not be effective if they are not applied with a perfect blend or harmony with one's partner. In Takemusu Aiki one should never try to defeat his or her opponent since this is contrary to the philosophy. The meaning Takemusu Aiki then is to execute one's movements precisely and to harmonize with those of your partner. Only then will the various techniques be practiced correctly.
But Aikido means much more than practicing physical movements. Takemusu Aiki also means that the student must have the proper mental attitude and discipline when executing his or her movements. Every technique must be done wholeheartedly and with full concentration as if one's survival depended on doing that technique correctly. There is no room for complacency.
The key to Takemusu Aiki is to influence one's partner into reacting and then harmonize with his or her movements. Takemusu Aiki should be the goal of every Aikido student.
Often referred to as an "Old-Style" dojo, the Pearl City Aikido Dojo practices traditional Aikido as taught by its founder, Master Ueshiba, and Takemusu Aiki is an integral part of our training.
DONALD S. MORIYAMA Shihan, Pearl City Aikido Dojo
For nearly half a century, Donald S. Moriyama Shihan, Chief Instructor of Pearl City Aikido Dojo, has devoted his life to the study, practice and perpetuation of the Japanese martial art of Aikido.
Moriyama Sensei first began his training in the early 1950's under the guidance and leadership of many top instructors including Kisshomaru Doshu, Tohei Koichi Sensei (until his forming of Ki-no Ken Kyu Kai), Yukiso Yamamoto Sensei of Honolulu Aiki Kai, and Mitsuo Kimura Sensei of Pearl City Aiki Kai. He would later train with Yasuo Kobayashi Sensei, Shoji Nishio Sensei, Seijo Masuda Sensei, Ozawa Sensei, Yamada Sensei, Akira Tohei, Sugano Sensei, Chiba Sensei, Maruyama Sensei, and Imazumi Sensei from Japan. Moriyama Sensei also trained with Sugimoto, Tsugimura, Takahashi, Eto, Yano, Goto, Suzuki, Nonaka, Fujitani, and Meyer Goo Senseis of Hawaii. When O'Sensei visited Hawaii in 1961, Moriyama Sensei had the honor of taking ukemi for him as he demonstrated the art of Shihonage.
Moriyama Sensei first visited O'Sensei's Shrine in Iwama, Japan in 1974. Since then, he and members of Pearl City Aikido Dojo have regularly traveled to Iwama to further their training in Tai-ji-Tsu weapons under the tutelage of Saito Morihiro Sensei, 9th Dan. The instruction and training gained in Iwama has been brought back to Pearl City and shared with the Dojo's practitioners. Eventually, Saito Morihiro Sensei would certify Moriyama Sensei in Aiki Ken and Aiki Jo instruction, making him the only certified Aikido weapons instructor on Oahu.
In 1989, Moriyama Sensei's civil service occupation with the military transferred him and wife Clara to Misawa, Japan. There he opened a Dojo at Misawa Air Base gym to conduct Aikido classes twice a week. When he was not teaching on base, Moriyama Sensei spent his evenings visiting different Aikido schools in the local areas of Misawa, Hachinohe, and Aomori Cities. He discovered a variety of Aikido styles and training techniques. In Misawa City he met members of the Japan Air Self Defense Forces (JASDF) and local townspeople who trained at the Misawa City gym. At the Hachinohe City Budo Kan, Moriyama Sensei met a variety of Aikido practitioners; many who were salary men who had studied Aikido in college under Kobayashi, Nishio, and Kurikawa Senseis. A golden opportunity presented itself when Moriyama Sensei was asked to serve as Dojo Cho at the Ippai Mori Dojo by its owner, Mr. Kanaya Hirotaka, 5th Dan. His classes at Ippai Mori Dojo were comprised of members from the local Hachinohe and Aomori Prefectural highway police divisions, college students, local area families, and many children.
While stationed in the Tohoku region of Japan, Moriyama Sensei and his students participated in numerous seminars. Tohoku consists of Aomori, Yamagata, Sendai, Akita, Morioka and Fukushima Prefectures. Annually, one of the prefectures hosts the All Tohoku Aikido Seminar, a three day event offering Aikido instruction from guest instructors and Japan's top Shihans: Kisshomaru Doshu Sensei, Saito Morihiro Sensei, and Moriteru Waka Sensei. Some of the noted instructors from the Tohoku region have included the late Shirata Rinjiro Sensei, 9th Dan of Yamagata-ken; Kawabe Shigeru Sensei, 5th Dan of Akita-ken; and Yoshimi Hanazawa Sensei, 5th Dan of Fukushima-ken.
1993 All Tohoku Aikido Seminar
In Aomori-ken, seminars were held every three months and featured instruction by different guest Dojo-chos. Moriyama Sensei participated in the All Japan Japan Self Defense Force Summer Camp in Ibaragi, Japan for an entire week, training in all phases of Aikido. This seminar was conducted and taught by Hiroshi Isoyama Sensei, 8th Dan, who instructed at the JASDF (Japanese Air Security Defense Forces).
Never losing touch with the roots of Aikido, every April Moriyama Sensei would return to the source - Iwama - to attend the anniversary of O-Sensei's death. He participated in ceremonies and, at the request of Doshu Sensei, would leave an offering at the altar as a representative from Hawaii.
Retiring from civil service with the Department of Defense in 1993, Moriyama Sensei returned home to Oahu where he serves as chief instructor of the Pearl City Aikido Club. In January 1996, Moriyama Sensei traveled to Hombu Dojo, Tokyo, Japan, to be awarded his most recent promotion, 7th Dan, by Kisshomaru Doshu. Today, many years since first stepping on the mat, Moriyama Sensei continues to practice with the same diligence and intensity, sharing his passion and wealth of knowledge with his students at Pearl City Aikido Dojo. Furthermore, Moriyama Sensei, as elder statesman to the Dojo, continues to preserve healthy relationships with many Aikido Senseis in Japan and abroad, as well as the many students he has taught throughout the years.
