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.