Koa Kimura's Photojournal

The Story of Aikido in Hawaii, 1961

When Koa Kimura Sensei passed away in 1997, a photo-journal which he had kept since 1961 was passed onto his grandson, Steve Nishi. Steve has given permission to put this journal onto the Web.

The journal consists of 40 pages containing 142 photographs, many of O-sensei. The journal is divided into the sections given below. The section titles used here are directly from the journal. Each page consists of reduced copies of the photographs. Most photographs can be clicked on to download a larger version of the picture. Each page of the photo-journal is represented by one web page.

According to a sticker on the inside cover of the journal, the photographer and editor was H. M. Sakoda.

• Title page, consisting of a 1961 photo of the then Hawaii Aikido Headquarters (now Waialae Dojo). Page 1.
• Photographs taken from a flyer for the March 11, 1961 exhibition at McKinley High School. Page 2.
• O-sensei's arrival in Honolulu on February 27, 1961. Page 3 and Page 4.
• The Welcome Party for O-sensei at the Japanese Chamber of Commerce, March 4, 1961. Page 5, Page 6, and Page 7.
• The Grand Opening Celebration at Shinonome Besso Tea House, March 12, 1961. Page 8, Page 9, Page 10, Page 11.
• Photos of O-sensei and others instructing classes at Honolulu Aiki Dojo. Page 12, Page 13, and Page 14.
• Grand opening ceremony at the Honolulu Aiki Dojo, March 12, 1961. Page 15, Page 16, Page 17, Page 18, Page 19, Page 20, Page 21, and Page 22.
• Public Demonstration of Aikido: The Demonstration given by O-sensei at McKinley High School Auditorium on Saturday, March 11, 1961. Page 23, Page 24, Page 25, Page 26, and Page 27.
• Aloha Banquet at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, April 6, 1961. Page 28, Page 29, and Page 30.
• Luau and picnic at Dr. Wakatake's beach house, April 9, 1961. Page 30, Page 31, Page 32, and Page 33.
• Departure for Japan by Jal Jetliner from Honolulu Airport, April 11, 1961. Page 34, Page 35, and Page 36.
• Excerpt from the McKinley exhibition flyer, Page 37.
• Ground Breaking Ceremony at the site of proposed Honolulu Aiki Dojo, June 26, 1960. Page 38 and Page 39.
• Excerpts from the McKinley Exhibition Brochure, Page 39 and Page 40.