It was the beginning of November in 1953 when I came to Kumamoto City, I was belonging and training in the Aikido Headquarters Dojo in Shinjuku, Tokyo. But I felt a constant need to move about and then flied to Kyushu without thinking of promoting the Aikido. I have a feeling that the great invisible spirit which I could not realize moved me. It might be the spirit of my father who died in the mountains of Kuma, or the martial spirits centering in Kyushu.

Visiting the person whom I was acquainted with after the war living near the Kumamoto station became the opportunity, and the line of fate kept going on and on as if it was waiting for me. I have an acute feeling that knowing Yoshiaki Nakashima sensei was the greatest cause of the flowering Kumamoto Aikido as we know it today. So people related to the Aikido (AikidoJin) in Kyushu, of course, people anxious about life might want to feel gratitude to the sensei.

If we could establish the Michi (way) by money and material wealth, the world would be always peaceful. But only the person who respects the Michi, put it in practice and has courage and perseverance to carry it out could establish the Michi.

The being of the kindred spirits who knew the heart of Nakashima sensei might strengthen the foundation. Having a hard time in the wave of life, I seem like understand anything of the Aikido even for an unfledged person like me. More than a few thousand people passed through the doorway of the Dojo. If the spirit of the Aikido lives in their soul, the world could move forward step by step brightly. In 1948, after the war, the Aikido altered from "Martial Art" to "Michi" and has kept going ever since. The Aikido keeping the spirit of "Aiki is Love" realized by the founder Morihei Ueshiba is now attracting people all over the world.

I think that there has never been a martial art to spread at such a fast speed in a short period of time like this. Ensuring the Aikido is martial art that creates the spirit of the future world and would become the center of the spirituality, I would like to devote myself to progress toward self-completion more than ever. I extend my heartfelt thanks to many of you who supported me publicly and privately until now.

Mr. Sou Takada provided for the first Aikido Dojo in Kumamoto City and made efforts in our growth. Mr. Haruaki Koba helped me as the chairperson of the new Dojo construction, and provided me food and housing all for free. I am deeply grateful to both senseis.

I would like to express my gratitude to the Manseikan Aikido chairperson Mr. Yoshiaki Nakashima, Mr. Seiichi Kudo, Mr. Tadashi Ogawa, Mr. Kametaro Kodama, Mr. Sumio Uji, Mr. Kazuho Kitahara, Mr. Masaaki Tsushita, Mr. Tsugunobu Moriyama, Mr. Susumu Nakashima, Mr. Kazuo Iwashita, Mr. Seigen Uchida, Mr. Hisao Takashima and Mr. Shigeo Deguchi.

Manseikan Aikido founder
Kanshu Sunadomari