CHRIS MULLIGAN

Mulligan Sensei is currently 6th Dan and, with his wife Okamoto sensei, runs Aikido Kyoto. Okamoto and Mulligan sensei started the Kyoto dojo upon their return to Japan in 2003.  Before Kyoto, Mulligan and Okamoto sensei founded Portland Aikikai. But the journey started well before then.    _______________________________ Mulligan Sensei, thank you for taking the time to giveContinue reading “CHRIS MULLIGAN”

LINEAGE AND LEGACY

Knowing the heritage and the history of your art is important. We are not so far removed from the origins of the art. O’Sensei (Morihei Ueshiba) had a direct influence on several of the shihans still teaching today, and his son (the second Doshu) was still teaching when I trained in Japan. All of us have a directContinue reading “LINEAGE AND LEGACY”

CHUDAN TSUKI

Tsuki (‘thrust’) in Aikido should replicate a knife thrust. We have focused on the high-line (jodan) first because it was a pedagogical thread from kata-dori, but also because a thrust to the face elicits a strong ‘flinch’ response. It is harder to maintain ‘zanshin‘ when pressed with a high-line attack. This morning we moved downContinue reading “CHUDAN TSUKI”