Gozo Shioda was a Japanese master of aikido who founded the Yoshinkan style of aikido.
18 Facts About Gozo Shioda
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Gozo Shioda was one of aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba's most senior students.
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Gozo Shioda was born on September 9,1915, in Shinjuku, Tokyo.
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Gozo Shioda's father was Seiichi Shioda, a physician who taught judo and kendo.
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Gozo Shioda was a weak child, and reportedly credited his survival to his father's pediatric skills.
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Gozo Shioda began training under the founder of aikido, Morihei Ueshiba, in 1932.
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Gozo Shioda graduated from Takushoku University, where he went to class with Judo master Masahiko Kimura and Kyokushin Karate founder Mas Oyama, in 1941, and was posted to administrative positions in China, Taiwan, and Borneo during World War II.
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Gozo Shioda later described this incident as his 'aikido enlightenment' and wrote that one could only truly appreciate what aikido was about once one had used it in a life-or-death situation.
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Gozo Shioda returned to Japan in 1946 and spent several months trying to locate his family on Kyushu.
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Gozo Shioda rejoined Ueshiba for a month of intensive training, but was forced to dedicate the next few years to earning a living in post-war Japan.
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Gozo Shioda's performance attracted sponsorship that enabled him to build an aikido dojo.
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In 1955, Gozo Shioda founded the Yoshinkan style of aikido, which emphasizes self-defense applications.
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The name "Yoshinkan" was the name Gozo Shioda's father had used for his own judo dojo.
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In 1957, Gozo Shioda developed the Senshusei course, an intensive aikido training program, for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.
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In 1973, Gozo Shioda sent Takashi Kushida, one of his most senior students, to introduce Yoshinkan aikido to the United States of America.
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In 1983, Gozo Shioda received the 'Hanshi' rank from the Kokusai Budoin-International Martial Arts Federation, followed by the rank of 10th dan from IMAF in 1985.
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In 1990, together with his son Yasuhisa Gozo Shioda, he established the International Yoshinkan Aikido Federation.
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Gozo Shioda wrote a few books on his martial art: Dynamic Aikido, Total Aikido: The master course, and Aikido Shugyo: Harmony in confrontation.