Minoru Hirai

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Minoru Hirai (b. March 1903, Okayama - d. 1998) is a Japanese martial artist, creator of the Korindo style of aikido.

As a youth, he studied many different martial arts including Togin-ryu, Okumura Nito-ryu, Takenouchi-ryu, Kito-ryu and Suburi-ryu. By 1938, he became a master in iaido and jujutsu and established his own dojo, the Kogado dojo in Okayama.

In 1938, he met at Okayama, Morihei Ueshiba who told him about the technique of aikibudo he created and invited him to his dojo in Tokyo. Hirai found similarities in Ueshiba's art based on circular motions with his own style of jujutsu he was developing and decided to enter Ueshiba's Kobukan dojo.

During World War II, Hirai was the head of the jujutsu department of the Japanese Army's military police school and was instrumental in developing a new arrest technique employed by the military police.

In 1942, he was appointed by Ueshiba, director of the General Affairs for the Kobukan Dojo, helping Ueshiba with daily matters at the dojo. The same year he was sent as the Kobukan representative to the Dai Nihon Butokukai, an organization promoting martial arts in Japan, and was instrumental in creating the term aikido to refer to arts like Ueshiba's within the Butokukai's circle.

In July 1945, the Butokukai awarded him the rank of Hanshi. His own style now called Korindo combined elements from classical jujutsu and traditional Japanese weaponry with the early teachings of Ueshiba. It is based on the principle of circular tai sabaki. In October 1945, he established the Korindo Dojo in Shizuoka. In September 1953, the Korindo Dojo in Tokyo was inaugurated.