Morihiro Saito

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Morihiro Saito (斉藤守弘 Saitō Morihiro, March 31, 1928–May 13, 2002) was an aikido teacher with many students around the world.

He began his aikido training under the founder of aikido, Morihei Ueshiba, in Iwama in 1946 after having practiced some kendo, judo and karate. Although other students such as Koichi Tohei trained with Ueshiba for more years than Saito did, Saito's work allowed him to train almost as an uchideshi, for long periods as the only student. From 1946 until Ueshiba’s passing in 1969, Saito served as Ueshiba's assistant in a variety of ways at Iwama while his wife served Mrs. Ueshiba. During Saito’s period as a deshi he taught classes in the Iwama dojo. Before his death Ueshiba gave Morihiro Saito the responsibility of carrying on the teaching at the Iwama dojo and also the position of caretaker of the Aiki Jinja located in Iwama.

[edit] Legacy

In the beginning of the 1970s aikido students from outside Japan began traveling to Iwama to train under Saito sensei. The first of which was Bill Witt Shihan (7th Dan). Some of those who followed include: Ulf Evenås (7th Dan Iwama Ryu) - Sweden; Paolo Corallini (7th Dan Iwama Ryu) - Italy; Dennis Tatoian, Hans Goto, Miles Kesler, David Alexander, Pat Hendricks, and Mark Larson (5th Dan Aikido) of the US; Lars Göran Andersson - Sweden; Tristão da Cunha - Portugal; Lewis Bernaldo de Quiros - The Netherlands; Matt Hill (5th Dan) Justin Christou and Tony Sargeant - UK; Michael "Mic" Marelli - Australia; Giorgio Oscari - Italy; and many more. The kind of aikido that Saito's students do are often referred to as Iwama aikido or Iwama style.

For a period of time, some of Saito's student's in the West formed a dan ranking network of dojos called Iwama Ryu and could choose to receive their grades directly from Saito rather than from the Aikikai although Morihiro Saito never left that organization. After his death, his son Hitohiro formed the independent Shin Shin Aikishuren Kai. Some of the Iwama Ryu network dojos joined Hitohiro, while others chose to remain affiliated with the Aikikai.