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Seigo Yamaguchi (1924-1996) was a Japanese Aikido master who held the rank of 9th dan shihan Aikikai. He taught for many years at the Aikikai Hombu Dojo and travelled extensively worldwide during his career to promote the teaching of aikido outside Japan.
Seigo Yamaguchi was born in Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu, Japan. He had many brothers and one sister.
He read many books supplied by his father, who was the principal of a public school. His study of history, literature and philosophy in his early age helped form the foundation of his teachings.
He graduated from Denshukan, traditional high school, founded by YANAGAWA-HAN (Samurai clan) in Edo period and then entered an advanced school (now university), called Hiroikegakuen founded by Dr.Hiroike.
Between October 1943 and October 1945, he joined the army and actively participated in the Pacific War. He was at that time considering a career in the army, becoming a senior officer by 1949 when he was introduced by a friend to Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of aikido, and became one of his uchideshi in 1950.
Morihei Ueshiba developed the martial art of Aikido from his combat studies of Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu with Sokaku Takeda, and his spiritual studies with the Omoto Kyo and Onisaburi Deguchi. Aikido focuses on harmony and non-resistance, leading to
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In 1958-1960, he taught aikido to the military in Burma and after returning to Japan he became one of the senior instructors at the Hombu Dojo, where he taught on Monday evenings for decades. He also taught at other dojo's and at a private dojo where he taught selected students.
At the Honbu Dojo he often conducted special seminars for advanced students. He sometimes gave lectures and lessons to the professional Japanese baseball teams, Universities and other private dojos. Among these dojos, Zoshukan, Tokyo, was the most important private dojo.
From 1977-1995, Yamaguchi organized seminars, and travelled to France, Germany, England, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and the USA to teach aikido. In 1990 video recordings of his budo were made in Paris, Oxford, Mannheim, and Munich in week-end seminars.
In 1992 he took part in the 30th AIKIDO Demonstration, Budo-kan in central Tokyo, Japan.
In 1996 Seigo Yamaguchi passed away at home, although he taught Aikido just two days before at the dojo. The funeral ceremony was organized by his family at Taisoji temple in Shinjuku and more than 1000 people came to the ceremony. Memorial demonstrations were organized at Kamakura, Meiji University, Nagoya University and Katsuta.
Yamaguchi Sensei had many direct students including Yoshinobu Takeda, Seishiro Endo, Christian Tissier, Philippe Gouttard and William Gleason. His son Tetsu Yamaguchi is also an aikido practitioner.
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