A huge thank you to our teacher Mark Larson (Takuto) Sensei 6th dan for sharing his knowledge, wisdom, skill and dedication of Aikido, as he learnt it in Iwama from Morihiro Saito Sensei.
Mark Sensei's bokken sits proudly on our shomen along side Takahashi Sensei's calligraphy (Mark Sensei's calligraphy teacher and current Budo mentor).
This years seminar was in Sensei's hometown for the first time. In the past years it was hosted by ‘SJU/CSB Aikido’ at St. John’s University near St. Cloud Minnesota where Mark Sensei grew up. This year marked the first year of it being held in Elk River and everyone came from near and far to be part of the occasion.
We had our friends from New York ‘Still Mind Aikido’ who always bring awesome energy. Our friends from ‘Denmark-Copenhagen Aikido Club’ and ‘Sweden Torsby Aikidoklubb’ and ‘Aikido Dojo of Lijeeholmen’ who always bring loads of laughter and fun. Our friends from Tennessee, Reno Nevada, North Dakota and Grand Marais who ground us. And of course the beautiful people of ‘Minnesota Aiki Shuren Dojo’ who graciously hosted us and always wrap us in love! Training would not be the same without ALL of you guys & gals!
Weapons training started on Friday March 23rd on Mark Sensei's land-outside, where he is building his new dojo...coming soon! We can't wait until we can deshi and train with him more often!
Saturday March 24th marked the official start of the seminar, and it ended March 25th. We trained hard when on the mats and had so much fun with great food and friends off the mats.
A big thank you to Nathan, Diego L's son, for coming to Minnesota with his dad so that dad could train with us at the seminar! Mark Sensei gifted Nathan a Tenugui which Nate was pretty excited to receive!
Monday March 26th, marked the 10th anniversary of Aikido of North Hennepin Community College. This is the college that Sensei works and teaches at and we celebrated with Sensei doing an aikido demonstration for all the students, for all the students, alumni, faculty staff and administration of the college. It was great training with his students and hearing them say great things about him as a person and teacher!
“We also spent some time in Sensei’s home where he allowed us to hold Saito Sensei’s bokken that he used and gifted Mark Sensei. Holding this bokken was amazing!”
I had the opportunity to practice suburi and it felt so awesome to be able to cut with Saito Sensei’s bokken, truly such an honor, this bokken has quite an energy! Mark Sensei then blessed us with an amazing gift-one of his personal bokkens! He had received it from Sugiyama son of Tsukuba Mountain, a master craftsman and treasure who made bokkens & jos for Saito Sensei at the end of his life (he also made wooden swords for both Kashima & Katori jingu).
This bokken Mark Sensei gifted us, sat in Sugiyama’s shop and was one of the last ones he made. Sugiyama added his own “burned” 合気 stamp...and when Mark Sensei received it he stamped it and wrote Mark マー (Mark Sensei’s name and his personal stamp). This ken now sits proudly in our dojo on the shomen.
In the photo attached you can see the 2 bokkens, the top one has the name “Morihiro” written in Saito Sensei’s kanji & his stamp which Mark Sensei has and the bottom bokken that Sugiyama gifted Mark Sensei reads “Mark” in katakana and his kanji stamp (in red) “truth forever” which we at Winnipeg Aiki Shuren Dojo now have!
Domo agriato Mark Sensei for blessing us with such an awesome gift, for opening your heart and home to us, and for being on this planet and doing what you do to preserve the founders aikido, and for being a wonderful man & teacher on and off the mats.
We are truly blessed and honoured to have a teacher that understands the true meaning of ‘budo’ in all sense of the word.