Part the First, Origins

I was introduced to Aikido in 1989. I was in high school and was taking a class in “Dance and Movement” as an elective. Our two teachers were students of Sensei John Smartt, who had learned Aikido from  Michio Hikitsuchi Sensei, who was the direct student of Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido, often referred to as “O-Sensei” by Aikido practitioners.

Our Dance and Movement teachers arranged for our class to visit Sensei Smartt at his dojo and get an introduction to Aikido. We learned some footwork and an application of the technique sumiotoshi (corner drop).

The lesson stuck with me, but I would not begin to train in earnest until 1996 when I signed up for a three-day Aikido Intensive at Sensei Smartt’s dojo, now moved to a larger space to accommodate larger classes.  The classes were 6 hours Friday night, 8 hours Saturday, and 4 hours Sunday, ending with a promotion to 9^th kyu signified by a yellow belt.

Part the Second: Training Begins in Earnest

Then I started training in earnest.  The next several years of training are kind of a blur from being so long ago (over 30 years as of this writing). Some of that time involved living above the dojo in the same building, where it seemed I ate, slept, and breathed Aikido while there. Also, there were gaps in my training as life’s difficulties and ups and downs got in the way, as would happen quite often in my 20s.  I eventually made it to 1st kyu, which was signified with a brown belt, and I had been doing work-study at the dojo in lieu of tuition. Cleaning the dojo several times a week, as well as working in the office, answering phone calls, and doing a bit of accounting with QuickBooks.  It was around this time that they started preparing me to teach.  

Sensei Smartt taught me how to do a 15-minute introductory lesson, where we taught someone how to apply sumiotoshi while in a chokehold from behind.  This technique allowed an Aikido neophyte to experience how Aikido is non-violent, non-injurious, and non-resistant.  Also at this time, I was given my first professional teaching assignment, running an after-school Aikido program for elementary school-aged children.

Part the Third: Enter the Black Belt

In May of 2003, we held youth promotions at the dojo, where my after-school class earned their junior yellow belts, and that same day after the youth promotions, I gave my Black Belt presentation. At our dojo, Black Belt presentations were kind of like presenting a thesis on Aikido, after which we are promoted. They often have spoken content, music, and technique demonstration. Each one as individual as the Aikidoka (Aikido practitioner) presenting it.  After which we are promoted in rank. This was the day I was awarded the rank of Shodan (1^st Dan / 1^st Degree Black Belt).

The tradition at our dojo was that when one was awarded their Shodan, the other black belts would tie the new belt around them and lift them into a hakama (wide-legged Japanese pleated trousers), which the other black belts would tie around them.  Then to “break in” the new hakama, the freshly minted Shodan would do two forward rolls (one on each side), and two backward rolls (again on each side), and hopefully not trip in the new voluminous material of the hakama.

After my promotion to Shodan, I started running the program for our youngest students,  often assisting in the teenager classes, and continuing my training under Sensei Smartt.

Part the Fourth: How we got here

Now we get to more blurry memories: moving out of state, doing training when and where I could, and occasionally teaching in a small dojo I built in a garage.  Moving back to my home state, and training again under Sensei Smartt.  Then there was a schism in our dojo (the less said about that, the better), and I continued training under different senior students and Dojo-Cho of Sensei Smartt.

My training schedule got to be a little inconsistent, and then I couldn’t train at all.

I was afflicted with a series of rare autoimmune illnesses (Dermatomyositis as well as Antisynthetase syndrome if you want to look them up) which caused muscle weakness, chronic pain, and lung scarring (fibrosis). Before too long, I needed supplemental oxygen, and my condition kept worsening to the point of terminal illness. The only thing that could save my life was a lung transplant.

I had said double lung transplant in early 2022.  For the first year afterwards, I was in the hospital more than I was out. I had to live in a skilled nursing facility for much of that time. When I was able to live independently, it was still many years of recovery.  Something to be aware about lung transplants: they are not a cure; they are a treatment. In many ways it replaces one chronic illness (in my case, Interstitial Lung Disease) with another.  But a few years after the transplant, my underlying conditions went into remission. Which brings us to today.

Part the Fifth: A New Chapter

Tomorrow (August 3, 2026), I will be returning to Aikido training with an introductory class at a dojo in Oakland, California.  I am excited to return to training and will be recording my journey in this blog, and I hope you will join me as I rediscover the art of Aikido and discover what abilities my post-transplant body will have. Along the way, I will share musings on Aikido training, technique, and philosophy,

A new journey awaits me tomorrow. So, until then, お願いします! (Onegaishimasu “I look forward to working with you”)

Soundtrack: John Coltrane – A Love Supreme