Shizuo Imaizumi played an influential role in the development of aikido in the United States, but how much do we really know about the man behind the name? From his formative years in Japan to his decades in American aikido, Imaizumi’s story contains plenty of details that are easy to overlook. Here are five things you may not know about Shizuo Imaizumi and his remarkable journey through aikido as told by his own students.
1. Shizuo Imaizumi received assistance from one of his first students, Donna Carlson, in finding a permanent place for the dojo.
I did a lot for him. First of all, I had to find him a place. I had a challenging job then, but I called my job and said that I had to take a week of vacation time. They didn’t care what hours I worked, as long as I got it out. I had bosses that understood me then. I didn’t have to be there nine to five. The newspapers had ads then, particularly on Wednesdays, the Village Voice would come out and it had ads for lofts, living lofts, things to rent. Pages and pages. So, Tuesday night you would go down to the Village Voice and standing front there and it would hit street around ten o’clock. In the daytime, I would go look at places that I had circled. I would pick up Imaizumi Sensei in the early afternoon around one o’clock and I would show him anything that I thought that might be a possibility. But communication with Imaizumi Sensei is very difficult. It’s just very difficult. We would go look at space and he would say “yeah,” “no,” or he would say nothing and say, “Let’s go have a beer.” Then he would go to class to teach his class. He would go to the dojo even if no one came, he would go to the dojo when he posted he would have a class.
– Donna Calson
2. Imaizumi wanted students to discover the technique and principles themselves.
And I think the best way to put it is this: he was looking for you, the student, to discover things for yourself. He didn’t explain a lot verbally. He would do the technique on you and throw you so you could feel it. But he didn’t impose it with words like “you should do this” or “you should do that.” Even when we were preparing for tests, and you probably saw the lists of techniques, there were always slight variations in how he would show things. So, you’d ask, “Sensei, if we’re doing katatetori kokyu nage or shiho nage, I can do it this way or that way…” and he would just say, “Yes.” So, you’d try to figure it out, and eventually I asked him directly, “Okay, I can do it this way or that way, so which way do you prefer?” And then he would say, “Oh, I prefer…” and he would show a very definite version. But if you asked in general, “Can I do it this way or that way?” the answer was always yes. So, I learned to ask before tests, “Which do you prefer?” and then I would just follow that.
– John Zenkewich
3. Imaizumi could teach more than six techniques in a one-hour class.
The first class I observed Imaizumi Sensei teaching was at the 29 E 10th Street Dojo (New York City) on 25 May 1982. His style was to do demonstrate a technique several times and then have the class practice. He said very little other than the name of the attack and the technique. Maybe six or more techniques would be done in a one-hour class. My mind was blown!! How could anybody learn from this method?? This was Imaizumi Sensei’s teaching style from that first class I observed throughout my experience with him. While occasionally he would break things down or emphasize a point, the technique was done to completion. My question of “How could anybody learn from this method?” was answered by the following:
– Bob Tullman
4. Imaizumi chose to learn form Koichi Tohei because he was the toughest instructor at Aikikai.
What Imaizumi Sensei talked about was that there were all of these senior teachers and they all had their people under them, like Imaizumi Sensei was under Tohei and this person was under Endo, so-and-so was under Yamaguchi, and everybody was under somebody. It was like the movie The Gangs of New York. They would bet the underlings would battle it out with each. Tohei was the number one person because regardless of what people say about Ki Society, he was the toughest of them all and he basically kicked every ass and took every number successfully. That’s what earned him that spot. Imaizumi Sensei once said, “I chose Tohei because he was the toughest. My determination was to become the toughest person there.” Which is why many of the people who knew him back in the day would say, “Oh, Imaizumi Sensei is intense!” This came from basically second-son knuckleheads who were looking to create identities for themselves by fighting it out.
– Marc Abrams
5. Imaizumi allowed dojos in Shin-Budo Kai to run autonomously.
The “Kai” in Shin Budo Kai was a federation or association. Not an organization. We all ran pretty autonomous dojos. Issues might be raised to Imaizumi, but for the most part, we were running our own schools with his instruction at the core of it. Imaizumi was not interested in running a large organization with all the people, management, and political parts of it. He just wanted dedicated students who practiced.
– Larry Feldman
These are just five pieces of a much larger story. Shizuo Imaizumi’s life and career offer a fascinating window into the development of aikido in both Japan and the United States – and there is much more to his story than these five facts.
Want to learn more? Aikido’s Hidden Gem explores Imaizumi’s journey, influences, relationships, and experiences in greater depth. Get your copy today!
