In researching American Aikido, I came across a teacher so silent that not many within the art knew his name – nor of his existence. But hidden away in the far corners of Manhattan resided a gem of an instructor that few learned from and even less would propagate his knowledge beyond. I was intrigued. As I began to seek out more information about this relatively unknown teacher with such a high lineage within the art, the less I found. Sources were lacking and, at times, confused with the overall timeline of this person’s life and tenure in aikido. Others seemed to be misaligned and non-existent. Moreover, the larger community in which this practitioner existed and thrived had stringently shunned outsiders from learning its day-to-day milestones and histories. The broader context in which this teacher operated in was missing to say the least, if for nothing more than to simply provide a better context of understanding this individual.
Over the past two years, I have worked to define a more accurate timeline, fill in blanks and establish a foundational narrative in the hope to shed some overdue light upon this man’s life within aikido and his greater surrounding communities. In speaking with multiple students, both present and former, and while scouring the hard-to-find archival resources, comes, for the first time, the most detailed unofficial biography to date about New York City’s best kept aikido secret, Shizuo Imaizumi. This book, The Hidden Gem, retells Imaizumi’s life and contributions in aikido and to the community he served.
In an effort to properly produce this book and to make it readily available to the public, I have created an exclusive Indiegogo Crowdfunding Campaign to offer readers and enthusiasts an opportunity to make contributions in support of this first-ever historical account of Shizuo Imaizumi.
Follow this link to make your contribution.
Many thanks and gratitude,
Antonio Aloia
Editor-in-Chief of Martial Arts of Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
