is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

teacher of the

martial art Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preserv ...

aikido Aikido ( , , , ) is a modern Japanese martial art that is split into many different styles, including Iwama Ryu, Iwama Shin Shin Aiki Shuren Kai, Shodokan Aikido, Yoshinkan, Renshinkai, Aikikai and Ki Aikido. Aikido is now practiced in around 1 ...

. He began training in the

Iwama Dojo Iwama may refer to: *Iwama, Ibaraki, a former town in Nishiibaraki District, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan *Iwama Station, a train station in Kasama, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan *Iwama dojo, an aikido dojo *Iwama style, a style of aikido People with the ...

at the age of 12 as a direct student of the founder of aikido,

Morihei Ueshiba was a Japanese martial artist and founder of the martial art of aikido. He is often referred to as "the founder" or , "Great Teacher/Old Teacher (old as opposed to ''waka (young) sensei'')". The son of a landowner from Tanabe, Ueshiba st ...

in June 1949. He currently holds the rank of 8th

dan Dan or DAN may refer to: People * Dan (name), including a list of people with the name ** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark * Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa **Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivoi ...

shihan is a Japanese term that is used in many Japanese martial arts as an honorific title for expert or senior instructors. It can be translated as "master instructor". The use of the term is specific to a school or organization, as is the process of ...

in the

Aikikai The Aikikai is the original school of Aikido. It is centered on the Aikikai#Aikikai Foundation, Aikikai Foundation in Japan, and its figurehead is the Aikikai#Doshu, Doshu (the family heir of the founder of Aikido). It is represented globally thr ...

and is that organization's Technical Councillor. Isoyama was made the acting head of the Iwama dojo on behalf of

Ueshiba Moriteru is a Japanese master of aikido. He is a grandson of Morihei Ueshiba, founder of aikido, and son of Kisshomaru Ueshiba. Ueshiba is the third and current '' Doshu'' (hereditary head) of the Aikikai. Biography Ueshiba was born on April 2, 1951, in ...

following the passing of

Morihiro Saito Morihiro Saito (斉藤守弘 ''Saitō Morihiro'', March 31, 1928–May 13, 2002) was a teacher of the Japanese martial art of aikido, with many students around the world. Saito's practice of aikido spanned 56 years, from the age of 18, when h ...

. He currently remains as Executive Advisor and senior instructor of that dojo. Over a long career in the martial arts, he has been Chief of Defensive Tactics for the

Japan Self Defense Force The Japan Self-Defense Forces ( ja, 自衛隊, Jieitai; abbreviated JSDF), also informally known as the Japanese Armed Forces, are the unified ''de facto''Since Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution outlaws the formation of armed forces, th ...

Academy, and also instructed the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

in self-defense tactics. He joined the Air Self-Defense Forces in 1958 and was sent to Chitose. His first students were members of the American military police and eventually included members of his own country's forces. Along with Hiroshi Tada, Isoyama formed a committee for the construction of a large statue of the founder of aikido in the precincts of the

Aiki Shrine Aiki may refer to: * Aiki (martial arts principle), in Japanese martial arts * Aiki language, spoken in Chad * ''Aiki'' (film), a 2002 Japanese film * ''Aiki'' (manga) * Aiki Framework, a PHP + MYSQL (LAMP) web application framework * Ariki, a no ...

, which was unveiled on 8 November 2009. Funding was mainly obtained via a call for donations and surplus material from this monument was used to make a bust of the founder which was unveiled at the newly rebuilt Iwama Station on 24 July 2012. Isoyama is also known as one of martial arts and movie star

Steven Seagal Steven Frederic Seagal (; born April 10, 1952) is an American actor, screenwriter and martial artist. A 7th-dan black belt in aikido, he began his adult life as a martial arts instructor in Japan and eventually ended up running his father-in-l ...

's main teachers. Before retiring, Isoyama Shihan also served for many years as a Senior Council Member for the International Aikido Federation (appointed by IAF president) and he is notably responsible for the introduction of demonstrations at the end of each congress.

References

Japanese aikidoka Living people 1937 births {{aikido-bio-stub