Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
) is a teacher of
Yoshinkan Aikido
Yoshinkan (養神館 ''Yōshinkan'' lit. "Hall of Spirit Cultivation") Aikido is a style of aikido that developed after World War II in the Yoshinkan Dojo of Gozo Shioda (1915–1994). Yoshinkan Aikido is often called the "hard" style of aikido b ...
. He is currently ranked 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'Ivoir ...
,
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 ...
.
Early life
Born in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
on May 19, 1956. Robert Mustard took to sports at an early age, playing hockey and Canadian football. His introduction to martial arts came through
Kung Fu
Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common ...
instructors Jack Chin and James Lore, who trained him for five years.Interview with Robert Mustard, The Traditional Dojo magazine, Issue 1, volume 1, March 2012 He underwent
kendo
is a modern Japanese martial art, descended from kenjutsu (one of the old Japanese martial arts, swordsmanship), that uses bamboo swords (shinai) as well as protective armor (bōgu). Today, it is widely practiced within Japan and has spread ...
training under Larry Nakamura, Shigeo Kimura and Masatoshi Tagawa for five years and achieved the rank of ni-dan.
Yoshinkan Aikido training
In 1977, Mustard traveled to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
to participate in a kendo demonstration at a martial art convention, and saw a demonstration by
Takashi Kushida
was a Japanese aikido master and the chief instructor of Aikido Yoshokai Association of North America (also called AYANA). He began his study of Aikido under Gozo Shioda in 1953 and lived at the Yoshinkan Dojo as a professional student (uchidesh ...
, which galvanized his interest to train in an aikido dojo. He was introduced to Yoshinkan Aikido at college where he joined a club led by Takeshi Kimeda, and would train under him for over a decade. For a time he practiced Kung Fu, kendo and aikido together, but later changed focus to just aikido. He would rise to the rank of san-dan under Kimeda's instruction.
On March 30, 1986, he traveled to
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
to train at the ''Yoshinkan hombu dojo'' with an introduction letter from Kimeda and gifts for the instructors and uchi deshi as is customary. Mustard described the first sessions he watched of
Gozo Shioda
was a Japanese master of aikido who founded the Yoshinkan style of aikido. In May of that year, he enrolled into the senshusei training program. He trained for 9 years at the hombu dojo under Gozo Shioda's leadership. Mustard does not consider himself to be a direct student of Gozo Shioda, because his instruction was mainly under Takafumi Takeno and
Tsutomu Chida
was previously one of the highest ranking ''shihan'' of Yoshinkan aikido, at 8th dan, and dojocho of its hombu dojo from 2002. He first became a part of Yoshinkan in 1969 but split from the organization in January 2008 following the resignation ...
. One year after
Gozo Shioda
was a Japanese master of aikido who founded the Yoshinkan style of aikido.Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
, BC and opened the ''Aikido Yoshinkai Burnaby'' dojo in Burnaby,
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
. Robert Mustard attained the rank of Nana-dan (7th degree black belt) in December 2006, and was awarded the title of
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 August 2011. He was awarded Hachi-dan (8th degree black belt) by the Yoshinkan Honbu Dojo in November 2014.
Current Teaching
Mustard continues to teach from his school in Burnaby, Canada. He teaches two types of lesson at his dojo; regular instruction and
Kenshu
is a Japanese term for a live-in student/apprentice who trains under and assists a sensei on a full-time basis. The system exists in
''kabuki'', '' rakugo'', '' shogi'', '' igo'', ''aikido'', '' sumo'', '' karate'' and other modern Japanese ma ...
lessons. Kenshu (research) class deals with detailed and logical explanation of techniques.
Mustard teaches seminars in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, Canada,
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
and the United States. Including the two annual events; the Shudokan UK's Summer school with
Joe Thambu
Joseph 'Joe' Haridas Thambu (24 March 1961 in Seremban, Malaysia) is a teacher of Yoshinkan Aikido, currently ranked 8th Dan, Shihan.
Personal history
Thambu was the third youngest of eight children from Malaysian Tamil heritage. He began his t ...
Angry White Pyjamas
''Angry White Pyjamas'' is a book written by Robert Twigger about his time in a one-year intensive program of studying Yoshinkan aikido.
Summary
The book is set in Tokyo in the mid-1990s. Twigger is living with two friends in a tiny apartmen ...
'' by
Robert Twigger
Robert Twigger (born 30 October 1962) is a British artist and writer. He travels widely but divides his time mostly between the UK and Egypt.
Life
Twigger was educated at Balliol College, Oxford University. He initially studied engineering, but ...
. The book depicts the life of a trainee undergoing the senshusei training program.Angry White Pyjamas, by Robert Twigger 1997, Phoenix