Roderick T. Kobayashi (January 7, 1932June 17, 1995) was an American

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 ...

teacher and founder of

Seidokan Aikido is a style of Aikido and organization founded in Los Angeles, California in 1981 by Roderick Kobayashi, formerly a top instructor in the Ki Society. Kobayashi brought to the new organization the strong influence of his teacher Koichi Tohei, and S ...

. He is one of the teachers profiled in the book ''Aikido in America''. Kobayashi was born in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

and raised in

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 ...

by his grandfather. His father was instrumental in helping to bring

Koichi Tohei (20 January 1920 – 19 May 2011) was a 10th Dan aikidoka and founder of the Ki Society and its style of aikido, officially Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido (literally "aikido with mind and body unified"), but commonly known as Ki-Aikido. Aikido Koichi ...

to Hawaii in order to introduce the art to the United States in 1953. He got his early training starting in 1957 under Yukiso Yamamoto, Kazuto Sugimoto, and Isao Takahashi in Hawaii, and under Tohei in Japan. Kobayashi received the ranks of

shodan SHODAN (Sentient Hyper-Optimized Data Access Network) is a fictional artificial intelligence and the main antagonist of the cyberpunk-horror themed video games ''System Shock'' and ''System Shock 2''. Character design SHODAN is an artificial in ...

(1st degree) in 1962, nidan (2nd degree) in 1965, and sandan (3rd degree) in 1966. He became a full-time professional instructor in 1968, and was promoted to being one of only two foreign members of the instruction staff at the

Aikikai Hombu Dojo The Aikikai is the original school of Aikido. It is centered on the Aikikai Foundation in Japan, and its figurehead is the Doshu (the family heir of the founder of Aikido). It is represented globally through the International Aikido Federation. ...

. After returning to the US, Kobayashi joined the Physical Education Dept. of

California State University at Fullerton California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public university in Fullerton, California. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) ...

as a lecturer in 1972, where he began teaching aikido classes. When Tohei broke away from 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 ...

to devote himself to the

Ki Society The is an aikido organization founded by Koichi Tohei in 1971, while he was the chief instructor at the Aikikai Hombu Dojo. The official Japanese name of the organization is Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido Kai (心身統一合気道会), but it is also kn ...

in 1974, Kobayashi followed him into the new organization, as chief instructor for the Western USA, ranked 6th dan in

Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido or is a Japanese martial art, a Gendai bud%C5%8D, gendai budo (contemporary martial art). It is part of the martial arts derived from aikido, which appeared after its Morihei Ueshiba, founder's death in 1969. It started in early 70's with the cre ...

. He resigned from the Ki Society in 1981, at which time he founded the Seidokan style and organization. Kobayashi died at his home in

Downey, California Downey is a city located in Southeast Los Angeles County, California, United States, southeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is considered part of the Gateway Cities. The city is the birthplace of the Apollo space program. It is also the home of ...

in 1995 at the age of 63.

References

* * * * American aikidoka Martial arts school founders American people of Japanese descent People from Hawaii 1932 births 1995 deaths {{Martialart-bio-stub