Roy Yukio Suenaka (June 25, 1940 in
Honolulu
Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
– February 8, 2020) was an American
martial arts
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...
practitioner, author, and founder of the Wadokai Aikido.
[Suenaka, R. & Watson, C. ''Complete Aikido,'' Tuttle Publishing, 1998.][Suenaka, R. & Watson, C. "Spiritual Versus Martial Aikido – Explanation & Reconciliation," ''Journal of Asian Martial Arts'', Vol. 5 # 1, 1996.][Wadokai Aikido](_blank)
/ref>
Early life
As a child in Hawaii, Suenaka suffered from severe asthma
Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, cou ...
, which was treated by his grandfather with reiki
is a Japanese form of energy healing, a type of alternative medicine. Reiki practitioners use a technique called ''palm healing'' or ''hands-on healing'' through which a " universal energy" is said to be transferred through the palms of the ...
. He began martial arts training with his father, Warren Suenaka, from an early age, learning the family styles of jiujitsu
Jujutsu ( ; ja, link=no, 柔術 , ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu, is a family of Japanese martial arts and a system of close combat (unarmed or with a minor weapon) that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdu ...
and kenjitsu. Suenaka credits this training with the remission of his asthma.
As well as training with his father, Suenaka also studied under Henry Okazaki
Seishiro "Henry" Okazaki ; January 28, 1890 – July 12, 1951) was a Japanese healer, martial artist, and founder of Danzan Ryu jujitsu.
Biography
Born in Kakeda, Date County in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, he immigrated to Hawaii in 1906 ...
and James Mitose
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguat ...
. He also studied judo
is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...
. Suenaka attended 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 ...
's aikido demonstrations in 1953, and at his father's behest began training primarily in that art. He also took up the study of 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 ...
in 1955.
Military career
In 1958, Suenaka enlisted in the United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
. In 1960, although he originally planned on becoming a pilot, he put this on hold to go to Japan to study under O'Sensei. He worked primarily as an electrician and engineer. At his request, he was transferred in 1961 to Tachikawa Air Base
is an airfield in the city of Tachikawa, the western part of Tokyo, Japan. Currently under the administration of the Ministry of Defense, it has also served as the civil aviation with Japan's first scheduled air service.
History
Origins
Tach ...
in Japan, which enabled him to study directly under 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 ...
at the Hombu dojo
A is a hall or place for immersive learning or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts, but has been seen increasingly in other fields, such as meditation and software development. The term literally means "place of the ...
in Tokyo.
Effectively employed as the personal electrician of his commanding officer, Suenaka was able to subcontract most of his work to the barracks houseboy. This enabled him to spend most of his time in Japan living and training at the Hombu dojo. He also spent time training at the Kodokan
The , or ''Kōdōkan'' (講道館), is the headquarters of the worldwide judo community. The ''kōdōkan'' was founded in 1882 by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo, and is now an eight-story building in Tokyo. Etymology
Literally, ''kō'' ( ...
under Kyuzo Mifune
has been categorized as one of the greatest exponents of the art of judo after the founder, Kanō Jigorō. He is considered by many to be the greatest judo technician ever, after Kanō.
Early life
Mifune was born on April 21, 1883, in Kuji Cit ...
.
In 1961 he was transferred again to Naha, Okinawa
is the capital city of Okinawa Prefecture, the southernmost prefecture of Japan. As of 1 June 2019, the city has an estimated population of 317,405 and a population density of 7,939 persons per km2 (20,562 persons per sq. mi.). The total area is ...
. At the airbase there, he set up his own dojo, and aikido became popular with the servicemen stationed there.[''Black Belt Magazine'' May 1972, p11]
Wadokai Aikido
Wadokai Aikido is an aikido organization founded by Suenaka in 1975 and it is based in Charleston, South Carolina.''Andalusia Star: Aikido master shares extensive knowledge''
Retrieved 08.02.2012 Wadokai teaches Suenaka-ha Tetsugaku-ho Aikido, which means "Suenaka style, philosophical way."
Wadokai Aikido has dojo throughout the United States and China.
[Wadokai Dojo List](_blank)
/ref> Suenaka was a 1st generation student of aikido founder 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 ...
. Originally organised as "Aikidos" American International Ki Development and Philosophical Society,[Encyclopedia of Aikido](_blank)
/ref> Wadokai Aikido teaches a method of aikido that is both martial and spiritual.
References
External links
Wadokai Aikido
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suenaka, Roy Y.
1940 births
2020 deaths
American aikidoka
Sportspeople from Honolulu
American sportspeople of Japanese descent