An inclusive community for exploring the Japanese martial art of aikido
Registration is open for the 2026 Midwest Aikido Bridge Seminar, sponsored by Aikido Shimbokukai and held at Milwaukee Shobukan on March 20-22. Click on the link below for registration and info.
2026 Midwest Aikido Bridge Seminar (In Person & Live Streamed)
We have a new instructor profile video up on our YouTube channel featuring Qin Coe (2nd dan).
You can view all of our instructor profile videos on our instructor YouTube playlist.
Thanks to the efforts of Chicago Film Archives, the recently rediscovered collection of 1960s era 16 mm films belonging to Illinois Aikido Club is now digitized and we are making them available to the public via YouTube.
First up is a 1969 local NBC news segment highlighting aikido and Illinois Aikido Club when it was on Bryn Mawr Avenue in the Uptown neighborhood. The footage includes class led by late Chief Instructor Isao Takahashi Sensei (1912-1972).
Next are several films featuring pioneering instructor Koichi Tohei Sensei (1920-2011). These include three privately made reels while he was visiting dojo in the US, and a professionally made visual textbook produced in Japan.
We have one more reel to go. However, it is in Japanese and we will be working to provide original subtitles. Stay tuned and check back for updates.
Chicago Aikikai will be hosting the latest in the “Tea Talks” Workshop series sponsored by the Asian American Chamber of Commerce of Illinois using martial arts to discuss mental health and fitness. This follows previous workshops presenting Karate and Muy Thai kickboxing. Open to the general public (with registration) and no martial arts experience necessary. To register, go to the Zeffy link here.
We have a video update to our previous post about some old 16 mm films from the 1960s the Chicago Aikikai recently recovered.