Chicago Aikikai aikido dojo

An inclusive community for exploring the Japanese martial art of aikido

Chicago

Training Photos from Seminar with Mitsugi Saotome Shihan and Senior ASU Instructors

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Day 1 of Seminar (Friday, October 3, 2025)

Class with Marsha Turner Sensei (Chicago Aikikai)

Class with Eugene Lee Sensei (Aikido Shobukan Dojo)

Day 2 of Seminar (Saturday, October 4, 2025)

Class with Robert Deppe Sensei (Aikido Shobukan Dojo)

Class with Mitsugi Saotome Shihan (Founder and Leader, Aikido Schools of Ueshiba (ASU))

Class with Kay Sandacz Sensei (Inaka Dojo)

Class with Don Ellingsworth Sensei (Tampa Aikido)

Class with Jim Alvarez Sensei (Aikido of Livermore)

Day 3 of Seminar (Sunday, October 5, 2025)

Class with Kamenna Lee Sensei (Aikido Shobukan Dojo)

Photos from Seminar with Mitsugi Saotome Shihan and Senior ASU Instructors

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Attendees of Chicago Aikikai’s Oct 3-5, 2025 seminar with Mitsugi Saotome Shihan and senior ASU instructors (Jim Alvarez, Robert Deppe, Don Ellingsworth, Eugene Lee, Kamenna Lee, Kay Sandacz, Marsha Turner). Seated in front of the shomen designed and built by Saotome Sensei in 1983.

Second group photo in front of the calligraphy of “Bushin” (武神) by Saotome Sensei given to the dojo in 1983 and featured on the commemorative seminar T-shirt. In back, Chicago Aikikai members hold the old exterior sign that was used when the dojo first moved to its Lincoln Avenue location in the mid-90s.

Group photo of Chicago Aikikai members with Saotome Sensei.

Photos of Chicago Aikikai Chief Instructor and Dojo-cho Marsha Turner with Saotome Sensei, and guest instructors Eugene Lee Sensei and Kamenna Lee Sensei, including one with Turner Sensei receiving a dogi from Saotome Sensei branded for senior leader instructors.

Pre-and post-class time at the Oct 3-5, 2025 seminar with Mitsugi Saotome Shihan and senior ASU instructors.

Seminar dinner celebration on Saturday, October 4.

Torino Ramen restaurant in Wilmette provided a great spread for the Saturday night seminar dinner. It included this elaborate sashimi platter that was both delicious and inspired some hijinks (Qin Coe gets an unexpected surprise from Dwight Sora while receiving a post-training massage from Rob Brose).

Thank you Tres Hofmeister Sensei

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Great seminar this past weekend with Tres Hofmeister Sensei (7th dan, Boulder Aikikai). Terrific turnout from many of our fellow dojo and everything went smoothly thanks to all the Chicago Aikikai members who worked on the event.

Congratulations also to Chicago Aikikai members who took their dan tests this past week at the seminar: Satoko Bourdaughs (shodan), Rob Brose (nidan), and Eric Sirota (shodan).

We also celebrated  Tres Hofmeister Sensei’s recent recognition as a Shihan by Aikido World Headquarters (Hombu Dojo) with a cake after dinner on Saturday of the seminar.

Also, special shoutout to Chicago Aikikai member Joe Guerrier (below left, pictured in a 2024 publicity shot) who injured his leg earlier in the week and was unable to train at the Tres Hofmeister seminar, but was there everyday going the extra mile working registration, T-shirt sales, food prep and cleanup.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chicago Aikikai returning to Ginza Holiday Festival

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Chicago Aikikai will be returning to give demos at the annual Ginza Holiday Japanese cultural festival at Midwest Buddhist Temple (MBT). Catch us onstage at 6:30 pm on Friday, August 8 and 3:30 pm on Saturday, August 9. And be sure to shop and sample some of the food.

Chicago Aikikai has given numerous aikido demonstrations over the years at the Ginza Holiday, an annual Japanese cultural festival and fundraiser hosted by the Midwest Buddhist Temple (MBT) in Chicago’s Old Town neighborhood. The temple started as the Midwest Buddhist Church in 1944 and began holding the festival in 1955. Chicago Aikikai began giving demonstrations not long after its founding in 1963 as Illinois Aikido Club.

 

Making Movies at Chicago Aikikai

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On Sunday, April 13, regular morning class was cancelled at Chicago Aikikai to accommodate the filming of Blade of the Waning Kingdom, an independently produced feature-length martial arts movie being made in Chicago.

 

Aside from training, Sundays are usually pretty sedate around Chicago Aikikai and its surrounding neighborhood, and usually only get really busy during seminars. Today, however, it was buzzing with cast and crew, as parts of the dojo served as makeup and wardrobe rooms and multiple different locations.

Chicago Aikikai members were invited to participate or observe the production. Joe Guerrier and his daughter Dee came for a while in the morning to watch the production process. Dwight Sora served as liaison between the dojo and production and also assisted the fight choreographer. Rob Brose and Christian Boswell also performed fight choreography as featured extras in a training scene, and Christian later did double-duty as part of a ninja entourage.

All in all, the filmmakers had a lot of thanks and praise for Chicago Aikikai’s willingness to let them film in the dojo. Cast and crew were asked to attend the regular Sunday intro class one week prior to receive proper orientation in conduct and care of the space, and many expressed in signing up as regular or trial students.

Blade of the Waning Kingdom is a low-budget adventure film set in a mythic world inspired by classic Japanese and Chinese martial arts films. Once completed, the filmmakers hope to submit it to film festivals and make it available for streaming viewing.