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.