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Iwama is an important historical location from the development of Aikido. The former town has a famous dojo built by the founder of aikido, Morihei Ueshiba, who lived there from 1942 until his death in 1969. It has become "a Mecca to the aikido community."〔〔 This dojo is also where Morihiro Saito, one of the founder's closest students, learned and taught aikido from 1946 until 2002. The lineage of aikido that has been passed on through Saito is highly acclaimed.〔 It is often referred to as Iwama Style. Iwama was a small farming village in Japan, located 100 km north-east of Tokyo and at the centre of Ibaraki prefecture. Iwama was annexed into the City of Kasama in 2006 (dissolving Nishiibaraki County, which had previously contained Iwama Town). The original Iwama aikido dojo, Aiki Shrine and the neighbouring Tanrenkan are now addressed in the Yoshioka district of Kasama city, Ibaraki.〔 The Iwama dojo was significantly damaged in the 2011 earthquake. The Aiki Shrine and other dojos in former Iwama Town were also affected by the disaster.〔(News from Iwama following the earthquake ), Aikido Journal blog.〕 ==The Ibaraki Dojo== The Ibaraki Branch Dojo (茨城支部道場 ''Ibaraki Shibu Dojo''), also known as the Ibaraki Dojo or the Shibu Dojo, is a small aikido dojo, run by the Aikikai Foundation.〔 The land on which the dojo and shrine were built was first purchased by Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of aikido, in 1940. In 1943 he built the first part of the current Aiki Jinja and an "outdoor dojo" where he lived a life of ''"Buno Ichinyo"'' (the union of agriculture and Budō).〔 This dojo was completed in 1945 and was originally called "The Aiki Shuren Dojo" (合気修練道場, lit. harmonising drill dojo).〔 At first the dojo did not include ''tatami'' mats, and students received training directly upon the wooden floor.〔 Eventually 24 mats were installed. The dojo was later moved to the present day location and expanded to 60 mats. When the founder formally established the Aikikai for the promotion of aikido in 1948, the dojo served as the world headquarters for the art and remained so until the opening of the new Aikikai Hombu Dojo in 1956.〔 After the death of the aikido founder in 1969, Morihiro Saito became the caretaker and chief instructor at the Iwama Dojo and caretaker of the Aiki Shrine and remained so for more than thirty years. After Saito's death in May 2002, Moriteru Ueshiba became the default Dojo Chief while Saito's son, Hitohiro Saito, assumed the role of Acting Dojo Chief on behalf of the Doshu. However, in November 2003, Hitohiro announced his departure from the Aikikai. In December 2003, the dojo was renamed the Ibaraki Branch Dojo with Hiroshi Isoyama taking on the role of Acting Dojo Chief and Senior Instructor.〔 Isoyama first began training in the Iwama dojo in 1949 at the age 12, as a direct student of the aikido founder.〔 Isoyama's position was later taken over by Mitsuteru Ueshiba who then became the current Dojo Chief in place of his father in April 2015. Isoyama remains as chief instructor and Executive Advisor.〔 On 11 March 2011, the dojo was severely damaged by an earthquake and rendered unusable. Aikido practice continued in the Aiki Shrine from 14 March until 17 September 2011 when the newly repaired dojo reopened for training.〔 The Ibaraki Branch Dojo has nine regular local instructors, headed by Hiroshi Isoyama (8th dan), with the majority of the teaching (including the live-in student programme) being carried out by Shigemi Inagaki (8th Dan). Additionally, Dojo Chief Mitsuteru Ueshiba and Aikido Doshu Moriteru Ueshiba visit on Wednesdays and Saturdays respectively to teach the general class. General classes are held every day of the week for regular students while live-in students (内弟子 uchi deshi ) practise three times per day in addition to carrying out other duties such as maintaining the dojo and shrine precincts.〔〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Iwama dojo」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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