We were greatly honored to receive a personal invitation from Senta Yamada Sensei to come train with him in Japan. Following is a brief report by Tony and Mary Anne Orlando on their visit to Japan:

Yamada Sensei was a friend and student of the founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba Sensei, the designer of Judo, Dr. Jigaro Kano Sensei, and the developer of the Tomiki style of Aikido, Professor Kenji Tomiki Sensei. Through his training and association with these great men, Yamada Sensei has obtained knowledge and insights into the art of Aikido and Judo that few, if any, persons have today. Beside our training on the mat, we had many discussions with regard to the forgotten and neglected aspects of Aikido. We learned of the original ideas and intentions of the pioneers of the art. We spoke at length about budo, aiki, the human spirit and our appreciation for what God has done in each of our lives. Our training on the mat consisted of extremely intense non-stop workouts. If we got 30 seconds of rest while Yamada Sensei explained the next technique, we were lucky. Also, the rumors of how hard the mats are in Japan were found not to be rumors at all. The mats we worked out on had the density of an encyclopedia. We were bruised and aching after each workout. (Thank goodness for Yamada san's Ofuro :) Much of the focus of our training centered around the neglected strong natural body movements (Judo Taiso) that develop the foundation for strong and efficient Aikido techniques. We also worked on the application of techniques that flow from these basic movements. Yamada Sensei's mastery of the art, his efficient and powerful body movement and his natural teaching ability was inspirational. The photos below were taken during our workout at the Sekiryuikan (The oldest judo/aikido dojo in Japan).

Yamada sensei is a very humble man. So with that in mind we will simply say that his greatness is reflected in the people who surround him. During our stay we were fortunate to meet and spend time with some of his friends. They were the most caring, generous, respectful and honorable people we have ever met. It was apparent that Yamada san's character overflows to the people that come in contact with him. We hope to think it did with us. Beside the many individuals that we met briefly and who's names we do not know, we would personally like to thank the following people for their kindness toward us: Hamatsu San, Yamasaki San, the Tachibana's, Tsukino Naomi, Ishida San and her son, Takaki San (and everyone who made us feel so welcome at the Senbontori), Kuri Hara San, Yamamoto San, Hasegawa San, and the Harada's.

Domo arigato gozaimashita,
Tony and Mary Anne Orlando