Denver Aikikai

Our Across the Ocean Aikido Exchange is coming up in just a few short weeks, and the early registration discount closes this Tuesday, September 1!

Online registration will remain open all the way up to and during the event, but prices go up next week.

It’s shaping up to be an amazing weekend of training and connection, so if you’re hoping to join us and haven’t registered yet, please take a moment this weekend to get signed up. We would much appreciate it if you could spread the word to your dojo communities as well.

Registration and details: https://denveraikikai.com/across-the-ocean/

Ha! True even for the best of us at times!

(Cartoon courtesy of Jutta Bossert, from , via NY Aikikai)

Great article by Julie Tollen Sensei of Tampa Aikido and Aikido Schools of Ueshiba about how to think about your own testing & promotions. Thank you for sharing your wisdom Sensei!

"Most people think about promotions and ranking in terms of rungs on a ladder. In fact, it's more like the expansion of a sphere."

Saotome Sensei, as recalled by Julie "Jet" Tollen

In our summer newsletter, Julie Tollen, one of the instructors at Tampa Aikido, wrote about what an Aikido promotion actually means. Not the technical checklist, but the inner work that leads up to a test, what the kanji on your certificate really say, and the traditional etiquette of receiving one.

Julie has penned thousands of names on ASU kyu certificates since 2015, and the essay includes a full translation and transliteration of a sandan certificate, something most of us have never seen written down.

The complete article is on the Tampa Aikido site:
https://tampaaikido.com/articles/a-deeper-meaning-for-promotions-in-aikido/

Tampa Aikido

Our next 8-week Aikido beginners series will start Tuesday September 22nd!

These foundational aikido classes explore the elements of a successful aikido practice: principle footwork, pins, throws and strikes as well as basic ukemi, the practice of receiving techniques and taking falls.

Tell a friend, hit share, come and give it a try! All details and registration can be found here: https://denveraikikai.com/beginners-aikido/

Denver Aikikai invites you to join us for our fall seminar, the Across the Ocean Aikido Exchange, September 18–20, 2026. Sakabe Shihan and Takahashi Sensei from Japan will join Colorado instructors Eugene Lee Shihan and Denver Aikikai Chief Instructor Edgar Johansson Sensei for a weekend of exceptional Aikido.

Registration is now open, and early registration pricing is available through September 1. To help ensure the best possible training experience, attendance may be limited, so we encourage you to register early.

You can find all the event details and register at https://denveraikikai.com/across-the-ocean/.

Please let us know if you have any questions or difficulty registering. We hope to see you in September!

To all those who didn’t make it… you missed out! Hope to see you soon :).

Edgar Sensei is on The Aiki Dojo Podcast this week, talking about his Aikido journey, Budo and “Bullshido”. Give it a listen!

EP81: Edgar Johansson Sensei and Budo vs. Bullshido - Aiki Dojo Podcast #aikidocenterla #aikido The Aiki Dojo Podcast - Edgar Johansson Sensei and Budo vs. Bullshi...