by Connie Borden and Lee Seaman

October 10-11, 2026 Workshop
Shintaido of America 50th Anniversary
by Connie Borden and Lee Seaman

Have you found yourself feeling stressed, depleted, and conflicted? Then you are feeling similar reactions with many of the sixteen of us who gathered in October for a 2-day workshop. This workshop is part of the 50^th SOA Anniversary celebrations in 2026. With the planning and guidance of Tomi Nagai-Rothe, Shintaido Instructor, this workshop was planned to use the Shintaido in our bodies to heal and transform internal and external stress and conflict.

Our Workshop Goals were to

• • Apply our built-in body wisdom to de-escalate stress and conflict situations in daily life, and improve our relationships
  • Re-experience Tenshingoso, Tenshingoso Kumite and other kumite in a joyful and accessible way

Tomi started each session with massage exercises so that our nervous systems could relax, digest and restore. She included eye exercises, humming and laughter. These sounds filled the dojo and created vibrations felt by all. All agreed we were able to relax and soften our bodies to embody the practice more fully.

Tomi taught the first session finding ways to respond to life’s challenges using Wakame and Bamboo.  Tomi offered herself as the partner for several people to practice the touch while she changed from Bamboo to Wakame. People commented that they felt solid and rooted when Tomi was in Bamboo. Then discussions explored: What does it mean to transmit energy and how do I do this? What is kumite? How does working with a partner help? Tomi introduced the concept of kumite as intertwined hands. We explored this image for connections and building trust.

Then we discussed how to apply these movements in everyday life. The challenge to move quickly from ‘going with the flow’ to ‘standing firm’ was a new opportunity for learning. Others felt they were rarely bamboo and usually wakame. Session one ended with Tenshingoso and Tenshingoso Kumite. Lee spoke to ‘ma’ and having a strong hand/palm connection to follow your partner closely rather than ‘doing your own  thing.’ Sally Gaston noted the connection of doing Renki to doing Tenshingoso Kumite with the strong hand connection.

After a lunch break, Tomi gathered us for the second session. We reviewed the reflections on the morning followed by seated warm-ups. We then practiced stepping in using “Welcome, This Way Please” – Ushiro Irimi.  Tomi shared her long-time struggle to learn this technique from Ito Sensei and how Ito attempted to show many ways to approach learning. Tomi stated that the image of opening a door to greet a guest and then walking with them into the house finally made the technique accessible for her. Lee stressed the importance of timing. Lively group teaching followed with a practice of the stepping, along with coordinating hand and feet.  When applying Ushiri Irimi to conflict resolution, people noted many factors for success. These include the need for others to be willing to be engaged in the conflict resolution, how when anger is the main emotion it is difficult to engage, and when you see something from the other person’s perspective it really does change one’s own view. Another spoke of the importance to be ahead/early with your timing of the response to avoid the conflict.

Sunday morning the 11^th provided us with the Video premier of Roots of Shintaido: Our Cultural Inheritance from Three Masters – with Master Masashi Minagawa. Before viewing the video, Connie spoke about how important it is now, which is our 50^th Anniversary of the founding of Shintaido in America, to know more about our Shintaido roots. While a graphic recording was done in 1999 by Tomi during a four-hour talk by H.F. Ito, Tomi and Connie recognized the importance to have an updated graphic with a video to record this historical knowledge to guide us into the future. The SOA board agreed with this necessary and timely project. The SOA board is grateful to Masashi Minagawa for his time to record our roots. Thank you to Lee Seaman for engaging with Minagawa sensei in this recorded conversation. Following a viewing of the video, the group reflected on the video and updated color graphic. (note: the video will be available on SOA’s YouTube Channel in Dec 2026.)

Many appreciated the linear layout of a history that had often been told to us as various stories over time. Nicole and Antigone spoke deeply of the concept of Shintaido as the Way of Peace in today’s world of endless conflicts. Kazu shared the role of Judo and Feldenkrais post-World War II. Connie spoke of her new awareness of Ch’an and Wu wei with the concept of effortless action and its impact to change her teaching to focus more on breath, and softer movements. Jane wondered about the role of women in the development of Shintaido. Appreciation was expressed on the continued innovation of these three Masters – Funakoshi, Egami and Aoki. The morning’s discussion continued during lunch with many people sharing how they were introduced to Shintaido, who introduced them, and the impact on their own lives.

Lee Seaman taught the final session. She began with a brief overview of her early upbringing and how she was introduced to Shintaido in Japan. Lee led comprehensive warmups from the lower back to a full self-massage. She taught seated hand connections with a partner, moving from the sitz bones much like wakame and Hikari movements. Lee reviewed stepping of Irimi. Everyone eagerly participated with early timing and sincere attacking. Lee concluded with a practice of seated ‘e’ and ‘oh,’ allowing people to do soft movements or more dynamic exchange of energy.  Lee shared one of her learnings from Shintaido “If you want to grow, hang out with people who are growing”.

The two days ended with appreciation to Tomi and Lee for their instruction. Gratitude was shared with the opportunity to be together in practice. For some such as Kazu Shibao and Tom Abbott it was a reunion after 40 years. Boni Cruz and Jane Miramoto Yung shared their joy in doing kumite that felt timeless – they had not seen each other for decades but in doing kumite they felt instant recognition of each other. The workshop ended with the typical group photo and ‘sticky ma’ of goodbyes until next time.

The revised version of the Roots of Shintaido: Our Cultural Inheritance From Three Masters graphic map and accompanying text is available on the Shintaido of America Store, in English, French and Japanese.

by Jean Marc Otto Bruc

These words reflect the rich sharing of The Global Taimyo Community (GTC) members during our second worldwide gathering for the year 2026. We had our main gathering on Sunday the 20th of September. Following the Spring gathering that took place Sunday 26 of April, it has been a total of four weeks of practices focused on Taimyo Kata.  The theme, chosen by Connie Borden – Trust in Mind – is inspired by a poem from Sengcan, third Ch’an patriarch:

“The great way is not difficult for those who have no preferences. When love and hate are both absent everything becomes clear and undisguised…the way is perfect like vast space.”

This year, like the previous one, different peoples from around the world offered practices related to Taimyo Kata the week before and the week following the main gathering on Sunday that included Taimyo Kata practice and small and big group discussions. This format has been quite appreciated by the participants, as it offers the possibility of practicing daily for two weeks with leaders from different countries, each of them reflecting a personal appreciation of Taimyo Kata or related thoughts or practices. This made it rich with insights, sharing, and creation – while deepening the connections among the participants.

Robert Gaston, from California, USA, offered a practice of the Sunrise-Sunset Kata. This is a fusion kata of Shintaido and Tai Chi developed by H.F. Ito Sensei. Many of us have seen it evolving through different versions as Ito Sensei was refining it. Robert ended the kata and linked it seamlessly with Taimyo Kata.

Mark Smith and Marianne Van der Tas animated four early morning practices, UK time, with a collegial leading of the three parts of Taimyo Kata each led by a different person, taking a turn. This is a regular practice that they have on scheduled days throughout the year.  Laurent Lacroix, in the UK, led the three parts of Taimyo Kata on two sessions for the Night Owls, a group that practices regularly through Zoom at 9 pm, UK time.

Ula Chambers, in the UK also led parts of Taimyo Kata on chairs for two sessions and introduced in the first session a remarkably interesting and new” image-based” kumite where people were to receive Taimyo Kata Part 1 from an imaginary partner. The practice on chairs was also interesting and reminiscent of the work of Ito Sensei, who had introduced seated practice, such as Tenshingoso seated on a chair.

Fabrice Buonanno, from France, led a practice with relaxation through breathing and then movements and visualizations of flow of energy, circulating around the body, using the image of a lotus flower opening to conclude the exercise and then ending with a practice of the Ten Positions of standing meditation. He also expressed the fact that those sessions give him a sense of a great connection with the peoples attending.

Nicole Beauvois, also in France, spoke about the importance of breathing for calming, she spoke of being in the ocean with fish and letting everything be as it is. She expressed her wishes for us to let go of anxiety.  David Palmer, in the US, spoke about the benefits of Taimyo with the slowness allowing the awareness of stiffness and of which muscles are engaging. He said that he is rehabilitating his right shoulder for about the 50th time, so those ten days give him the opportunity for a rehabilitation program.

Like Robert, I shared a practice of Sunrise Sunset Kata from our open-air dojo in Nice, France. I really appreciate that kata and I practice it usually first in the morning when I do my personal practice. Participants expressed appreciation for it and asked for additional resources. This highlights that these weeks are a great opportunity to share, discover, and enrich our mutual practices.

Tomi Nagai-Rothe, from California, US, started with breathing and relaxing,  eye “yoga” movements followed by face, jaw, and neck massage. Her focus was to calm the vagus nerve, a key part of our parasympathetic nervous system that regulates essential involuntary functions like heart rate, breathing, and digestion. We then went into small room discussions about the effects of that the sharing of Taimyo (or other parts of our lives) can have beyond our relatives, friends, or work circles. We then practiced Taimyo Kata Part 1 trying to embody those ideas and concluded with a large group sharing.

On Tomi’s second session, the discussion was centered on offering an object or material that represented what we cherish most about Taimyo Kata. I offered a bowl of soup and received raindrops of water. Other offerings were a broken tea pot repaired with gold, a Japanese mending technique called Kintsukoroi (also known as Kintsugi) which, instead of hiding cracks highlights the breaks, making the piece unique and more valuable. Other offerings were a ball of warm clay that could be shaped in various forms as well as a ball of energy.

Nagako Cooper offered two Taimyo sessions, which took place from 10:30 to 11:15 on Friday mornings UK time. This Zoom Shintaido class has actually been offered weekly since Spring 2020, so it also provided a wonderful opportunity for regular class members and GTC members from around the world to meet and share the practice together. Each morning, they started with Tenshin Juso-Ho as a warm-up, including the ‘Sunrise, Sunset’ movements. Then they took a moment to connect with all the Taimyo practitioners around the world. On the first Friday, Nagako invited everyone to choose a particular place, person, or group of people to whom they might want to send the healing energy of Taimyo.

On the second Friday, this group imagined holding hands and forming a circle around the Earth. They took three deep breaths together, connecting with the rhythms of the Earth and with each other. Then they offered their Taimyo to our Mother Earth and to all beings who dwell upon this beautiful planet. They ended each session with a closing circle, expressing gratitude to each other for the shared practice and to the nature surrounding us. Nagako ended with a Mokuso.

Jane Yung, who has been a Shintaido student since the mid 1970’s and who has studied calligraphy from the late Kawahatsu Sensei, shared about her learning of Mu and shared what the elements in the kanji Mu represent. Lee Seaman shared the calligraphy of Mu:

Mu can translate as Nothing, Not, or Nothingness. Pure awareness, as existing prior to the experience of knowledge, is a meaning used by the Ch’an school of Buddhism which can summarize in one word the theme proposed this year.

Sunday the 20th of September, for the main gathering, it was with pleasure and emotion that we practiced the third part of Taimyo Kata with the leading of H.F. Ito Sensei through a 2021 French video. Robert Gaston stated:

“This is a practice that carries beyond our life – and continues. Ito has passed beyond the Bardoes, to Heaven, Nirvana or someplace else. This is just a reminder that he is still with us, as we see him on screen today.”

After Connie shared a few words from the poem “The Great Way” two reflection questions were given for the small group discussions: How do you approach living neither entangled in the outer world, nor caught up in inner feelings? And how did practicing with Ito Sensei today bring you closer to understanding this? We had two sessions of discussion in two-person groups, allowing us to exchange and elaborate our thoughts on those questions.

We then studied the last mantra concluding the Heart Sutra with Doshu Masashi Minagawa.  Minagawa Sensei started by explaining that the Heart Sutra is the most popular text in Buddhism, related to the notion of emptiness and the illusion of the reality of things, teaching that all phenomena are empty of inherent existence. He explained that Aoki Sensei considered that the Heart Sutra world and Tenshingoso world are the same. This ending mantra is said to contain the essence of the sutra:

Gate Gate

Paragate

Parasamgate

Bodhi svaha

that translates to:

Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone completely beyond. Awakening!

But Minagawa Sensei also pointed out that in the Dalai Lama’s tradition the translation is:

Go, go, go beyond, go completely beyond. Awakening!

Which is of course very reminiscent of Eiko Dai for Shintaido practitioners, and the phrase “Go, go young people, go beyond!” of the Rakutenkai days.

Minagawa Sensei commented on the universal energy in the vibration of the mantra. He then instructed us on the movement associated with the different words of the mudra and we practiced it together, with a variation of pace and a feeling of getting deeper and deeper.

We concluded the session with one large group discussion. Everyone could listen to what each individual wanted to express about their impressions, feelings and insights after the practices and small group discussions, leaving silent time in between each comment. Our words appear in the ‘word cloud’ shown at the top of this article.

Reprint: Interview with Aoki-sensei on August 24, 1986

By Michael and Leslie Goldberg

Re-Published: September 2, 2026

SoA:  What were your impressions of Shintaido Ten?

A-S:  It was very beautiful, very pretty, very peaceful on the surface yet underneath I felt there was a lot of energy which never emerged, like an egg which hasn’t been broken. But it wasn’t the right time for that energy to emerge. Later, an instructor might help the group break through the shell.

SOA:  Could you compare Shintaido Ten with the first International Gasshuku, which was held In San Francisco In the summer of 1980?

A-S:  The first International was much bigger, much wider, stronger and ROUGH. This time was not rough. It was different: better organized and softer.

SoA:  Did you like the Idea of giving students the opportunity to choose their own type of keiko?

A-S:  It was a very fresh experience for me. And I thought it was good because, say, one person might want very hard training, and another might want to have just deep meditation.

 For instance, Hideko’s group was very soft and peaceful. It was very beautiful, eh? On the other hand, Ken’s group had a very martial arts feeling. Both groups were good. The two give Shintaido balance. Shintaido itself consists of a very open technique and a very soft technique.

SoA:  Please talk about the difference between open technique and soft technique.

A-S:  There are two systems in Shintaido: open and soft. Personally, I prefer the soft system. But when I started Shintaido my body was very strong and I was young and I had many young followers, so I started with open technique.

 It’s better to start, if you can, with open technique. Open your system. After I completed this, then I started to develop soft technique.

 Soft keiko is very good for someone who has a weak body. Open keiko is very strong. If you start with soft keiko and eventually do open keiko, you might find that it’s not so difficult.

Cezanne, Picasso, Walt Whitman, Abraham Lincoln are all living people for me.
People like Pascal, Dostoevsky, Henry Miller, Basho, all speak to me right now.

SoA:  We understand that over the last five years, you’ve spent a lot of time developing the soft Shlntaldo program in order to bring Shlntaldo to a larger group, including older disabled people. Have there been obstacles or frustrations?

A-S:  Recently we’ve started teaching Shintaido at several “cultural centers” in Japan. Many of the students are elderly. When we started to teach them kai kyaku dai they said, “Oh no, we can’t do it.” They’d take maybe two or three steps, that was it. It took us one and a half months to teach Tenshingoso. For Tenshingoso kumite, they needed one and a half years. It was difficult because they often had a negative attitude. They’d say I can’t do it because I’m very aged or I’m very weak or because I’m a woman.

 We kept at it because of our love of Shintaido and our love for them. We’ve had to work on our teaching methods.

SoA:  Have you ever wanted to quit?

A-S:  No! I’m like a bulldog. I don’t give up.

SoA:  What are your Impressions of the United States?

A-S:  To answer that, I’d need 24 hours! In this country, there are so many people, so many races, so many ages, so many different value systems. So, they’ve made everything very plain, very simple in order to reach the widest number of people. That’s OK, but many American people have become slaves of simplicity. They’ve lost the ability to understand deep matters. Very often people say to me, “Shintaido is very difficult, please explain it more simply. If I were to do that, it might be good for business, but it would be a disservice. “

 Keiko should be very simple. But the philosophy should be very rich . . . keiko becomes simpler, philosophy should become deeper.

Many American people have become slaves of simplicity. They’ve lost the ability to understand deep matters.

SoA:  Could you talk about the “American neurosis?”

A-S:  The psychological dilemma of the American people is very deep. It’s one of the deepest, because this country has so much stress.

Relationships are very distant and the culture reflects that. In America if an individual happens to be very strong or if he has a lot of talent or money, life can be comfortable. But for a weak person, I think American life is too severe, too hard. If he’s weak, he often ends up living a very lonely life. That shouldn’t be. animals should live in a group. But in this country, everybody lives by himself. At least it looks that way to these Japanese eyes. So wakame (seaweed) kumite is very good for American people.

SoA:  Could you talk about the difficulties of Japanese life?

A-S:  In Japan, a lot of the stress comes from so many people living so closely together. It can be exhausting.

SoA:  How does Shlntaldo offer relief for some of the stress?

A-S:  Some people in Japan say Shintaido is a spiritual sunburst. Soft Shintaido relieves people’s tension and softens the body. The body returns to a more natural state. And if they next study “open system,” their possibility is very great. Shintaido people have very bright faces, don’t you agree?

SoA:  What suggestions do you have for teaching the new student?

A-S:  It’s more important to just work with them rather than instruct or teach them. This is especially important with children. If we work with them that’s enough. Then they begin to enjoy it for themselves.

Private practice is essential. If the beginner can just do meditation or Tenshingoso — anything is OK — at home or at a nearby park, then he can find Shintaido himself. Then Shintaido becomes his own. Until then, Shintaido is just given.

SoA:  Please talk about the student-teacher relationship.

A-S:  A Japanese will have utmost respect for a teacher. Your teacher is your teacher forever, even if you surpass him. It’s not that way in the United States. Here, someone might study from a certain teacher and then just decide to start his own school. In Japan that would never happen.

SoA:  What are your Influences?

A-S:  I started Shintaido, but I have been given so many things from many sources — senseis who have gone before me, from Western artists, musicians, novelists and theologians. So, they’re all my teachers.

 For me, Van Gogh is not just a historical figure; he’s a person in my life, a living person. Cezanne, Picasso, Walt Whitman, Abraham Lincoln are all living people for me. People like Pascal, Dostoevski, Henry Miller, Basho all speak to me right now.

SoA:  Who are your 10 most favorite authors?

A-S:  It’s very difficult to come up with a list of 10 because. I’m reading a new book almost every day. The question is difficult because it’s like who are the10 most beautiful girls.

 Anyway, I really like ”The Imitation of Christ” by A. Kempis. It means “to follow Christ.” I like Dostoevsky very much. I’ve read the essays of Montaigne over and over again. Walt Whitman is very great. “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” – that book is very great. I like Henry Miller, although his sensibility is very different from mine. I would list Stendahl’s “The Red and The Black,” Rimbaud’s “A Season in Hell,” and “A Hundred Years of Solitude” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

 When I was in high school, I saw the movie “Death of a Salesman.” Oh, that was something!

SoA:  What about music?

A-S:  Ah music! I’m much more influenced by music than I am by karate.

SoA:  Who are your favorite musicians or composers?

A-S:  Louis Armstrong, Jimi Hendrix, Thelonious Monk, Tina Turner — I like her very much, and Marvin Gaye. Of course, Beethoven and Mozart. Recently, I’ve been listening to baroque music a lot. But I also like folk songs of each country.

 During the last two years I’ve studied Buddhism and Chinese classics. It’s very interesting, but so difficult and deep — too great for me. My center of thought is probably the New Testament.

I’m more influenced by music than I am by karate.

SoA:  Do you think that talking after keiko can enrich one’s Shlntaldo practice?

A-S:  Yes, it’s very important. Students should talk more. After kumite, students should share their impressions. Say, “When you did this, this wasn’t right or it gave me a bad feeling. Or this gave a very nice feeling.” I can’t stress it enough. But you shouldn’t talk about your personal training. Keep private; It’s a source of energy. Of course, when a student has some problem, he should discuss it with his senior instructor.

 Discussion among Shintaido students after kumite is so important because we can share our experience and study many things. We start to recognize that different people get different things or impressions from the same keiko. Also, as you come to understand another, you’re more able to make adjustments in your own perception.

SoA:  Does Shlntaldo recommend any type of meditation?

A-S:  There are several different types of meditation in Shintaido. We have a formal standing mediation which has 10 different poses. We also have seiza; open seiza and soft seiza. There are two lotus poses: complete lotus pose and the half lotus pose. The lying down pose. In yoga they call that the dead man pose. We have wakame kumite. This way we get meditation with movement. So that when we go about our daily life, cooking or cleaning the apartment, we can have meditation or deep concentration.

SoA:  How can Shlntaldo students deepen their “um?”

A-S:  For centuries people have known that meditation is extremely valuable, but of course it’s very hard. Part of the reason I developed Shintaido was that I wanted to make the benefits of meditation available to ordinary working people. I think this can be done by incorporating Shintaido into daily life.

 Shintaido involves deep concentration. In practice we emphasize the lower art of the body. This is very important. It’s a way of rejuvenating the body. Shintaido also tries to make the body straight, so that we can take down our center of gravity. We aim to relax the body and take down our energy all the way to the bottom of the feet — just a half inch from the center of the arch of the foot (towards the toes). If a person does this he can become very quiet.

 If you do this two or three times, you can get very deep concentration and stop thinking. Then you don’t have to take your breath down anymore. Students might then do any one of the types of meditation for 20 or 30 minutes a day. I’m not saying, however, that this is THE way to achieve satori or some enlightenment. That’s not my business.

SoA:  During one of the keikos, you said for people to take rest If they wanted and that this was not a “Shlntaldo ghetto.”

A-S:  We do Shintaido because we like to have a happy time. And also, because we want to be more ourselves and more free. If an instructor is very authoritarian, saying do this, do that, etc., etc., we cannot be ourselves. My gorei is very different. I don’t try to teach so much; rather I try to give them an opportunity to study. If somebody thinks they’re being forced by me, it’s not my idea. I support a student’s aspiration to become free or to become better — that’s all. I can only cook a very good dinner, but I can’t force anyone to eat It. I wouldn’t want to.

SoA:  What advice would you give to parents of children who are studying Shintaido?

A-S:  Sometimes parents bring their children to our dojo and they say my boy is withdrawn or aggressive and please help us. But almost always parents have the same problem! I say OK, maybe Shintaido can help your boy or girl, but then the parents go on and on, saying my boy is this, that and the other. They never give the kid a chance to come to us on his own. Finally, I usually have to say, “No I cannot help. The child is not the problem, you are.” I have to be very honest.

SoA:  How can a parent encourage his child?

A-S:  If parents study Shintaido with the child – that is the best way. It doesn’t matter if the parents are very unskillful. Kids don’t expect their parents to be so great. They are just happy to have their parents do Shintaido with them. The atmosphere in the home can become very nice. Communication improves.

 In terms of raising a child, I say if you find 10 good points in a kid, praise him 10 times. But if you find 10 weak points, please mention only one. Parents usually point 10 times to each weak point.

SoA:  During the gasshuku you lectured on the haiku poet Basho. For those who weren’t there , what can we learn from Basho’s example?

A-S:  Basho studied only one thing — haiku, which is a very simple kata. Haiku is so simple, but it offered him limitless possibilities.

 If you try to study all sorts of different things, it’s no good. Also, Basho did meditation continuously. Through that he became himself. But he wrote haiku with his disciples. He lived with many people and he did meditation, therefore he had very good balance. And he did a lot of traveling.

 Basho also studied nature. He touched nature. He became one with nature. This is very important, especially in the United States. You have many opportunities to commune with nature. It’s very nice: the beach, the desert, the forest. Because most people live in cities, this is even more important than before.

SoA:  Why are gasshukus so Important?

A-S:  Like the other animals, humans are supposed to live in a group. Sometimes we forget that. We don’t respect our neighbor. We think the world revolves around us. So, it’s very important to work with many people, to have that experience. If we have a gasshuku, we can study so many things from neighbors. Of course, a piano solo is very nice, but an orchestra is very great.

About the Authors:

https://www.directactioneverywhere.com/dxe-in-the-news/2016-6-15-why-dxe-wednesday-xv-leslie-goldberg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Goldberg_(writer)

Image of Ito Sensei “looking forward,” as he named the image when sharing it.

by Connie Borden

As we celebrate our 50^th Anniversary of the founding of Shintaido of America, it is important to pause in memoriam for those who died over these years. Each contributed to Shintaido. We still practice across time and space in Aikukan, a space of love, with these unique and special people.

(If you can’t find a linked article, please note that most should open in a new tab.)

• • • Barbara Barnard, Christophe Bernard, Christina G. Cross
    • James Cumming, Juliette Farkouh, Anne-Marie Grandtner
    • H.F. Ito, Brad Larson, Bill Peterson
    • John Seaman, Russ Staples, Joe Zawielski
    • Marielle Bernier, Sarah Prince

Barbara Barnard – Barbara was introduced to Shintaido by her cousin Pam Olton. In this article in 2015, BD36_May2015, Barbara reflects on her practice of Shintaido.  Barbara died in early 2016, here are people’s memories of Barbara: BD38_May2016.

Christophe Bernard – Many memories are shared about Christophe in this 2013 edition of body dialogue – of his being an excellent French chief, of his ease at kumite, and the joy he brought others. He achieved ranks of Shintaido Graduate (1991), and 8 kyu in both Karate and Bojutsu. BD33_Sep2013

Christina G. Cross – died June 2021, She was active in the SF Bay Area in the1980s, she became a licensed acupuncturist in 1985. Christina was awarded Provisional Instructor (now call Graduate) in 1986 at Shintaido Ten. She also held a 5 kyu rank, awarded in 1985, in Bojutsu.

Christina G. Cross

James Cumming – On May 1^st, 2023, after a long struggle with Parkinson’s disease, James Cumming took the MAiD (Medical Assistance in Dying) medicine, which is legal in the state of Vermont where he lived. He passed away peacefully with his wife Evangelina “Vangie” Holvino by his side. James was a longtime Shintaido practitioner in England. He also spent time in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he stayed for a time with Bela Breslau and Ito-sensei. Read more about his life: Remembering James Cumming 

Juliette Farkouh – Shintaido Graduate and equipment manager for over 10 years, died Dec 12, 2009. In her 16 years of study, she also achieved 5 kyu in Shintaido Karate and 8 kyu in Shintaido Bojutsu. Here is an article: BD27_Jul2010

Anne-Marie Grandtner – died Dec 18, 2018. She taught Shintaido in Montreal, Canada. Read more here: Anne-Marie Grandtner

Anne-Marie Grandtner

H.F. Ito – 1942 – 2023, established Shintaido movement in USA and Canada, co-founder of Shintaido of America. Read his full bio here: H.F. Ito | Shintaido of America

Brad Larson – Shintaido Instructor and Kenjutsu Shodan, Brad Larson died unexpectedly on November 2, 2023. Here is our tribute to Brad’s teaching showing his love of nature and the Boh. Sunday 2023-07-09 Nature as Keiko Partner. Read more about Brad in this Body Dialogue article: Celebration of Life for Brad Larson

Bill Peterson – Died May 13, 1996 of AIDS while receiving Hospice by the Bay services. H.F. Ito writes of holding Bill in his arms to visualize eiko in this article: Body Dialogue # 6. In this same newsletter, Bill’s writes about a past experience of doing sensei care.

Bill Peterson

John Seaman – John, a long-time Shintaido instructor, passed away in April 2018.  John and Lee started their practice during the early days of Shintaido in Japan. Read how Tomi reflects about the impact John had on her life: How John Seaman Helped Shape My Life 

Russ Staples –  died in 1987. Joe writes in memorial for Russ here; 1987_1Winter-SOA_News and a donation was made in the name of Russ Staples: 1987_2 Spring-SOA_News.  In 2007, a gazebo to honor Russ was completed at Shintaido Farm in Deerfield, Massachusetts. The gazebo stands in a meditative spot on a hillside overlooking a wooded valley. Tall trees offer shade, privacy and beauty. There is an engraved stone that commemorates Russ. Read this article about the dedication of gazebo: BD22_Jan2008, pg 9: SHOOTING STARS

Joe Zawielski – Shintaido General Instructor, Kenjutsu Sandan, and Bojutsu Sandan, Joe Zawielski died August 1, 2018.  Gianni Rossi led a final keiko on July 21, 2018 with 50 people, including Joe. Here is an article about Joe: Joe Zawielski .  Here is what Joe wrote about his diagnosis of cancer in this Body Dialogue article: “The Joy of Life”  BD41_Oct2017.

Joe Zawielski

Marielle Bernier – Part of Ito-sensei’s original Quebecois group. Wife of Yves Hudon. Participated in many Shintaido events in Montreal, Quebec City, and at the Shintaido Farm.

Sarah Prince – longtime Shintaido Northeast (SNE) practitioner. Unofficial photographer for SNE. Took many photos at keikos and gasshukus, including the three blowups that graced the walls of the Shintaido Farm dojo Ten Shin Kan.

If you have photos you find more flattering or expressive, please send to use and we will consider placing it in the article. Send to president@shintaido.org