Thus far, we have looked back on Tomiki shihan’s many accomplishments of by tracing them chronologically through events such as the Research Committee on Techniques when separated at a Distance, the All Japan University Student Aikido Tournament, the educational film “Aikido Kyogi”, the construction of Shodokan as a central dojo, the 1st National Adult Aikido Kyogi Competition, and his presentation at the Japan Academy of Budo.
In his greeting at the opening of Shodokan Dojo, there is a line that reads, “Indeed it is because of the combination of opportunity from heaven, advantage of the land, and harmony of the people that we were able to take a great first step forward.” Indeed it was necessary to have this combination of timing, location, and unity for Tomiki shihan to fulfill his promise to Kano Jigoro shihan – to develop a competitive system for those classical jujutsu techniques that were not included in Kodokan Judo’s randori method. This lifelong work of Tomiki shihan bore fruit in the form of “Aikido Kyogi,” and he left everything to us as his legacy of Shodokan Aikido.
As we mark the milestone of the 125th anniversary of Tomiki shihan’s birth, I once again feel the weight of responsibility in carrying on Shihan’s work. I would like to conclude this text with the sincere hope that with everyone’s support Shodokan Aikido will continue to develop and that its greatness will be recognized by many people both in Japan and around the world.