Passing of Shoji Nishio Shihan

We have just received an official announcement of the passing of Shoji Nishio Sensei, 8th dan Aikikai. Nishio Sensei departed from this world on March 15 at 9:50 am. His funeral will be conducted on March 26 at 1:00 pm in the Jiunkaku Hall of the Daihonzan Zojoji Temple located at 4-7-35, Shiba Koen, Minato-ku, Tokyo. Further details may be obtained at the Shoji Nishio Sensei Official Home Page.

Nishio Sensei was one of the last of the postwar aikido generation of instructors to have begun training in the 1950s. He was an honest, straightforward man and an extremely talented martial artist and will be sorely missed by all those who knew him. We would like to express our sincerest condolences to Nishio Sensei’s family and students.

Shoji Nishio Sensei was one of aikido’s most innovative teachers incorporating elements from his extensive experience in judo, karate, iaido, and jojutsu in his martial-oriented interpretation of aikido. Nishio Sensei developed an elaborate series of bokken, jo, and iaido variations of key techniques as part of his comprehensive system.

Here are links to interviews Aikido Journal has conducted with Nishio Sensei:

Shoji Nishio (1984), Part 1
Shoji Nishio (1984), Part 2
Shoji Nishio (1992), Part 1
Shoji Nishio (1992), Part 2

Stanley Pranin — March 18^th, 2005 (add comment)