Yasuo Kobayashi was born September 20, 1936 in the Kudan district of Tokyo. He is presently an 8th dan. He graduated with a degree in electrical engineering from Meiji University.As the Chief Instructor of Aikido Kobayashi Dojo, he directly supervises about 90 aikido dojos and classes located in Santama, Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa Prefectures. Kobayashi Sensei is Director of the Aikido Club of the Meiji University Physical Education Department, Shihan of the Saitama University Aikido Club, and Shihan of the Aikido Club of the Tokyo Keizai University Physical Education Department.
Kobayashi Sensei studied judo at the Kodokan as a middle school student and first learned about aikido after befriending the eldest son of Danzaki Sensei, Chairman of the Iaido Federation.
He enrolled at the Aikido Hombu Dojo in April 1954 and studied both judo and aikido until his third year of university studies. He was a classmate of Akio Kaminaga who was a member of the Tokyo Olympic judo team.
As an uchideshi at the Hombu Dojo, Kobayashi studied under Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba, Doshu Kisshomaru Ueshiba, Koichi Tohei Shihan (presently Director of Shin Shin Toitsu Ki Society), the late Kisaburo Osawa Shihan, the late Morihiro Saito Shihan, Sadateru Arikawa Shihan, Hiroshi Tada Shihan, the late Seigo Yamaguchi Shihan, Nobuyoshi Tamura Shihan (presently in France), Masamichi Noro Shihan (presently in France teaching "Ki no Michi"), and other instructors and seniors.
Kobayashi Sensei trained hard together with other uchideshi while at the Hombu Dojo including the following teachers presently active in the USA: Mitsugi Saotome Shihan, Yoshimitsu Yamada Shihan, Kazuo Chiba Shihan, Mitsunari Kanai Shihan and Seiichi Sugano Shihan.
He established the Aikido Club of Meiji University while a third-year student at Meiji University. Katsuaki Asai Shihan of the Aikikai of Germany who entered Hombu Dojo while a middle school student also joined the Aikido Club of Meiji University.and is junior to Kobayashi Sensei.
At the time of his graduation from university in 1958, he became an instructor at the Aikido Hombu Dojo. Together with the present Doshu Kisshomaru Ueshiba, Kobayashi Sensei is devoting himself to the spread of aikido.
In April 1969 while teaching at the Hombu Dojo, Kobayashi Sensei hand-built an 18-mat dojo in his home in Kodaira City, Tokyo. Operating as the Aikido Kobayashi Dojo, he began training together with his three-year old son.
Kobayashi Sensei resigned his teaching post at the Aikido Hombu Dojo in November 1972 at which time he opened a 48-mat aikido dojo in Tokorozawa City. He then devoted himself to the spread of aikido in Santama and Saitama, suburbs of Tokyo. At the same time, he concentrated on training aikido instructors. Among the aikido instructors he has trained are: Kazuo Igarashi, 6th dan, in Sagamihara and Hachioji; Kengo Hatayama, 6th dan, in Tokorozawa; Haruyoshi Horikoshi, 6th dan, in Kasuga; Haruo Ishigaki, 6th dan, in Urawa and Oomiya; Hiroyuki Hasegawa, 4th dan, in Chiba; Hiroaki Kobayashi, 4th dan, in Tachikawa and Hino; Manabu Masuda, 4th dan, in Koshigaya and Kusaka; Yuzo Kin, 3rd dan in Noborito and Atsugi; and Ichitomi Shikanai, 6th dan, who teaches in Brazil. Kobayashi Sensei continues to devote himself to the development of young instructors.
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