Boca Aikikai

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Mission/Vision: Boca Aikikai is dedicated to, in Japanese as "i shin den shin" the heart to heart transmission. to pass something on to another without reliance on words in any way. Our task is transmitting the art through the generations. This process cannot be forced through mechanical means, but must occur in a natural manner, like water flowing downward into a pool below. The art should be absorbed through the pours in the skin as if it were actually installed into ones body. But our transmission implies not only bodily transformation, it means an ethical transformation from the body into the domain of value and spirit.

Aikido was developed in the early 20th Century by Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969), known to his students as O-Sensei (Great Teacher). A legendary master of several martial arts, O-Sensei was also a deeply spiritual man. An early taste of war forged his opposition to the use of martial arts for destructive purposes. His pursuits of these passions led him to the development of Aikido, a discipline designed to control aggression and violence, as well as to help people realize their full potential as individuals: physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Chiba Sensei gained admittance to Hombu Dojo in Tokyo in 1958 as an uchideshi (live in student). He studied under O-Sensei intensively for seven years, then was assigned to Great Britain where he formed England's first national Aikikai association, helping promote Aikido in several European Countries. After spending 10 years in England, Chiba Sensei returned to Japan. In 1980 he moved to San Diego to lead the Western Region of the United States Aikido Federation (USAF-WR). In 2001 he formed Birankai Internatioal which includes schools across the United States, Austria, Canada, England, France, Israel, Germany, Greece, Mexico, Poland, Kazakhstan, and Switzerland. He currently holds the rank of 8th Dan Shihan.