Aikido Practitioners of the Sacred Heart Aikido Center Cebu (SHACC) were treated to world class Aikido Intruction on May 17, 2019 by Kenta Shimizu, Waka Sensei of Tendo-ryu Aikido. Kenta Shimizu Sensei was visiting Cebu City for a 4-day vacation together with his students Vitaly Chistyakov and Arvin Lee, a lawyer who happens to frequent Cebu City conducting lectures on International Arbitration. In one of Arvin Lee’s visits to SHACC he mentioned of Kenta Shimizu Sensei’s desire to visit Cebu, and asked SHACC Dojo Cho Benson Rafanan if SHACC wants to have a special class with Shimizu Sensei.

Not wanting to pass upon a rare opportunity and to experience Tendo-ryu Aikido, SHACC readily grabbed this opportunity and graciously had Kenta Shimizu Sensei lead the Friday night class at the SHACC Dojo.

According to Benson Rafanan Sensei:

“We are grateful and honored that Kenta Shimizu Sensei allowed us to experience Tendo-ryu Aikido first hand. Specially to our students, this rare experience is something I’m sure they will cherish.”

On experiencing teaching from a non-Aikikai Sensei, Rafanan Sensei said

“For me, this is how Aikido friendship works. It transcends boundaries of race, affiliation and approach. This is the beauty of Aikido and this is what makes Aikido whole.”

 

About:
Kenta Shimizu Sensei was born in 1983 in Tokyo, Japan. He started Aikido when he was still a child and was poised to follow the footsteps of his Father. He is the son, and direct heir to the Tendo-ryu approach of Kenji Shimizu Shihan, the founder Tendo-ryu Aikido. The older Shimizu is one of the direct students of Aikido’s founder O’Sensei Morihei Ueshiba. He founded his own school and named it Tendoryu Aikido in 1969, after the death of O’Sensei Morihei Ueshiba. Now at 79 years old, Kenji Shimizu Shihan together with his heir apparent Kenta Shimizu Sensei still actively teaches Tendo-ryu Aikido holding regular yearly seminars in Russia and Europe.