Blog

Articles written by Ivan Melo and Cathy Okada. Most articles are also available in português and español.

The “S” Word

by aikidogyodokan.com | 12 September 2025 | Blog, Cathy Okada | 0 Comments

Written by Cathy Okada In the West (or at least in the UK) we all know what a sensei looks like; an elderly Asian man with a white beard. Mr Miyagi and Pai Mei spring to mind. And of course Ueshiba Morihei, O Sensei himself. People are so fixed on O Sensei's image...

Back on the Aikido Path

by aikidogyodokan.com | 8 May 2025 | Blog | 0 Comments

Back on the Aikido Path: A Gyodokan student's reflection on returning to training after years away. Written by Pete Roythorne I’ve been in or around Aikido for close to 30 years now . In that time I’ve had a long absence from training. But even while exploring other...

No Beginning and No End

by aikidogyodokan.com | 23 March 2025 | Blog, Cathy Okada | 0 Comments

Picture: Cathy Okada & Ivan Melo at Kōshōji in Uji, in 2023 on the anniversary of their Jukai ceremony. Written by Cathy Okada"Very great congratulations on your Jukai and really happy to join you on the Way without beginning or end!” A zen teacher and fellow...

A Year of Gyodokan

by aikidogyodokan.com | 10 October 2024 | Ivan Melo | 0 Comments

A reflection, written by Ivan Melo, September 2024 As we return to training after our short summer break, with great memories and sharpened skills from the Aikido of London summer camp, we can’t help but to also remember it’s been a year since Gyodokan opened its...

Aikido Styles

by aikidogyodokan.com | 22 July 2024 | Ivan Melo | 0 Comments

Written by Ivan Melo In the world of Aikido, it has become extremely popular to talk about styles. The most common one, is considering a political entity or institution a “style”. “They are Aikikai”, “he is from Iwama”, “she does Tomiki” and so on. Also often...

Hai, Sensei!

by aikidogyodokan.com | 20 May 2024 | Ivan Melo | 0 Comments

Article by Ivan Melo “The Japanese way of teaching and learning anything, whether it is art or making sushi or practicing Zen, is a lot of watching, eventual doing, being super confused and yet not asking questions, having someone inevitably correct you, and then...

Kenshō- Seeing One’s True Nature

May 2, 2024 | Ivan Melo

Pictured: "Kenshō" Shodo piece by Ivan Melo on Gyodokan Kamiza. About our new dojo calligraphy piece. by Ivan Melo (18.04.2024) This week our dojo got a new calligraphy piece for the kamiza, the altar to which we face at the beginning and ending of every class. ...

Aikido, Gardening and Teaching

May 2, 2024 | Cathy Okada

Picture: John Humphris and Cathy Okada, Nishinomiya 1989. A tribute to my late Grandad. by Cathy Okada. Originally shared 11.04.2024During lockdown in late 2019, a family member revealed a cool fact of my family ancestry- we are descendants of Mototsugu (Goto)...

Bag of Rocks

May 2, 2024 | Ivan Melo

Picture above: "wa" or "harmony". Shodo piece by Ivan Melo. About Aikido training, harmony, and transformation. by Ivan Melo (31.03.2024)The art we have chosen to learn, is or has the potential to be a multilayered and multidimensional practice, which has the capacity...

From Tanabe to Ealing

May 1, 2024 | Ivan Melo

The cultural and historical context of Aikido and Gyodokan's lineage. Originally posted 31.03.2024Created in Japan by Morihei Ueshiba, one of the highest exponents of martial arts, Aikido is a deeply Japanese art. It sounds obvious, but to appreciate what that...