# Introducing Our Club



## AiShinKai (Oct 14, 2011)

Greetings to all.  We would like to introduce our club to the forum. 

_*AiShinKai*_ Martial Arts Dojo (www.aishinkai.com) is located in Edmonds, WA (10 miles north of Seattle).  We offer comprehensive, fun, and affordable instruction in _Iaido: Quick-draw Japanese Swordsmanship_, _AiShin-Ryu Aikido_, _Honda-Ryu Kyudo _and _Aiki-ken/Aiki-jo_, as well as _Shodo, Ikebana_, and _Bonsai_.  

Founded in 1990, our dojo (formerly Aikido Kokikai Seattle/Tsubomi Seishin Kan) is one of the oldest in the Seattle metro area.  Chief instructor Dr. Jonathan Bannister (Ph.d./Ma.D.Sc.; AiShin-Ryu Aikido S_hihan;_ ZNKR Iaido _Godan_) has trained in Japanese martial and cultural arts for more than 30 years, much of it in Japan.  His teachers include Maruyama Shuji (Kokikai Aikido), Eura Kazunori (All Japan Kendo Federation Iai/Muso Shinden Ryu Iaido), and the late Don Yoshimoto Trent Sensei.  He serves on the boards of directors of the Japan-America Society of the State of Washington, the Seattle-Kobe Sister City Association, and the Pacific Northwest Kendo Federation.  A member of the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame (2010 Multi-Disciplinary Master of the Year) and the United States Martial Arts Hall of Fame (2010 Swordsman of the Year; 2009 Silver Life Award), Bannister Sensei is an able coach and experience international martial arts competitor.

Visitors are always welcome to *Thursday 7:15-8:45pm; Saturday 1:30-3:00pm *public classes at the *Spartan Recreation Center in Shoreline, WA *(18560 First Avenue NE, Shoreline, WA 98155 - 5 miles north of Seattle).  Dojo members have access to private instruction at the beautiful AiShinKai headquarters dojo in Edmonds.  Classes typically run 1.5 hours, and include breathing/meditation, reiho, warm-up exercises, mind-body coordination exercises, Aiki-ken/Aiki-jo kata and fencing, and Iaido (ZNKR and Muso Shinden Ryu).  Our members are very dedicated, and most have been to Japan for training, examination, and tournament.  Our activities include coordinating the charitable work of our non-profit organization, the Pacific Northwest Budo Association (www.pacificbudo.org), which provides grants, scholarships, low-cost insurance, fiscal agency, marketing, and program coordination for new and small martial and cultural arts organizations throughout the Northwest.  Since our founding, we have donated more than $1.4 million to these causes.  This year, we have been focused on helping those less fortunate than ourselves: to date we have donated more than $5,400 to help victims of the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan, and we are about to begin our annual drive to collect donations for local food banks.  We hope to surpass last years total of 315 pounds.

We wish everyone well.  If you are in our area, please stop in for a visit.


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## OKenpo942 (Nov 3, 2011)

Greetings and welcome.


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## stickarts (Nov 3, 2011)

Welcome to MT!


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## seasoned (Nov 3, 2011)

Greetings and welcome aboard.


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