Introducing: Tendoryu Aikido in Russia
Introducing: Tendoryu Aikido in Russia
Sept. 30, 2012

Exactly 10 years ago Shimizu sensei and Wakasensei  went for the first time to Vladivostok.

Only 2 hours flight located from Tokyo is this city in the far East of Russia with now many enthusiastic Tendoryu aikido students.

h4. Tendoryu Aikido in Russia

Vladivostok (Russian: Владивосто́к;: [vlədʲɪvɐˈstok]  is a city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai, Russia, situated at the head of the Golden Horn Bay, not far from Russia's borders with China and North Korea (Also known by nickname as Russian San Francisco). The population of the city is 592,069. The city is the home port of the Russian Pacific Fleet and the largest Russian port on the Pacific Ocean.

The name Vladivostok loosely translates from Russian as "Ruler of the East".

Vladivostok is a very special city. Founded on the junction of land and sea, Europe and Asia, it is strikingly different from most Russian cities. First of all, it is notable for its unique geographical location and specific relief. It's no wonder that Vladivostok is called a solid observation platform: it is the breathtaking panoramas opening from the height of the hills that constitute the main attraction of the Primorsky Krai's capital. In principle, Vladivostok differs from other Russian cities by the special mentality of local residents.

The territory on which modern Vladivostok is located had been part of many states, such as the Mohe, Bohai Kingdom, Goguryeo, Dynasty Yuan, and various other Korean and Chinese dynasties, before Russia acquired the entire Maritime Province and the island of Sakhalin by the Treaty of Beijing (1860).  On June 20 (July 2 Gregorian style), 1860 the military supply ship Manchur, under the command of Captain-Lieutenant Alexey K. Shefner, called at the Golden Horn Bay to found an outpost called Vladivostok. "Old Vladivostok photo gallery":http://vitagra.ru/index.php?razdelID=434

As the main naval base of the Soviet Pacific Fleet, the city was officially closed to foreigners during the Soviet years. It was at Vladivostok that Leonid Brezhnev and Gerald Ford conducted the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks in 1974. At the time, the two countries decided quantitative limits on various nuclear  weapons systems and banned the construction of new land-based ICBM launchers. "Vladivostok photo gallery":http://vitagra.ru/index.php?razdelID=579

In 2012, Vladivostok is hosting the ongoing 24th Summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. In preparation for the event, the infrastructure of the city was renovated and improved. Two giant cable-stayed bridges were constructed in Vladivostok, namely the Zolotoy Rog bridge over the Golden Horn Bay in the center of the city, and the "Russky Island Bridge":http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arMl13UlOAo&feature=player_embedded from the mainland to Russky Island, where the summit is taking place. The latter bridge will be awarded the distinction of longest cable-stayed bridge in the world.

Our federation was founded in 1991. It was the first aikido school in Vladivostok.  For 11 years we have been studying aikido through various Japanese, European and Russian seminars. In 2002 Shimizu- sensei and Waka-sensei visited Vladivostok at our invitation. It was their first visit in Russia. On this seminar we discovered aikido and its method of training that differed from the aikido we had studied before. It was fully in line with our ideas about genuine aikido.

It was very difficult for us to change technical skills and conception of learning but due to annual seminars in Vladivostok and our practice in Tendokan we are going to grip Tendo aikido. Shimizu-sensei granted us the right to practice Tendoryu and to represent his school in Russia. In November, 2012, it will be 10 years since we began to keep this really difficult way, but it gives us a chance to understand aikido and to follow its principles.

Welcome to Vladivostok! All contacts you can find here: "aikido-vl.ru":http://aikido-vl.ru/ e-mail: "[email protected]":mailto:[email protected]   Felix Sharlay