The Swiss aikido web

In the Sixties where in Europe aikido was almost unknown even in Switzerland there was no aikido dojo. Some individuals tried to build up some contacts with different masters like Nakazono and Tamura senseis, and seminars have been managed. In 1969 ACSA has been founded as the the first Aikido Association in Switzerland. Nakazono and Tamura sensei had a vital role for the first development of aikido in Switzerland and the relationship with such important masters was consolidated since more than 5 years.

ACSA was developing year after year, increasing the amount of its sections. The short interludes of the Japanese senseis Tamura and Nakazono were not considered up-to-date anymore. Furthermore neither the commitment for several months of Nakazono Sensei Junior (4th dan), one of the best trainers ever had, managed to change this matter of facts.
Nonetheless some members built up strong relationships with the Japanese senseis.
As a result, in 1977 ACSA decided to build up its own Shihans program in Switzerland.
Until then many very different training styles had been practiced in the existing dojos. Some were deeply influenced by Tamura Sensei or by Noquet Sensei, others tried to maintain Nakazono Sensei’s inheritance.

And finally the moment came! Ikeda Sensei started to teach as an official trainer in Switzerland. He was introduced during a seminar. Everybody was impressed and enthusiastic. Everyone noticed, besides his extraordinary height, his steadfastness and his posture. Resistance to his movements was useless, otherwise one would hurt oneself! It was immediately possible to notice a systematic training structure.
Hopefully the catastrophic conditions prior to Ikeda’s efforts had been forgotten. ACSA was blessed by the presence of a Japanese sensei. As a result, different positions regarding this sensei and his approach were taken: going from hard critics to strong collaboration, whereas critics were the less.
Having a Japanese sensei paid in such a situation.

The clear structure of his training really was fruitful. Aikido has never been taught and practiced so seriously and intensively as during that first period of ten years with Ikeda Sensei! There were regular international seminars, regular weekend trainings with 50 to 100 participants, an increasing amount of members and of initiatives in the dojos. When you say growth in aikido, it goes without saying that there was a qualitative expansion rather than pure quantitative. Suddenly Ikeda Aikido was not to be smiled at anymore, but appreciated by the other Budo disciplines.

This federation has been established in 1984, because of a spin off from originating ACSA (see above). Basically following the teaching of sensei Nobuyoshi Tamura, this group has grown during the years, and is now present in all regions of Switzerland.

The UAS has been established by J.P. Paillard and Y. Cauhépé in April 1972 in Fribourg as a representative of the European aikido Association.
In Year 2007, the Swiss Aikido Association did emendate the statute from 1972 maintaining the philosophy and the association's purpose, as suggested by Y. Cauhépé in 1980.
The Swiss Aikido Association is a national association and preserves different styles and interests, offering several events where all different styles of aikido would be considered.

The "Association Suisse d'Aikido Shodokan" has been established in 1995 in order to unify the clubs practicing Shodokan style Aikido in Switzerland. After the death of our Sensei Shingo Koshiyama in February 2000, the technical direction is now under the direct responsability of Tetsuro Nariyama from the Shodokan Honbu Dojo in Osaka. The Association organizes seminars, competitions (see below), as well as Kyu and Dan grade exams, and represents Swiss Shodokan Aikido at the Union d'Aikido Suisse (UAS) and the Japan Aikido Association (JAA).

Shodokan Aikido specificities

The Shodokan Aikido style has been founded by Kenji Tomiki Shihan, a student of the Founder Uyeshiba and Jigoro Kano. It differs from what we call "traditional" Aikido by the introduction of Randori Shiai (competitions) and a certain number of technical issues.

The Aikido Institut was established in Zürich on September 20, 1984 by Roland Spitzbarth. He had just returned from an extended stay in California and Japan and wanted to start his own group in Zürich apart from the personal and political differences that were rampant in the Swiss Aikido scene at that time. At the inauguration ceremony present were Masatomi Ikeda from Zürich and Kaz Nishida from Los Angeles. Early helpers were Andreas Raymann who found the house where we built the dojo, Robert Carletti who loaned us the money for the mats and Kurt Bartholet who helped with the construction as well as with the teaching during the first few years. Visiting Aikido friends invited for weekend training seminars include Pat Hendricks, Bruce Klickstein, Tony Sargeant, Lewis de Quiros, Miles Kessler and Paolo Corallini.
The Aikido Institut has always steered an independent course, providing training of top-level traditional Aikido for hundreds of students over the years. It has continuously been affiliated to the Aikikai Hombu Dojo in Tokyo through the personal contacts and the lineage of its main teacher Roland Spitzbarth. It has successfully conducted large international seminar with Morihiro Saito Sensei in 1986, 1987, 1989 and 1999, his son Hitohiro 1999 and 2000 as well as Robert Nadeau 1997, 1998 and 2000.

Further milestones are the opening of Aikido Institut City 1997, the closing of the old Höngg dojo 1998 and the opening of Aikido Uster and Aikido Bodensee in 1999. The Höngg dojo reopened in 2001 in a more central location under the name aiki-dojo.ch. In 2005 Aikido Birsfelden joined the group.

The Aikido Institut teaches traditional Aikido including the complete weapons program of Saito Sensei with a strong emphasis on precision and clarity as well as the application of the art in daily life and its emotional and psychological impact.

Affiliated dojos are responsible for their own programs. They are free to join other federations, for example aiki-dojo.ch is also a member of CAA and therefore the Aikikai.

Birankai International, established in 2001, is an organisation providing support in their training to Sensei T. K. Chiba's students world-wide. It has regional chapters for Continental Europe, United Kingdom and the United States. Dojos and associated dojos from France, Greece, Kazakhstan, Portugal, Poland and Switzerland are part of the Continental Europe Chapter.
Chiba Sensei, Shihan, who is living in San Diego (CA), spent the last 20 years to develop the United States Aikido Federation Western Region that reunites about 35 dojos in 14 states of the USA and one in Canada.

Established by Charles ABELÉ, a student of Hirokazu Kobayashi sensei, this school promotes and developes aikido and aikitaiso.

The CAA has grown into a worldwide community and is fortunate to have within its membership many teachers with varied backgrounds and complementary skills. Thus the CAA embraces many stylistic and technical traditions but is guided by the phsyical and philosophical ideals established by the founder, Morihei Ueshiba.
It is this very open-ness and diversity that uniquely defines the CAA not so much as an organization but as an 'Association' of teachers, dojos, and aikidoka whose primary common bond is the art we practice. This loose association also means that the CAA does not mandate, enforce, govern, oversee, direct, sanction, or otherwise control the specific operations and events within its member dojos.
Each dojo and each member is solely responsible for their own actions. CAA evolved into 3 divisions headed by Pat Hendricks (6th Dan), Frank Doran (7th Dan), Robert Nadeau (7th Dan).

International School of Traditional Aikido has been etablished by Alain Peyrache, an European expert who has been practicing and passing on his teaching for more than 35 years.
ISTA aims the teaching, the development, and the promotion of traditional Aikido, proposing a structure in accord with the model in which UESHIBA's Aïkido was born and got developed.

The teaching follow the traditional model "one teacher, one dojo", nonetheless, due to completeness reasons, altough the teacher could be the same, all the present dojos in Switzerland are mentioned as affiliated, since the goal of this site is to report the "dojo" as unit.

Established by Yoshigasaki Sensei to further develop the concepts of Tohei Sensei. The organisation has over 4000 members and 120 clubs predominately in Europe but also in Africa and South America.

Iwama shin shin aiki shurenkai

The Takemusu Aikido Association is dedicated to the development and dissemination of Aikido based on the highest ideals of the Founder, Morihei Ueshiba, O-Sensei. The Association does this by continuing and promoting the Founder's traditional teaching and training methods as passed on by his longest direct disciple, Morihiro Saito, Shihan.

The Takemusu Aikido Association is an association of dojos, clubs, and individuals who have a common interest in Aikido. It functions for the mutual benefit of its members, serves as a center of support to its members, and promotes Aikido nationally and internationally. The Association is managed by a Board of Directors of Senior Instructors. Members take turns volunteering to fill the administrative roles of President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

The Association is recognized as a qualified Aikido organization by the Aikikai Foundation, the Hombu, in Tokyo, Japan. It seeks to work cooperatively with other Aikido organizations nationally and internationally. This recognition enables the Association to obtain from the Aikikai Foundation internationally registered and recognized ranks for qualified students of its members.

The Association follows the teaching and training philosophy of Morihiro Saito, Shihan. Saito Shihan's method of training and teaching has greatly influenced the senior members of the Association. We have all trained for various lengths of time with him and feel his training methods, style of Aikido, and long personal association with the Founder have significant value to our own progress in Aikido. We have found that this view has strengthened our relationships with each other and gives us a common purpose.

Established by Gozo Shioda, the IYAF (International Yoshinkai Aikido Federation) is a volunteer organization which links together over 100 Yoshinkan Aikido dojos worldwide. Based at the Honbu dojo in Tokyo, Japan, the IYAF coordinates the certification of Yoshinkan practitioners ranked Shodan and above.
The IYAF assists with tours by Honbu dojo instructors and is the focal point for foreign correspondance to the honbu dojo.
In addition, the IYAF assists the honbu dojo with the Kokusai Senshusei Instructor's Course. Later in 2008 the IYAF changed into AYF (Aikido Yoshinkan Foundation)

Aikido IG has been established in 2002 By Ursula Reimer (Yamotokan dojo, Zürich) with the idea that different aikido dojos could support each other mutually. Aikido IG is supported by the city, being a member of ZSS (Zürcher Stadtverband für Sport, a sport association of Zürich's city). It is possible to become a member of Aikido IG by sending an e-mail to ig.aikido@bluewin.ch. Members of Aikido IG are usually members of already mentioned Federations, 1 dojo remains fully unaffiliated; all others (6) are listed as members of other federations.

Some aikido professors have decided to create a group in order to share their experience - several decades - of practice, teaching and understanding of structures that govern the Aikido practice.
A single professor alone is nothing: many qualified practitioners are involved in this process.