Aikido Association Atlanta

Thursday night Aikido class.

Please join me in congratulating our two new 2nd kyu members: Kai Orenstein and Yumiko Furusawa. They both had fantastic tests!

My admiration for their consistent training, hard work on the mat, and sincere effort to recognize and overcome limitations. Well done. My thanks to Kai and Yumiko for setting a great example for us all.

Also, my thanks to our incredible staff of senior teachers for their leadership and support: Bob Hodge Sensei, Luke Maranto Sensei, Simone Maranto Sensei, Tom Wilder Sensei, Keith Washington Sensei, and Justin Thompson Sensei. We are blessed at Kyushinkan with talented leaders who exemplify all that is good in budo training. Great practitioners of the Art; even better persons.

Aikido is a lifetime practice. Keep plugging away!

See you on the mats.

Mike Goodman

Dojo Cho

Kyushinkan Dojo

We had a couple of new students join the iaido class today. Welcome to Zachary Stone and Sue Driver!

Saturday at the dojo: hamni hantachi sankkyo. Good times!

Congratulations to Edo Loza and Brandon Anderson of our Atlanta Shibu of Mugai‑ryū for being promoted to nidan! Both Edo and Brandon recently traveled to Japan to train with the most senior teachers of our lineage. We had several days of training in the Osaka area followed by three more days of training and testing in Koyasan, a mountain town and Japan’s most important center of Shingon Buddhism. The training itself was difficult, especially combined with the travel involved but they perservered.

To Edo and Brandon: passing this exam wasn’t just about performing kata correctly. You stood in front of our teachers in the art’s homeland and represented our dojo, our lineage, and the training we’ve shared together.

Your composure, your spirit, and your respect for the tradition showed clearly. You demonstrated not only skill, but character — and that is what truly matters in Mugai‑ryū.

Thank you for honoring the art, our teacher, and the trust we place in each other. This achievement is yours, and it is well earned. I’ve watched your progress from the first awkward cuts to the confidence you showed on the floor in front of our teachers.

You didn’t just pass a test — you proved your dedication, your patience, and your willingness to grow. You represented our shibu with dignity, and you honored the lineage we train under.

Seeing you succeed reminded me why teaching matters. Thank you for your hard work and for carrying the art forward with sincerity. Your successful examinations in Japan are a milestone not only for you, but for our entire line. In Mugai‑ryū, a student’s performance reflects the teacher, the dojo, and the generations before us.

You stood before our seniors in Japan and demonstrated correct technique, proper spirit, and respect for the ryū. That is no small thing. You upheld the name of our shibu and strengthened the trust our teachers place in us.

I am proud of your achievement and grateful for the seriousness with which you train. Continue forward with humility and resolve.

Four members of our dojo’s Mugai Ryu iaido shibu are in Japan for a special training event at Koyasan near Osaka.

Saturday morning aikido led by Bob sensei