Charles Aarons, Aikido Takayama
My dear teachers, colleagues, and friends. It is with deep sadness and mixed emotions that I announce the closing of Aikido Takayama after 37 years.
When I arrived here in 1989, our town, 36,000 people that call itself a city, felt small enough to cross in five minutes.
With permission from my teachers, Jack Arnold Sensei and Chiba Sensei, I opened the dojo and began teaching in the community center, sharing space with karate and dog training.
To get the program started, the centre collected student dues and bought small white foam mats we put down and took up after every class. More than once l arrived to find the mats out and children or dogs using them. Those early compromises taught me patience.
Aikido has never been an easy sell here. Over the years I’ve come to understand that our culture often seeks quick, visible rewards. That outlook runs against Aikido’s- quiet, steady training without promise of shortcut.
As teachers we’ve all faced the predictable questions: “How long until I get a black belt?” “Why wear white until then?” “Why do we repeat the same things?” “How effective is Aikido against other arts?”
Some questions were sincere, some reflected misunderstanding; all were opportunities to explain what Aikido truly is.
The dojo nine years ago with Neilu Sensei and Groot Sensei teaching a small seminar.
At our peak we had about a dozen adults and a dozen youth. The pandemic took a heavy toll- students were lost, and for three years we struggled to rebuild. Rising rent and insurance costs in our small town made running the dojo unsustainable.
Coupled with a broader shift in interest toward fighting arts driven by media portrayals, the practical realities led to this painful decision.
All things must come to an end. Closing Aikido Takayama is one of the hardest decisions l’ve faced, but I leave with gratitude.
Thank you for your instruction, your friendship, and the shared practice that sustained this dojo for nearly four decades.
With love and respect,
Charles Aarons
6th Dan, Shidoin
Wishing you the best, sorry to hear this news.