Soshinkan Chief Instructor



　RIKIO OBA

Born in Ibaraki in 1948, Oba Sensei first started learning Aikido when he entered Nishou Gakusha University in 1967 and joined the school Aikido club. Upon graduation in 1971, he joined the Ki Society and taught Aikido for 13 years while a high school teacher. In 1985, he established the Ibaraki branch of the Ki Society and in the following year in 1986 built the Shinshin Toitsu Aikido Soshinkan dojo. Presently, Oba Sensei is a chief instructor in Shinshin Toitsu Aikido with a rank of 7-dan. He is the chief representative of the Ki Society and Shinshin Toitsu Aikido in the Ibaraki prefecture and teaches in the cities of Tsukuba and Tsuchiura as well as at Tsukuba University.

Tohei Sensei was born in 1920 and graduated in 1942 from the Economics Department of Keio University. While a student, he engaged in judo, zen, and misogi training but later entered Aikido under Master Morihei Ueshiba. He spread the principles of "Ki" and Aikido in the U.S. since 1953. In September of 1971, he founded the Ki Society ("Ki no Kenkyukai") in which the principles of "Ki" and the unification of mind and body are taught in detail. Also, on May 1, 1974, he established "Shinshin Toitsu Aikido" (Aikido with mind and body unified). Presently, he is the president of the Ki Society.