Aikikai 3rd Dan – A Moment of Return
At Chiyoda-Ku Aikikai — May 2025
In early summer, under the quiet presence of Yamashima Sensei in Tokyo, I received my Aikikai 3rd Dan. There were no speeches. Just a bow, a paper, a few quiet words — and the silent weight of years of keiko came full circle.
It was not a celebration, but a quiet return — inward, reflective, and still. In that moment of silence, something deeper stirred beneath the surface. In the presence of Yamashima Sensei, I received my Sandan not as a symbol of arrival, but as a gentle reminder that this path is unending. Each rank is not a destination, but an invitation — to continue learning, to keep showing up with sincerity, and to refine the spirit through each encounter and every keiko.
These images capture only a few seconds in time. Yet behind them lie years of earnest practice, and ahead, a lifetime of learning still awaits. I am deeply grateful for the dedicated guidance of Yamashima Sensei and the wholehearted support of the Sempai at Chiyoda-ku Aikikai. This moment was not mine alone — it was shaped and supported by all those who have walked alongside me on this path.
