Mitsunari Kanai

Mitsunari Kanai
Mitsunari Kanai
叶井 みつなり Kanai Mitsunari
Born 1939
Manchuria
Died March 28, 2004(2004-03-28)
Canada
Style Aikido, Aikikai
Teacher(s) Morihei Ueshiba
Rank 8th Dan

Mitsunari Kanai (1938-2004), was an aikido teacher born in Japan, who spent most of his teaching career in the United States. He was an 8th dan teacher with the title shihan in the organisation Aikikai.

Life

Kanai was one of the last group of students of the founder of aikido, Morihei Ueshiba, entering the Hombu Dojo in 1958 as an uchi-deshi. He moved to the United States in 1966 as a 4th dan and subsequently founded the New England Aikikai, currently located off Porter Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Kanai was instrumental in the early development of aikido in the United States and Canada, and taught seminars widely throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. He was one of the founders and a Technical Director of both the United States Aikido Federation (USAF) and the CAF.

Kanai was also skilled in iaido and subsequently taught this art to his senior students, many of whom hold dan rank in both iaido and aikido. He was also highly respected for his metalworking skills and deep historical knowledge of the Japanese sword, the katana, serving at times as a specialist advisor to the East Asian Collection at the nearby Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Some of his senior students continue to operate New England Aikikai, while others have dispersed, starting new dojos throughout New England, notably Framingham Aikikai and Portland (Maine) Aikido, and as far away as Portland, Oregon. His students also run the aikido clubs at nearby Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Tufts University.

See also

Other USAF Shihan:

v · d · eAikido
Organizations
Aikido was founded by Morihei Ueshiba and gained prominence directly before and after World War II.
In the first 40 post-war years, his original students established their own schools, or gained renown as part of the Aikikai.
In the modern period, some students not directly taught by Ueshiba began establishing their own styles and are gaining prominence.
Pre-War :
Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu  • Aiki Budō
Post-War (First 40 years):
Aikikai  • Iwama Ryu  • Ki Society  • Shodokan  • Yoseikan Aikido  • Yoshinkan
Modern Period (1980 - Present):
Aikido Yuishinkai International  • Kokikai  • Fugakukai International Association  • Kobayashi aikido  • Korindo Aikido  • Yoshokai  • Keijutsukai Aikido
Aikido concepts
Aiki • Irimi • Kuzushi  • Maai • Tai sabaki  • Tenkan • Zanshin
Equipment
Aikidogi  • Bokken  • Hakama  • Jō  • Obi  • Tantō
Practice
Uke  • Tori  • Aikido techniques
Dojo
Aikikai Hombu Dojo  • Iwama dojo (Aiki Jinja)
Other
Flag of Japan  • Kakemono  • Tokonoma  • Kamiza  • Ikebana  • Etiquette in Japan  • Senshusei  • Uchi-deshi
List of aikidoka


External links

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