Dr. Nasser Al Breiki, AHAN representative in Oman, and Rachid Alaoui Sensei, who teaches Aikido in Oman, the capital city of Muscat, with Dr. Nasser Al Breiki, were visiting Japan, and they visited, led by Homma Kancho, the HQ Dojo of Iwama Shinshin Aiki Shurenkai in Iwama to be treated with a special keiko session by Hitohira Saito Jukucho.
Rachid Alaoui Sensei is the eldest son of late Alaoui M’barek Sensei, who had spearheaded and spread the practice of Aikido in Morocco as a pioneer to have nearly 10,000 students throughout Morocco. Rachid Alaoui Sensei decided to leave Aikikai when the Morocco Aikido organization started to split into different factions after the passing of Alaoui M’barek Sensei, and he has continued his practice in Aikido as the founder of an independent dojo. In recent years, he has dedicated his efforts to teaching Aikido in Oman to fulfill an honorable request to do so that he received. While his respect toward the Founder of Aikido and to the practice of Aikido is sincere and big, he has developed a strong sense of skepticism toward the act of “random & abusive selling of ‘dan’ certificates without tests” by Japanese Aikikai instructor(s), and as he expressed a strong desire to go back to the basics to start learning Aikido again, I decided to bring him to visit Hitohira Saito Jukucho in Iwama.
Hitohira Saito Jukucho understood the situation, and he welcomed us from the bottom of his heart with an exceptional level of hospitality. He seemed especially struck with some of the stories shared by Rachid Alaoui Sensei, perhaps because Hitohira Jukucho himself experienced various kinds of meandering, kaleidoscope-like evolutions of human relationships after the passing of his own father, late Morihiro Saito Shihan.
There is now a plan for Hitohira Saito Jukucho of Iwama Shinshin Aiki Shurenkai to visit Oman at the request of Oman AHAN before the end of the year to help with the efforts to the spread of the practice of Aikido in Oman.
The aforesaid plan is part of the continued efforts by Aikido Practice Promotion Division of AHAN Nippon Kan, an U.S. Federal 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization, to further spread the practice of Aikido. AHAN’s mission includes introducing instructors and/or Aikido organizations to those who seek to pursue the practice of Aikido, irrespective of their Aikido lineages or organizational affiliations.
Gaku Homma
Founder, AHAN Nippon Kan