Thomas H. Makiyama born in Hawaii

Hawaii

Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...

, was an aikido

Aikido

is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying life energy" or as "the Way of harmonious spirit." Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to...

 teacher and founder of Keijutsukai Aikido and the Keijutsukai International Federation (Keijutsukai Kokusai Renmei), based in Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

. The organization teaches Keijutsukai Aikido and Keijutsu (a specialized method of defensive tactics for law enforcement personnel).

Makiyama started budō

Budo

is a Japanese term describing martial arts. In English, it is used almost exclusively in reference to Japanese martial arts.-Etymology:Budō is a compound of the root bu , meaning war or martial; and dō , meaning path or way. Specifically, dō is derived from the Buddhist Sanskrit mārga...

 at the age of 18 in 1947 after enlisting in the U.S. Army. He was sent to Japan and was stationed in Yokohama

Yokohama

is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...

, where he was assigned to the 8th Army’s military police criminal investigation division. At the Isezaki-cho police station in Yokohama he started to train in police judo

Judo

is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...

.

Over the years, he studied judo, jujutsu

Jujutsu

Jujutsu , also known as jujitsu, ju-jitsu, or Japanese jiu-jitsu, is a Japanese martial art and a method of close combat for defeating an armed and armored opponent in which one uses no weapon, or only a short weapon....

, Gōjū-ryū karate

Karate

is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...

 and aikido among other budō arts. In aikido, he achieved eighth dan

Dan rank

The ranking system is a Japanese mark of level, which is used in modern fine arts and martial arts. Originally invented in a Go school in the Edo period, this system was applied to martial arts by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo and later introduced to other East Asia countries.In the modern...

 (1977) in Yoshinkan

Yoshinkan

Aikido Yoshinkan is a style of aikido founded by Gozo Shioda after World War II...

 aikido and a certification as shihan

Shihan

- Title of "Master" is a Japanese Honorific Title, Expert License Certification used in Japanese martial arts for Master Level Instructors. The award of the Expert License Certification is if designated by the qualification by virtue of endorsement by the [A] Association of Chief Instructors or [B]...

. He is believed to be the only American with that distinction at the time.

He also contributed to a number of articles for martial arts publications such as Black Belt magazine

Black Belt Magazine

Black Belt is an American magazine covering martial arts and combat sports founded in 1961 by Mitoshi Uyehara. During the early years of the publication, Uyehara was a hands-on owner and publisher...

. Makiyama was the author of one of the first books in English on Aikido in 1960 and the book Keijutsukai Aikido in 1983. In Hawaii, Makiyama was instrumental in forming the first official branch of the Aikido Yoshinkai outside of Japan, at the personal request of the late Gozo Shioda

Gozo Shioda

was a Japanese master of aikido who founded the Yoshinkan style of aikido. He was one of aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba's most senior students. Shioda held the rank of 10th dan in aikido.-Early life:...

, a close friend and professional acquaintance since 1948.

Makiyama created the Keijutsukai (Police/Security Techniques Association) in February 1980 after training as an independent system commenced during the early part of 1979. He was the Keijutsukai Director until his death on September 9, 2005.

Sources

• Frank Paetzold, Wu Shu, Books on Demand GmbH (2003), p 151, ISBN 978-3833001826
• Gary Bennett, Aikido Techniques and Tactics, Human Kinetics Europe Ltd (1997), p 24, ISBN 978-0880115988
• Thomas H Makiyama, The techniques of aikido, Jenkins (1963), ASIN: B0000CLSPM
• Thomas H Makiyama, Keijutsukai Aikido: Japanese Art of Self-defense, Ohara Publications Inc.,U.S. (1998), ISBN 978-0897500920

External links

• Aikido Journal entry for Thomas H. Makiyama