Aikido leader visits Newport dojo

Prominent aikido master Yoshitmitsu Yamada Shihan visited Newport Beach Aikido on Sunday during his tour for the 50th anniversary of his seminar series.

Shihan, chief instructor of New York Aikikai, was a student of Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of aikido, according to a news release.

“We are so excited to have Yamada Shihan celebrate his 50th-anniversary seminar at our dojo. Yamada Shihan travels the world spreading his intensive aikido training and knowledge and is a formative figure in aikido today,” Gentil Pennewaert, chief instructor of Newport Beach Aikido, said in the release. “Shihan” means “master.”

Aikido involves redirecting an attacker’s energy against himself. The goal is to control the negative energy and bring balance and peace, the release states.

For more information, email sensei@aikido-orangecounty.com or visit aikido-orangecounty.com.

—Alicia Lopez

Twitter: @AlopezCityEd