We’ve Come This Far…

Over the past few years, ASU has accomplished a lot together. We managed to find our way through the wild ride of the pandemic by relying on one another. Although some dojo have faced extreme hardship, ASU has finally started to increase in membership again.

We’ve re-erected a beautiful new Aiki Shrine torii gate and installed a stunning shimenawa protection rope imported from Japan which adorns the torii and the Shrine perimeter.

The huge undertaking of constructing an instructor guest house is now complete.We’ve held in-person Cherry Blossom and Summer Camps this year, and Saotome Sensei has just this month returned from teaching at an impactful 9-day seminar in France.

Aiki Shrine Sessions are back too, with a full schedule of events. Winter Intensive is going forward this coming winter and now has expanded grant opportunities.

A New Path for the Aiki Shrine

FINALLY, this fall, we are taking on a new project–building a stone path from the torii gate to the shrine.  We call this project, “Paving the Way.”
Let’s pave the way to build this path so that we don’t have to walk on planks to the Shrine when it is raining, and so that there is a proper path through the gate to the Shrine. Let’s pave the way to increase the profundity of the already awesome Shrine experience.

We are reaching out to ask your support in this undertaking. It shouldn’t take too much to see the new path become a reality—just enough folks who believe it can become one.