On March 13-14, 2004, Moriteru Ueshiba, grandson of O'Sensei, and third Aikido Doshu, visited Northern California for the purpose of teaching a special two-day seminar.

For many of those who attended, this seminar provided a rare opportunity to experience Aikido through the direct lineage of the founder. We saw Doshu demonstrate clearly and powerfully the Aikido to which many have devoted their lives. We heard Doshu describe (by way of Laurin Herr's excellent translation) how the basic movements which he was teaching were used in combination to create all Aikido techniques.

We came away refreshed by, quite literally, experiencing the evidence that, despite our diverse origins, what we train in daily, year after year, is so powerful that, all together on one mat, with one leader, we are as "one family."

Thank you to all of you who attended; to the hosting committee who worked diligently for a year in planning and preparations, and to the more than 50 volunteers who, seemingly effortlessly, brought it all together. Congratulations on a successful experience that we will all remember!

Domo arigato gozaimashita.

Danielle Molles Smith
California Aikido Association, President

© 2003 by SiteSmith Productions, Monterey, CA.