
Tohei Sensei
From 1953 on Koichi Tohei was sent by Ueshiba Morihei to spread Aikido in western cultures. He started in Hawaii, where a significant proportion of the population was of Japanese descent. He later taught on the mainland of the USA. In 1978 he came to Europe for the first time to give seminars in Thonon and Rüsselsheim (D).
The Aikidoka from Florence managed to invite him to a seminar in Italy in 1979, at Empoli in the Arno valley, about 35 km west of Florence.
The seminar was organized by the vigili urbani, sponsored by expert, who gave large plastic shopping bags as a giveaway.
Tohei Sensei was accompanied by Kenjiro Yoshigasaki as Otomo. Yoshigasaki Sensei was 27 years old at the time, had been practising Aikido intensively for 10 years and was a 4th Dan holder. Also present was the then head of European Ki Aikido, Jean Claude Delgueldre (then 6th Dan), from Belgium.