A Shihan in the United States Aikido Federation (USAF) is a high-ranking instructor of Aikido, holding the rank of at least 6th dan, associated with Aikikai Hombu Dojo through the USAF. Initially, the only Shihan in America came directly from Hombu Dojo, but since 2004, several notable North American instructors have been granted the title by Hombu Dojo as well. A distinction is usually made between the two groups, as the North American Shihan are all students of the initial group of Shihan sent by Hombu Dojo. The USAF is one of several American aikido organizations with direct ties to the Aikikai Hombu Dojo.
For a period of several years in the late 1980s and 1990s, a Shihan-kai was held every two years at the dojo of the late Akira Tohei Sensei in Chicago, Illinois, at which an aikido seminar was conducted for attendees.
Historical Background
The term Shihan is often used in budo. The word means teacher or model. It should be noted that the Shihan system is separate from (but more or less coupled with) that of dan rank. A translation of its current usage within Aikido would be that of "Master Teacher." It is what some would consider equivalent to a terminal degree of Aikido, and thus the term Shihan has sometimes been translated as Professor. This practice was more common in the early days of Aikido's influx into America, and has been falling into disuse as the general knowledge of Japanese Terminology becomes more widespread. In Aikido, it specifically refers to teachers of high rank who have been given the authority to award dan rank above that of 1st dan to aikido students upon the successful completion of a regimented set of testing requirements.
Below Shihan are the titles Shidoin (Journeyman Instructor, or Second-level Instructor) and Fuku-Shidoin (Assistant Instructor). Generally, Fuku-Shidoin and Shidoin certification is awarded by a national organization for testing and training purposes. Fuku-Shidoin are at least of dan rank, but usually 2nd or 3rd dan and teach in some capacity at a dojo. Shidoin are generally at least 4th dan or higher, and either perform the roles of Chief Instructor or a Senior Instructor at their dojo. According to USAF policy, Fuku-shidoin certification allows the holder to promote students up to the rank of 1st kyu, Shidoin certification allows the holder to promote up to 2nd dan, while Shihan allows for even higher promotion privileges. In most cases, higher-level dan promotion tests occur in the presence of several shihan; as such, it is common practice in America to take a dan test at a larger regional seminar.
The title was generally given by the Doshu to Aikido Instructors in Japan upon reaching the rank of 6th dan, but it was unclear about whether Western instructors could receive the title of Shihan as well. In 2004, Claude Berthiaume received the title of Shihan from Aikikai Hombu Dojo, and subsequently, several of the USAF's senior instructional staff have been awarded the title as well. In 2005, Hombu Dojo issued regulations concerning the awarding of the title of Shihan to non-Japanese instructors, shuffling away with at least some of the ambiguity surrounding the awarding of the title.
Notable exceptions to this practice were Sadao Yoshioka and Robert Aoyagi, two of the first non-Japanese instructors to receive the title, both of whom received it in the 20th century. These exceptions were made for several reasons. While both have American Citizenship, both are of Japanese descent. Concurrent with their respective receiving of the title of Shihan, each was serving as head instructor of Aikido of Honolulu, one of the few places outside of Japan visited by aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba and blessed by him in-person upon its opening. Both instruct in Hawaii, the first place outside of Japan where Aikido was introduced in its modern, post-war form.
Kazuo Chiba's dojo in San Diego, California offers a unique kenshusei program, which is inclusive of an indefinite training regimen that certified Shidoin may enroll in order to obtain the title of Shihan. At first, these titles were only recognized by Birankai, the trans-national Aikido Organization headed by Kazuo Chiba himself, but since the 2005 statement by Hombu Dojo, these titles were certified by Hombu as well. The course is quite stringent, requisites of which include a strong proficiency in zen meditation and batto-ho iaido, and spending several months at Aikikai Hombu Dojo, located in Shinjuku, Tokyo.
Nikkei Shihan
*Akira Tohei
*Yoshimitsu Yamada
*Kazuo Chiba
*Mitsunari Kanai
*Seiichi Sugano
*Sadao Yoshioka (later formed the Hawaii Aikido Federation)
*Robert Aoyagi (assumed control of the USAF Hawaii Region, now defunct)
*Ichiro Shibata
*
American Shihan
*Claude Berthiaume
*Peter Bernath
*Shigemi "Eddie" Hagihara (Longest Active Aikido Teacher in New York)
*Harvey Konigsberg
*Paul Sylvain (posthumous)
*Clyde Takeguchi
*Donovan Waite
*Andrew Demko
*Robert Zimmermann
*Kristina Varjan (Birankai, formerly USAF-Western Region)
*Lorraine DiAnne (Birankai, formerly USAF-Western Region)
*Pablo Vasquez (Birankai, formerly USAF-Western Region)
*Michael Flynn (Birankai, formerly USAF-Western Region)
*Darrell Bluhm (Birankai, formerly USAF-Western Region)
*Juba Nour (Birankai, formerly USAF-Western Region)
*Jack Arnold (Birankai, formerly USAF-Western Region)
*Gloria Eiko Nomura (Birankai, formerly USAF-Western Region) Chief Instructor, Aikido Institute of San Francisco, Daly City, California.
*Elizabeth A. Lynn (Birankai, formerly USAF-Western Region) Chief Instructor, Eastshore Aikikai, El Sobrante, California.
*Robert Nadeau, student of Morihei Ueshiba - Founder of California Aikido Association, not part of USAF
*Frank Doran, student of Morihei Ueshiba - Founder of California Aikido Association, not part of USAF
For a period of several years in the late 1980s and 1990s, a Shihan-kai was held every two years at the dojo of the late Akira Tohei Sensei in Chicago, Illinois, at which an aikido seminar was conducted for attendees.
Historical Background
The term Shihan is often used in budo. The word means teacher or model. It should be noted that the Shihan system is separate from (but more or less coupled with) that of dan rank. A translation of its current usage within Aikido would be that of "Master Teacher." It is what some would consider equivalent to a terminal degree of Aikido, and thus the term Shihan has sometimes been translated as Professor. This practice was more common in the early days of Aikido's influx into America, and has been falling into disuse as the general knowledge of Japanese Terminology becomes more widespread. In Aikido, it specifically refers to teachers of high rank who have been given the authority to award dan rank above that of 1st dan to aikido students upon the successful completion of a regimented set of testing requirements.
Below Shihan are the titles Shidoin (Journeyman Instructor, or Second-level Instructor) and Fuku-Shidoin (Assistant Instructor). Generally, Fuku-Shidoin and Shidoin certification is awarded by a national organization for testing and training purposes. Fuku-Shidoin are at least of dan rank, but usually 2nd or 3rd dan and teach in some capacity at a dojo. Shidoin are generally at least 4th dan or higher, and either perform the roles of Chief Instructor or a Senior Instructor at their dojo. According to USAF policy, Fuku-shidoin certification allows the holder to promote students up to the rank of 1st kyu, Shidoin certification allows the holder to promote up to 2nd dan, while Shihan allows for even higher promotion privileges. In most cases, higher-level dan promotion tests occur in the presence of several shihan; as such, it is common practice in America to take a dan test at a larger regional seminar.
The title was generally given by the Doshu to Aikido Instructors in Japan upon reaching the rank of 6th dan, but it was unclear about whether Western instructors could receive the title of Shihan as well. In 2004, Claude Berthiaume received the title of Shihan from Aikikai Hombu Dojo, and subsequently, several of the USAF's senior instructional staff have been awarded the title as well. In 2005, Hombu Dojo issued regulations concerning the awarding of the title of Shihan to non-Japanese instructors, shuffling away with at least some of the ambiguity surrounding the awarding of the title.
Notable exceptions to this practice were Sadao Yoshioka and Robert Aoyagi, two of the first non-Japanese instructors to receive the title, both of whom received it in the 20th century. These exceptions were made for several reasons. While both have American Citizenship, both are of Japanese descent. Concurrent with their respective receiving of the title of Shihan, each was serving as head instructor of Aikido of Honolulu, one of the few places outside of Japan visited by aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba and blessed by him in-person upon its opening. Both instruct in Hawaii, the first place outside of Japan where Aikido was introduced in its modern, post-war form.
Kazuo Chiba's dojo in San Diego, California offers a unique kenshusei program, which is inclusive of an indefinite training regimen that certified Shidoin may enroll in order to obtain the title of Shihan. At first, these titles were only recognized by Birankai, the trans-national Aikido Organization headed by Kazuo Chiba himself, but since the 2005 statement by Hombu Dojo, these titles were certified by Hombu as well. The course is quite stringent, requisites of which include a strong proficiency in zen meditation and batto-ho iaido, and spending several months at Aikikai Hombu Dojo, located in Shinjuku, Tokyo.
Nikkei Shihan
*Akira Tohei
*Yoshimitsu Yamada
*Kazuo Chiba
*Mitsunari Kanai
*Seiichi Sugano
*Sadao Yoshioka (later formed the Hawaii Aikido Federation)
*Robert Aoyagi (assumed control of the USAF Hawaii Region, now defunct)
*Ichiro Shibata
*
American Shihan
*Claude Berthiaume
*Peter Bernath
*Shigemi "Eddie" Hagihara (Longest Active Aikido Teacher in New York)
*Harvey Konigsberg
*Paul Sylvain (posthumous)
*Clyde Takeguchi
*Donovan Waite
*Andrew Demko
*Robert Zimmermann
*Kristina Varjan (Birankai, formerly USAF-Western Region)
*Lorraine DiAnne (Birankai, formerly USAF-Western Region)
*Pablo Vasquez (Birankai, formerly USAF-Western Region)
*Michael Flynn (Birankai, formerly USAF-Western Region)
*Darrell Bluhm (Birankai, formerly USAF-Western Region)
*Juba Nour (Birankai, formerly USAF-Western Region)
*Jack Arnold (Birankai, formerly USAF-Western Region)
*Gloria Eiko Nomura (Birankai, formerly USAF-Western Region) Chief Instructor, Aikido Institute of San Francisco, Daly City, California.
*Elizabeth A. Lynn (Birankai, formerly USAF-Western Region) Chief Instructor, Eastshore Aikikai, El Sobrante, California.
*Robert Nadeau, student of Morihei Ueshiba - Founder of California Aikido Association, not part of USAF
*Frank Doran, student of Morihei Ueshiba - Founder of California Aikido Association, not part of USAF
Raphael Bergmann is the founder and original leader of the London, Ontario based neo-Nazi Northern Alliance.
The Freedom Party of Ontario took a civil libertarian stance on hate speech and the rights of individuals to express politically abhorrent opinions. In 1999, the London, Ontario police wrote to Raphael Bergmann and Tyler Chilcott, two alleged members of the extremist group the Northern Alliance, stating that as they belonged to an "extreme right-wing" group they were "required" to report to the police to explain their opinions. The FpO's leader, Lloyd Walker requested that Solicitor-General David Tsubouchi provide a list of "extreme" political beliefs that could result in such police action. No response was provided by the government, and nothing more came of the matter. . Bergmann and Chilcott were never FpO members and that the party did not support their views, simply their right to express them.
Bergmann eventually left the group in 2000 which left Jason Ouwendyk as the group's spokesperson. That same year he organized a “Straight Pride” parade in Toronto to protest the annual Gay Pride event. In one of his more colorful efforts, Bergmann dressed as a clown and attempted to march in a Gay Pride parade. At a certain point in the parade, he planned to remove the clown suit to reveal himself as the character, “Straight Man.” Bergmann’s efforts were thwarted by Toronto police.
The Freedom Party of Ontario took a civil libertarian stance on hate speech and the rights of individuals to express politically abhorrent opinions. In 1999, the London, Ontario police wrote to Raphael Bergmann and Tyler Chilcott, two alleged members of the extremist group the Northern Alliance, stating that as they belonged to an "extreme right-wing" group they were "required" to report to the police to explain their opinions. The FpO's leader, Lloyd Walker requested that Solicitor-General David Tsubouchi provide a list of "extreme" political beliefs that could result in such police action. No response was provided by the government, and nothing more came of the matter. . Bergmann and Chilcott were never FpO members and that the party did not support their views, simply their right to express them.
Bergmann eventually left the group in 2000 which left Jason Ouwendyk as the group's spokesperson. That same year he organized a “Straight Pride” parade in Toronto to protest the annual Gay Pride event. In one of his more colorful efforts, Bergmann dressed as a clown and attempted to march in a Gay Pride parade. At a certain point in the parade, he planned to remove the clown suit to reveal himself as the character, “Straight Man.” Bergmann’s efforts were thwarted by Toronto police.
"Pyroterrorism" or "Pyro-Terrorism" is the act of setting fire to large amounts of land and/or property for political reasons, usually in a systematic or random approach in order to escape capture from authorities. The purpose of pyroterrorism is to destroy a particular country or region's local economy and kill innocent civilians in a way that prevents the would be arsonist from being easily identified or captured.
In ancient times pyroterrorism was used as a war tactic to raze crops and destroy an enemy's ability to feed themselves, thus weakening the foe.
The topic of pyroterrorism has received very little media attention except in countries like Australia, Lebanon, Greece and most recently in California , but some believe that pyroterrorism presents a very serious threat to the United States.
In ancient times pyroterrorism was used as a war tactic to raze crops and destroy an enemy's ability to feed themselves, thus weakening the foe.
The topic of pyroterrorism has received very little media attention except in countries like Australia, Lebanon, Greece and most recently in California , but some believe that pyroterrorism presents a very serious threat to the United States.
The Sony Ericsson S700 was introduced by Sony Ericsson in 2004 as their flagship mobile phone model.
Sony Ericsson designed this mobile phone in the style of their acclaimed Japanese-market only SO505is with its rotating form factor and dual-front design, with the back styled like a digital camera and normal phone functions in the front.
It is probably the first GSM phone under the Sony Ericsson brand to be engineered primarily by Sony instead of Ericsson. The 1.3 megapixel CCD camera sensor with 8x digital zoom is similar to the one used in Sony's Cyber-shot line of digital cameras. The S700 has a Sony Memory Stick Duo memory card slot for external solid state storage. The maximum capacity of the Memory Stick that is compatible with this phone is the 128 MB MagicGate. There is also a Java engine by Japan's Hi Corp integrated into the phone for 3D graphics support.
There are currently three versions of the phone:
*S700i: GSM 900/1800/1900 for all regions except the Americas and Chinese-speaking nations.
*S700c: GSM 900/1800/1900 for Chinese-speaking nations with Chinese keypad and language.
*S710a: Updated model for US market: GSM 850/1800/1900 with EDGE (replacing FM stereo) for Cingular in the USA, and for Rogers Wireless in Canada.
Sony Ericsson designed this mobile phone in the style of their acclaimed Japanese-market only SO505is with its rotating form factor and dual-front design, with the back styled like a digital camera and normal phone functions in the front.
It is probably the first GSM phone under the Sony Ericsson brand to be engineered primarily by Sony instead of Ericsson. The 1.3 megapixel CCD camera sensor with 8x digital zoom is similar to the one used in Sony's Cyber-shot line of digital cameras. The S700 has a Sony Memory Stick Duo memory card slot for external solid state storage. The maximum capacity of the Memory Stick that is compatible with this phone is the 128 MB MagicGate. There is also a Java engine by Japan's Hi Corp integrated into the phone for 3D graphics support.
There are currently three versions of the phone:
*S700i: GSM 900/1800/1900 for all regions except the Americas and Chinese-speaking nations.
*S700c: GSM 900/1800/1900 for Chinese-speaking nations with Chinese keypad and language.
*S710a: Updated model for US market: GSM 850/1800/1900 with EDGE (replacing FM stereo) for Cingular in the USA, and for Rogers Wireless in Canada.