The Milwaukee Aikido Club, Inc., a non-profit organization 501 (C) (3), was established in 1967. It is a traditional dojo which was founded by Norio Mamura Sensei and continues to be guided by the principles and standards he established.
The dojo originated at a time when aikido first came to the Midwest. It has a deep history with instruction in the early years coming from Clyde Takaguchi, Shihan and instructors from Chicago including Yoshihiko Hirata Sensei and Isao Takahashi Sensei.
The Milwaukee Aikido Club was one of the original members of the Midwest Aikido Federation. For over 30 years the dojo had a close relationship with Akira Tohei, Shihan and many dojos throughout the Midwest. It was during this time that the dojo was also connected with the United States Aikido Federation. More recently, the club has spent time as a member dojo of the Aikido Schools of Ueshiba organization, run by Mitsugi Saotome, Shihan and has been in close contact with Hiroshi Ikeda, Shihan.
The Milwaukee Aikido Club is affiliated with Aikido Shimbokukai, under the leadership of Lisa Tomoleoni, Shihan. Through its various affiliations the dojo has had a longstanding connection with Hombu Dojo in Tokyo, Japan. It has had, and continues to to have many Shihans as guest instructors which provides a richness of training to our students. The instructors of the dojo are a reflection of this diversity and the principles of the dojo’s founder.