Shoji Nishio

Shoji Nishio (西尾 昭二) was a Japanese aikido teacher holding the rank of 8th dan shihan from the Aikikai.

He was a direct student of Aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba, practiced along with Seigo Yamaguchi and Hiroshi Tada (and others).

He also achieved multiple high ranking honors in other martial arts, of which the most notable are Iaido, Judo, Karate.

Nishio developed his Aikido style based on his understanding of Ueshiba's teaching and experience with other martial arts.

His style is characterized as dynamic, sharp, natural and effective.

The uniqueness of his style compare to other Aikido styles is the deep integration of principles of the sword into Aikido techniques.

Nishio studied and achieved high ranking honor from other martial art including judo (6th Dan Kodokan Judo), karate (5th Dan Shindō jinen-ryū), iaido (7th Dan Nihon Zenkoku Iaido Renmei) and jōdō and also Shintō Musō-ryū jōjutsu and Hōzōin-ryū sōjutsu.

Nishio started practicing judo in 1942 a dojo near Ministry of Finance in the Japanese Mint, where he was then employed.

After the war ended in 1945, he joined the Kodokan Judo Institute.

Kyuzo Mifune, considered to be one of the greatest judo practitioners ever was Nishio's trainer during this period.

By 1950, Nishio switched to practicing karate because he feels the restriction from judo competition limits his martial art growth.

In karate, Nishio was trained under Yasuhiro Konishi, the founder of Shindō jinen-ryū (神道自然流) karate.

Still feels that karate was limiting, Nishio kept on searching for another martial art.

After being told about a ghost-like martial artist who Nishio's sensei at the time couldn’t even hit, he decided to go to try out Aikido.

With his Karate friends, Nishio came to to watch Aikido.

He signed up after watching 2 classes.

Changing primary martial arts did not stop Nishio from practicing others.

At the beginning of his Aikido career, he was still practicing Judo and Karate.

It was common for him to train about five hours a day.

He joined Aikikai Hombu Dojo in 1952 after 10 years of practicing other martial arts.

When he found the dojo, it is not yet properly repaired.

In 1955, due to the lack of explanation regarding sword and jo techniques from Ueshiba (and other instructors), Nishio started study Iaido under Shigenori Sano (10th dan Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu).

He eventually created a new school of Iaido with forms from Aikido, called Aiki Toho Iaido or Nishio-ryu Iai.

Similar reason to practicing Iaido, Nishio trained in Jodo with Takaji Shimizu (headmaster of Shindo Muso-ryu) and Yari or art of the spear (hozoin-ryu).

He began to teach around 1955.

Skills gained from them he managed to smoothly merge into his own specific aikido style where all techniques can be performed with the wooden sword bokken in hand as well as without weapons, and his weapon systems has few similarities to the more common system that derives from Morihiro Saito.

Nishio strongly believed that the innovation of Aikido is a requirement Ueshiba has from its practitioners.

This permeate into a significant differences of his Aikido style compare to other schools.

O-Sensei used to tell us, “This old man reached this stage, you should surpass me building on what I have left.” However, we tend to imitate what he did and end up going backward.

Ten years from now, we may be practicing the level of aikido of O-Sensei as it was a number of years ago.

After fifteen years, we may end up going back to the forms he practiced at an even earlier date.

Before the Founder passed away thirty-four years ago he told us, “This old man has brought [aikido] this far; all of you must take it from here.” In light of these words, I think it is insufficient—unforgivable, in fact— for us to simply maintain the status quo.

Nishio believes that Aikido it's about acknowledging the other person.

Nishio believed that natural stance (shizentai) is the way to face an opponent, adversary, or training partner.

It becomes a physical manifestation of humanity in Aikido.

It's said that in his final years, O'Sensei also disliked kamae (roughly means stance before the fight).

In Nishio's style, the stance takes form of hand, hip straight down naturally.

Both feet should also be straight with one slightly higher than the other.

This feet position let the practitioner face his opposition directly and acknowledge him.

This stance is the same when practitioner use a sword or a jo (a wooden stick).