kewms

I can't speak for Saotome Sensei, of course, but I've previously gotten the impression that, as one of O Sensei's surviving uchi deshi, he feels free to do pretty much as he pleases. In order to get Aikikai Hombu to issue rank certificates, he has to comply with their bureaucracy, but there isn't always an exact match between Aikikai-issued rank and his impression of individual students.

As noted above, the Ueshiba Juku designation is one example of this, and I believe is reserved for people he considers to be his direct students.

On the shihan question specifically, I think it's customary within the ASU to refer to all 7th dans as "shihan." I have no idea whether this is Aikikai-approved usage. (Nor, honestly, do I care.)

Katherine