For those of you who might be interested, Nikkei Chicago is pleased to announce "30 Years of Lakeview: Chicago's Japanese American Community 1960s-1990s."
Aikido in the Midwestern United States was born in this neighborhood.
Before becoming one of the hottest real estate markets and young professional entertainment destinations in the city, the Wrigley Field neighborhood housed a diverse working class community with an unignorable Japanese American presence.
http://nikkeichicago.com/2015/03/12/...y-1960s-1990s/
Of historic aiki note:
Map Item #8 -- John Omori, O.D. (co-founder of Illinois Aikido Club)
Map Item #9 -- Illinois Aikido Club (John Omori, Norman Miyagi, et al.) - The first Aikido dojo in the Midwest, later renamed Chicago Aikikai
Map Item #14 -- Carl Kita Real Estate (Kita was an early IAC member)
Map Item #15 -- George Kita, Attorney at Law (Carl's brother, also an early IAC member)
Map Item #26 -- Joe Takehara, D.D.S. (Takehara was a charter member of IAC and is currently the most senior practitioner of aikido in the Midwestern U.S.)
Map Item #49 -- Harry Omori, D.D.S. (early IAC member, John Omori's brother)
Map Item #50 -- Aikido Association of America / Japanese Culture Center (Fumio Toyoda)
Map Item #143 -- Midwest Aikido Center (Akira Tohei)
Of additional budo note was the Japan Karate Association of Chicago (Shojiro Sugiyama), Map Item #41, which also hosted Choyokan Kendo Dojo (Yutaka Miyazaki).
Best,
Erik Matsunaga