|
|
Article: Eighty-year-old makes 8th dan
Posted 3/02/2011 2:00pm [from Jun Akiyama]
Here is an article entitled "Eighty-year-old makes 8th dan" which highlights John Waite of Auckland, New Zealand, who recently received his 8th dan in the Japan Aikido Association (Tomiki/Shodokan).
From the article: After years as 7th dan, Waite says he had been looking forward to getting to the next level but never thought it would happen. "They are loathe to promote non-Japanese – they keep it very in-house," the Englishman says. He is only "foreigner" to have been awarded the rank – the others are Japanese, two of which are the technical advisers to the Japanese Aikido Association – but he is pleased to have the honour. "I didn't want to be awarded it posthumously," he says.
[Discussion: 5 replies]
|
|
