Instructors 2027

Mitsugi Saotome Presiding Shihan

Mitsugi Saotome Shihan is the Founder and supervisory instructor for more than 100 affiliated Dojos of the international Aikido Schools of Ueshiba association.
Master Saotome has devoted his entire adult life to the study and teaching of Aikido. He began as a special apprentice with the Founder of Aikido, Ueshiba Morihei (O Sensei) in 1955 and continued for 15 years until the Founder’s death in April of 1969.
From 1960 until 1975 Master Saotome taught at the World Aikido Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. During this period, he was accorded many positions, honors and achievements. He appeared publicly at many events in Japan and abroad for the purpose of spreading the understanding and knowledge of Aikido.
In 1975 Master Saotome decided to leave his highly respected position as a senior instructor at World Aikido Headquarters in Tokyo to come to the United States.
In addition to regularly scheduled national and international seminars, Master Saotome has taught many special seminars including a U.S. Military Special Forces seminar, special training of the U.S. Security Forces in Washington, D.C. and has demonstrated before the United Nations General Assembly.
Master Saotome has published a number of highly respected books on Aikido including A Light on Transmission, Aikido and the Harmony of Nature, The Principles of Aikido, and Aikido: Living by Design. He has also authored several training videotapes.
A detailed biography of Saotome Shihan has been recently written, and is available here: Living By Design, A Biography of Mitsugi Saotome Shihan.

KImberly Richardson Sensei (7th Dan)

Kimberly Richardson, MA, LMT, 7th Dan, is the founder and chief instructor of Two Cranes Aikido in Seattle, WA. She began her Aikido training in 1978 and has studied throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Japan, most notably with Mary Heiny Sensei and Motomichi Anno, Hiroshi Ikeda, and Saotome Sensei Shihans.  

She acted as the chief instructor for The Apple Computer Aikido School in Cupertino, CA in 1989 and The Seattle School of Aikido from 1990 to 1995. In the fall of 1995, Richardson Sensei founded Two Cranes Aikido, where she teaches the philosophy and practice of Aikido to people of all ages. As an adjunct faculty member at Antioch University for 8 years, she taught “Aikido as Martial Art and Spiritual Practice.” She holds an MA in Psychology, and she has studied Chen Style Tai Ji with Ken Wright Sifu for twenty-five years. 

Gary Small Shihan (6th Dan)

Gary Small was promoted to Rokudan (6th dan) as part of the Kagami Biraki celebration in 2017. He began his martial arts and Aikido training in 1974. In 1988, he joined Shobu Aikido of Boston under the direction of William Gleason sensei. He travels to many Aikido seminars and camps to continue his training as a teacher and student of Aikido. Prior to his move to Maine, he ran a sporting goods sales and marketing company covering the six New England states. This work helped facilitate the family move to Maine and establishment of Aikido of Maine in 2000.
“Having a dojo is an incredible privilege, it is a constant learning experience and a true pleasure to spend my time thinking about our practice and how we can make our dojo a better place. I am very captivated by the power of aikido in people’s lives and from a training perspective I am most interested in the connection aspect of practice and how we can put O’sensei’s teachings of creating harmony and improving the world into physical form.”
”I am always excited with the many ways aikido can help people who are in need of transition and am humbled by the power of the practice to help people improve their lives”.