06/04/2026
A personal invite to Kyoto from Jacques Payet Shihan
Dear friends, students, instructors, and members of the Yoshinkan family,
Three years after the memorable Fellowship seminar held in 2023 at the Budokuden in Kyoto, we are honoured to gather once again in this historic place for an even more meaningful event. From April 1 to 4, 2027, we return to Kyoto for a truly unique occasion:
The Reunion 再会 (Saikai)
This event will bring together, perhaps for the final time, the remaining uchideshi of Gozo Shioda from the Koganei dojo era. Among those expected to attend are Chida Sensei, Nakano Sensei, Saegusa Sensei, Ando Sensei, Chino Sensei, Mori Sensei, Oyamada Sensei, Rubens Sensei, and myself, with Muguruza Sensei to be confirmed.
They will be joined and supported by many pioneers of Yoshinkan from the 1980s and 1990s, including Robert Mustard Sensei, Joe Thambu Sensei, Roland Thompson Sensei, with Gadi Shorr Sensei to be confirmed, Darren Friend Sensei, Fred Haynes Sensei, Sonny Lock Sensei to be confirmed as well as former Uchideshi Andy Walsh Sensei .
A new generation of instructors will also be present, including Masahiro Shioda Sensei, Takashima Saburo Sensei, Jon Marshall Sensei, Romeo Ballares Sensei, and many others who continue to carry Yoshinkan Aikido forward.
This gathering is intended to unite the global Yoshinkan community around the legacy of Shioda Gozo Sensei, honouring those who trained with him directly, while inspiring the next generation to carry the art into the future.
Beyond organisations, affiliations, or individual paths, this event represents something greater. It is a moment of transmission, recognition, and shared purpose, a celebration of commitment, discipline, and fidelity to the true spirit of Yoshinkan.
Over these four days, we will train together, exchange ideas, rekindle old connections, and build new ones, in a spirit of openness, mutual respect, and gratitude. It is an opportunity to reflect on the past, engage fully in the present, and contribute meaningfully to the future of our art.
Your presence would be a great honour and would give deeper meaning to this event, conceived as a significant moment of remembrance, practice, and unity within the Yoshinkan family.
I remain deeply grateful for your continued dedication to the path of Yoshinkan Aikido, and I sincerely look forward to welcoming you to Kyoto in one year’s time.
Thank you, and I hope to see you there.
Jacques Payet
Mugenjuku Dojo, Kyoto
