Announcement: Recipient of the Kawahara Shihan Award
The Canadian Aikido Federation is profoundly honored to announce Yumi Nakamura Shihan as the 2025 recipient of the Kawahara Shihan Award for Outstanding Contribution.
This prestigious distinction is a testament to Nakamura Shihan’s decades of unwavering dedication, technical brilliance, and her instrumental role in nurturing the growth of Aikido across Canada. Beyond her exceptional mastery of the art, this award recognizes the deep spirit of generosity and integrity she consistently modeled, echoing the very values that Kawahara Shihan himself exemplified.
Throughout her journey, Yumi Sensei has been much more than an instructor; she has been a source of inspiration and a steady guiding light, earning the immense respect and heartfelt affection of practitioners from coast to coast. We celebrate not only her formidable expertise on the mat but also the warmth, humility, and profound grace with which she led our community through its most formative years.
It is with deepest gratitude and pride that we acknowledge her lifetime of service, a legacy that continues to strengthen the bond of our national Aikido family and ensures the vitality of our practice for generations to come.
2026 Kagami-biraki Ceremony Promotions
The Canadian Aikido Federation is pleased to announce the following promotions at the 2026 Kagami-biraki Ceremony
- JAMES BARNES for 7th Dan
- GERALD HILCHIE for 6th Dan
- TOM HACKMANN for 6th Dan
- TOM LINDSEY for 5th Dan
- IGOR SITARTCHOUK for 4th Dan
- JASON MITCHELL for 4th Dan
- AUBRIE APPEL for 3rd Dan
- EDSEL HILCHIE for 2nd Dan
Congratulations to all of the recipients!
PANEL DISCUSSION RECAP: HOW TO KEEP YOUNG ADULTS (19-29 yrs) ENGAGED IN AIKIDO
The beginning of something bigger is the best way to describe the panel discussion we held on Monday June 26 at this year’s summer camp in Calgary.
Discussions like these break the ice. They nurture an openness to different perspectives and debunk the myth that knowledge and wisdom are reserved for a select few.
Moderated by Anita Abbasi (CAF member-at-large), the panel discussion brought together four CAF members of varying ages, experiences and stages in their Aikido career: Maya Hanevy (19 years-old, 4th kyu at BigRock Aikikai), Gurneet Singh (26 years-old, 4th kyu at JCCC Aikikai), Esteban Ricalde (42 years-old, 4th Dan at Avalon Aikikai) and Martin Moreau sensei (50 years-old, 4th Dan, chief instructor at Rock Water Aikikai).
The topic to be dissected was an elusive one for a lot of dojos across Canada: “How to keep young adults (19-29 years-old) engaged in Aikido?”