A little of history...

From Okinawa to Japan:

In the early twenties of the twentieth century, Gichin Funakoshi (left), father of the modern Karate, introduced this art of Okinawa, born from the Chinese culture, into Japan. He made this art accessible for everyone and revolutionized its teaching by creating kihon and kumite. Indeed, formerly this art was almost exclusively taught through kata.

But it reached the statut of Budo only because of Shigeru Egami(right) one of the most talented uchi deshi of Funakoshi Sensei, and also student of Noriaki Inoue (Founder of Shinwa Taido), nephew of O-Sensei Ueshiba. Fortified by their teachings, he made the Karate enter in the pantheon of Budo. After the death of Funakoshi Sensei, he became the heir of the Shotokai style qualified by the relaxation and the use of the entire body instead of the strength from a single part of it. He lauded also the total and decisive engagement in every action, principle inherited from Kenjutsu.

From Karate to Shintaido:

 The student the more gifted of Egami Sensei was Hiroyuki Aoki. His teacher gave him the task of creating a new budo, more adapted to the world of the twentieth century. In this purpose, he gathered some great martial artists from different schools. They founded  a study group named RAKUTENKAI. For more than three years, they dedicated exclusively their lifes to the elaboration of this new Budo, some of them even gave up some promising careers, others their native country. This gathering counted among these members some martial artists of great value as Fugaku ITO, Mitsuru OKADA, Masatake EGAMI, Kenneth WAIGHT, and many others we are sorry not to cite.

 This group gave birth to a revolutionary art named Shintaido( New Body Way).

This art transcended quickly the frontiers and expanded in Europe, firstly in England with Ken Waight, in France with Marc Bassis, and United States with Fugaku Ito.

In the early seventies  Rakutenkai was disbanded.  Following this rich period of practice many of the group's top teachers and practitioners left. These included  Masatake Egami, former head instructor and son of Master Egami,  Shikoh Hokari and his brother Takeo, Gan Okada,  former Head instructor Kato Tomorori, Chieko Kato, Toshima Shigeiko and Juguro Ito.  When they left much of the creative force in the Japanese group diminished and was lead by others with less individuality and imagination.

From Shintaido to Kitaido:

   Former Uchi Deschi of Harada Sensei before joining the Rakutenkai, Ken Waight pursued his study of the movement and its link with the Life, through other arts as “Movement Dance Therapy” , Zen Buddhism under Genpo Merzel Roshi, shiatsu and Chinese medicine.

In the eighties, he started a new research process and it led him to the foundation of Kitaido. In 1989 Ken Waight was invited to France to teach Kitaido by Shintaido instrutor Joel Mucci. Several years later Joel Mucci left Shintaido to join Ken Waight and other leaders from England and France to develop a centre for intensive residential practice. Called The Green Forest Centre it has been and still is the central meeting place for students to gather and practice to continue to develop Kitaido.

If you want to know more about our art please visit the Practices section and the Register section to know more about the journey of Ken Waight and biographies of the instructors.