Sunny Skys is the Chief Instructor of Aikido of Fremont, yondan (4th degree black belt).

Welcome to Sunny Skys Sensei’s bio in progress_ June 9, 2009.

Sensei, when are you going to update your bio on the website?”  How many times have I heard this question?  There’s just always something calling my attention… bookkeeping, marketing, cleaning, emails, phone calls to return, and managing our website.  Then there’s my favorite time of my day_ when I get to step on to the mat!  Anyway, I am being moved ‘today’ to get something fresh posted and here I am!

I started my aikido training on July 6, 1986 at the age of 39.  I was drawn to aikido to assist my recovery from an extremely difficult mid-life crisis.  Perhaps in a future update I’ll share more details of what was going on for me at the time and why I was drawn to the art.  My first ‘teacher’ was Jack Wada Sensei, Chief Instructor of Aikido of San Jose .  I studied under him for ten years during which time I was promoted shodan (1^st degree back belt) and later nidan (2^nd degree).  In 1996 I became a student of Hiroshi Ikeda Shihan, Chief instructor of Boulder Aikikai and second in command of Aikido Schools of Ueshiba .  Since joining ASU I have been promoted to sandan (3^rd degree) by Ikeda Shihan and to yondan by Mitsugi Saotome Shihan, who heads ASU.  

I took on my first ‘official’ teaching commitment in August of 1989 for the Fremont Community Recreation Department.  Wada Sensei encouraged me to take this position when another of his students who had been teaching the class could not continue.  I was still a brown belt at the time.  A few months later, on Halloween 1989,  Wada sensei promoted me to black belt and shortly thereafter I started teaching with some regularity at Aikido of San Jose and in 1991 I was assigned a weekly class on Wednesday evenings.  My teaching schedule had grown to three evenings a week, one at Aikido of San Jose and two for the Fremont Rec. Dept. where the class had grown in numbers and spirit.  A number of dedicated Fremont students who were craving more mat time approached me about opening a “real dojo” in the area.  I told them that I loved the idea and lacked the financial resources.  Inspired by my willingness, THEY made it happen!

On June 2, 1992 Aiki Zenshin Dojo held its first class at our present location.   The opening of our dojo was financed by the Fremont students as well as a loan from Wada Sensei.  In simple descriptive terms, Miki Yoneda, my wife at that time, and I would be called co-founders.  The deeper truth is that the dojo was founded out of the desire, the visioning, the financial commitment, the sweat and the trust of the students!

As our dojo grew, I craved giving aikido my full attention.  I had been working as a general contractor for the previous 20+ years doing creative design and construction projects.  However, my love for the art and our community called me to greater service.  As fortune would have it, Wada Sensei, who had been teaching aikido at SJSU for 12 years, decided to take a year off.  I applied for the part-time teaching position, got the ‘job’ and started in the fall semester of 1994 teaching four mornings a week.  Then my life got way too busy.  I was teaching 4 evenings a week and Saturday mornings at our dojo, four mornings a week at SJSU and still doing construction work whenever I could squeeze it in!  This lasted for about a year and then I said goodbye to the “big bucks” that I could make as a contractor and gave my full-time attention to teaching.  Ever since, I’ve been one of a handful of professional aikido instructors in the Bay Area.  By the way, Wada Sensei decided not to return to SJSU and I continued teaching there for eight more years until family commitments overwhelmed me and I needed to let go of the position.

I consider myself the primary caretaker of a wonderfully special aikido community.  Without the dedication and devotion of our students and teachers the dojo simply would not exist.  I am the only one left on the mat from our founding core of seventeen years ago.  However, many still check in to say hello.  We also have a number of children of our original members currently training.  I believe we have at least eight members who have been our mat for 15 years!  Yet when truth be told, it takes all of us_ old timers to newbies, children to adults_ to keep our dojo thriving!

Ok… I think that I’ll call this done for now.