Kenji Tomiki was a highly accomplished martial artist who had obtained high ranks in both Judo and Aikido.  He was one of a very few people who was trained by Jigro Kano and Morihei Ueshiba, two of the twentieth century's most prominent martial artists.

Kenji Tomiki developed a style of Aikido after the Second World War known as Tomiki Aikido, which is also known as Shodokan Aikido.  Tomiki developed his style of Aikido with the help of Hideo Ohba, who was also trained in Judo and Aikido.

The basic premise of Tomiki Aikido is that to truly understand the core principles of the system one must not merely practice repetitious kata forms.  Tomiki Sensei believed that kata and randori (free practice) must exist side by side to develop a thorough understanding of Aikido.  He often likened this to the wheels of a cart in that without both you won't be going anywhere!

Tomiki Aikido is the only school of Aikido which holds regular competitions.  The competitive aspect of this school is often a highly controversial topic within the Aikido world, which generally detracts from Tomiki's systematic and logical teaching methodologies.

Tomiki Aikido is an approach to learning Aikido and is just one of a number of ways.  As with many things in life, if you wish to learn Aikido you must find a teacher who you can connect with and who makes the learning process enjoyable.

Tomiki Sensei (1900-1979)