Author: Bret Gordon
One of the most influential and profound instructors of the aiki arts, Don Angier (1933-2014) quickly gained attention as probably America's first real soke. Growing up in Utica, New York, through an unbelievable stroke of fate Angier met Yoshida Kenji, son of Yoshida Kotaro (a prominent Daito Ryu instructor and soke of his family's own tradition) who had relocated to the United States for political reasons. When Angier inquired why Yoshida agreed to train him, he said "that he had agreed to teach me for several reasons. During his absence after our first meeting, he had been watching me to see what kind of a person I was, how much of a temper I might have, and generally how I conducted myself. He realized that he would probably never return to Japan, and he still had an obligation to pass the family art along... He said that he considered me a yoshi, an adopted son, such as those adopted by samurai who had no children of their own or those adopted by families who had lost the male heir" and was given the Japanese name Yoshida Kensaburo (view source).
The two would start training together privately for several years, from the time Angier was 15 or 16 until he joined the military during the Korean War soon after graduating high school. Now, when you do the math, that means he had about two to three years of regular instruction with Yoshida before joining the military and then would they would meet up occasionally until Angier was sent overseas. Unfortunately shortly after that, Yoshida passed away of pneumonia. After he was discharged in the early 1950s, Angier made his new home in California where he would spend the rest of his life teaching.
The two would start training together privately for several years, from the time Angier was 15 or 16 until he joined the military during the Korean War soon after graduating high school. Now, when you do the math, that means he had about two to three years of regular instruction with Yoshida before joining the military and then would they would meet up occasionally until Angier was sent overseas. Unfortunately shortly after that, Yoshida passed away of pneumonia. After he was discharged in the early 1950s, Angier made his new home in California where he would spend the rest of his life teaching.
Angier was best known for bringing Aiki Jujutsu to the greater martial arts community before anyone else. In the same article linked above, he said "When I began teaching in the fifties and mentioning aiki jujutsu, Kotaro and Kenji Yoshida, and the Daito-ryu, everyone said that I was a phony and there are no such people and no such art as aiki jujutsu. Now aiki jujutsu is the new buzzword." For years, the martial arts community questioned Angier regarding his lineage and his claim of inheriting the Yoshida family art, Shidare Yanagi Ryu Aiki Bugei.
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However, as time went on his skill level could not be ignored, and any true proponent of aiki will tell you it must be learned by hands-on instruction. Therefore, the very possession of such skillsets is proof of legitimate training in and of itself. Eventually, he gained widespread acceptance and is currently revered in both koryu and gendai circles alike. To this day, one of the highest compliments I've ever received has been from one of his direct students and I've since become affiliated with several other students that trace their lineage to Angier.
Don Angier's legacy is forever cemented in the annals of American martial arts history. Since his passing on October 9, 2014, Jeremy Breazeale has been appointed as the new soke of Shidare Yanagi Ryu Aiki Bugei, and in my observations, he is honoring his teacher and his art well. I wish him the utmost success.
Don Angier's legacy is forever cemented in the annals of American martial arts history. Since his passing on October 9, 2014, Jeremy Breazeale has been appointed as the new soke of Shidare Yanagi Ryu Aiki Bugei, and in my observations, he is honoring his teacher and his art well. I wish him the utmost success.
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