This dojo, the Sarasota Budokan, is the successor dojo to the first aikido dojo ever established in the United States by Shihan Mitsugi Saotome. He arrived from Japan in May 1975 and established the Sarasota Aikikai soon after. This dojo was his training headquarters for several years until he moved to establish the new training organization, Aikido School of Ueshiba (ASU) in Washington D.C. Many of Sensei’s long time personal students started training with Sensei during his time at Sarasota Aikikai as their first dojo. This includes Peewee Jones Sensei, Steve McPeck Sensei, John Messores Sensei, Patty Saotome Sensei. All were dedicated students of aikido for decades, pillars of aikido community, and well known aikido teachers in their own right. Each of them is an important part of the history and lineage of this dojo.  Saotome Shihan currently resides at the Aiki-Shrine in Myakka City, but still visits the Sarasota dojo several times a year.

Mitsugi Saotome Shihan

"For fifteen years until the Founder’s passing in 1969, Saotome Sensei lived as his personal disciple, studying under his guidance the practice and philosophy of Aikido. In 1975 Saotome Sensei left a highly respected position as a senior instructor at the World Aikido Headquarters in Tokyo to come to the United States. When asked why he made this decision he replied, “I meditated on O Sensei’s (Great Teacher) spirit for three days and three nights and I felt it was his wish that I should go. This country is a great experiment, a melting pot of people from many different cultural backgrounds living together, the world condensed into one nation. The goal of Aikido and O Sensei’s dream is that all the peoples of the world live together as one family, in harmony with each other and with their environment. The United States has the opportunity to set a great example.” Saotome Sensei directs his Aikido Schools of Ueshiba headquarters dojo, Aikido Shobukan Dojo in Washington DC and his AikiShrine Dojo in Florida. He and his students have established many dojos in the United States and he conducts training camps and seminars throughout the country and abroad. The Aikido dojos he founded in Japan are still thriving and he occasionally travels there to teach and give demonstrations. He has given demonstrations of his art throughout the world. His books Aikido and the Harmony of Nature and The Principles of Aikido, published by Shambhala Publications, have been translated into many different languages. Aikido: Living by Design, published by Arete Press and edited by Susan Perry graphically explores Saotome Sensei’s unique ability to realize Aikido philosophy in his many artistic pursuits and in his daily life. His most recent book, A Light on Transmission, is perhaps his most personal account yet of his time with O Sensei and the lessons he continues to learn from him.

Hiroshi Ikeda Shihan

"Hiroshi Ikeda Sensei began Aikido training under Saotome Sensei in the Aikido club at Kokugakuin University. He then joined Saotome Sensei’s Reimeijuku Dojo in Tokyo in 1970 and in 1976 followed Saotome Sensei to the United States to continue his training. He taught in Sarasota, Florida from 1978 until he moved to Boulder, Colorado establishing the Boulder Aikikai in 1980. Ikeda Sensei travels extensively in the United States and abroad teaching his insightful and sophisticated approach to the internal energetic aspects of Aikido. His mission in teaching is to inspire students to continually discover something new about their Aikido and about themselves.

Although Ikeda Shihan does not currently teach in Sarasota anymore, he contributed to its rich and lengthy history during the time he was training and teaching at the dojo.

Frank Bell Sensei

In 1995, Saotome Sensei sent his trusted student and uchideshi, Frank Bell Sensei of the Aikido Shobukan Dojo in Washington DC, to Sarasota in order to manage the creation of the Aiki-Shrine Dojo in Myakka City,  Florida. At that time, he was also appointed Dojo Cho and Chief Instructor of Sarasota Aikikai by Saotome Sensei.

Frank Sensei was an accomplished instructor, able to embody the power and elegance of Saotome Sensei’s aikido, and also able to communicate the feeling of that aikido to every student in the room. He was well known also for his skill with weapons and taught many seminars sharing Saotome Sensei’s aiki-jo and aiki-ken with students all over the country. Frank Sensei appeared in Saotome Sensei's videos "The Staff of Aikido" and "The Sword of Aikido" demonstrating the ASU weapons kata and principles. He also appeared as an uke in Saotome Sensei’s video “The Principles of Aikido.” Frank Bell Sensei passed from this physical life in 2000 but his influence is felt to this day. If we are fortunate, it will continue on for many years into the future.