Seiichi Sugano
8th Dan, Shihan
Senior Instructor - New York Aikikai; Technical Director - Australia & Belgium

"A Good Challenge": A personal impression of a most important Winter School for Aiki-Kai Australia

Photographs and text by John Litchen, Nidan, Gold Coast Dojo, Queensland, Australia


Editor's Note: we are happy to reprint this inspiring account of Sugano Sensei's return to teaching, which was first published on the Aiki-Kai Australia web site (www.aikido.org.au). We thank John Litchen (Editor of Aikido Australia) and Aiki-kai Australia for granting permission to reprint it, and John Watson and Andrew Dziedzic for their valuable assistance in setting up and supporting our communications. We are very happy to have made contact with the members of Aiki-Kai Australia, and to have taken a step toward closer relations among students of the Shihankai Senseis.




There was a large group of us sitting in seiza waiting to welcome Sugano Shihan — not with trepidation, but with concerned anticipation. This was to be Sensei’s first teaching seminar only three months after the life-saving operations that resulted in the amputation of his left foot, as well as part of the lower left leg in order to fit prosthesis.

Many of us were still coming to terms with the idea of Sensei being an amputee, and wondering what this would do to his Aikido. We had all followed his progress as reported on the New York Aikikai web site, but none of us had any real idea of how he would be.

All we knew was that it had taken enormous courage to come on such a long journey (New York to Sydney) so soon after the trauma of an amputation.

The word was that he would be taking the morning class each day, and there was a lot of excited speculation as how he would do this. We had naturally assumed that he would supervise while other senior Shidosha took the classes, but to actually teach — could this be true?

It was cold outside on Monday, the first day of training, but the sun was shining, promising a lovely day. Sensei arrived wearing a long black overcoat, which he took off and handed to one of the senior students who had accompanied him along the path to the dojo. They were there to offer assistance if it was needed but Sensei had used a walking stick and calmly walked along the uphill path and up the steps entirely on his own. He placed his walking stick against the wall beside the entrance and stepped backwards onto the mat leaving his sandals at the edge. He turned to face us and smiled.

Tony Smibert Sensei, who is Vice President of Aiki-Kai Australia and a Vice Chairman of the International Aikido Federation, stepped onto the mat to welcome us all to Sensei’s winter school and thanked Sensei for the enormous effort it took to get here. He finished his brief speech by saying: “At the end of the last summer school we thanked Sensei with a round of applause. I’d like to begin this school with a round of applause as a way of thanking Sensei in advance.”

The enthusiasm of the applause almost lifted the roof off.

Sensei walked slowly towards the centre with only the slightest wobble betraying the fact that he was still getting used to walking with his new prosthesis. He paused in front of the Kamiza and for a few seconds seemed pensive. Facing us he said: “I haven’t quite worked out how to sit down yet.”

Several senior students appeared ready to jump up and run over to assist him, but their help wasn’t needed.

Sensei put his right leg back behind as if preparing to do a backwards roll. He lowered himself slowly, and supporting himself with his right hand, he sat down with his left foot forward, and his right leg crossed beneath it. He could not bend the left leg more than 90 degrees, and of course the foot part of the prosthesis could not bend either. Still he seemed perfectly relaxed with his back straight and his arms extended so the backs of his hands rested on his knees.

After a few moments he turned around to face the Kamiza and we all took formal bows.

Beyond the etiquette of the beginning Sensei then told us about his operation. He considered it “very interesting” that the doctors asked him to sign papers allowing them to amputate his left big toe but went on to amputate his foot. When he woke up they explained that the infection was spreading extremely rapidly and they had had no choice. They also informed him he would need a further operation when he was ready for the prosthesis which would be designed especially for him.

He found this interesting!

He joked about how surprised he was and that his first thought was: “This is going to be a good challenge.” He went into some detail about the second operation needed for shaping the bones so they would fuse together to form a good base for fitting the prosthesis. It would take 6 months for them to fully fuse. He talked about the problems he had with loss of blood and high temperatures and other complications brought about by his diabetes. He asked us if we had any questions and was happy to answer them.