David Lynch
David
Lynch introduced aikido to New Zealand in 1965 after his initial sojourn
of three years in Japan, including 18 months as a full-time student (uchideshi)
in the Yoshinkan Dojo in Tokyo
His first regular classes, at the Panmure Young Citizens Centre, were so popular he opened a full-time branch of the Yoshinkan Dojo in 1967, located at No 10 Lorne Street, Auckland Central. The dojo later shared the Darby Street premises of the Judokwai Judo Club. The Yoshinkan baton was passed to senior student Eddie Wong when the Lynches returned to Japan in 1972 for a further 15 years.
As a result of spending nearly 18 years in Japan, David was able to train under the leading Japanese masters (Gozo Shioda 9th-dan, Koichi Tohei 10th-dan, Kisshomaru Ueshiba Doshu, Kenji Shimizu 8th-dan and others) and gain an unusual degree of experience in a variety of aikido styles. He holds the following ranks: Yoshinkan 6th-dan, Aikikai 3rd-dan, Ki no Kenkyu Kai 2nd-dan and Tendokan 3rd-Dan. (The Koshinkai Dojo is independent and teaches a wide curriculum, not bound to any particular 'style'.)
David and his wife Hisae have completed a new dojo on their country property near Whitianga on the Coromandel Peninsula, for weekend and other training camps. Aikido students from around New Zealand and other parts of the world are able to train in the midst of Coromandel's beautiful natural environment and focus exclusively on aikido for varying periods of time.
David is a contributing editor of the international 'Aikido Journal' and some of his articles on aikido can be found on the website: http://www.aikidojournal.com/articlelist.php
Acknowlegements
Photographs and biographical information kindly provided by David and Hisae Lynch, February 2007.
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Aikido Yoshinkan
"House for the Cultivation
of the Spirit."