On Sunday, January 11, 2026, the traditional Kagamibiraki Ceremony was held at the Aikido Hombu Dojo in Tokyo, marking the opening of the new Aikido year. This major annual event brought together practitioners from Japan and around the world to celebrate renewal, continuity, and dedication to the art.
A total of 1,064 aikidoka were promoted during the ceremony, a clear testament to the vitality and international reach of Aikido. The breakdown of promotions announced at Kagamibiraki 2026 was as follows:
- Shodan: 10
- Nidan: 12
- Sandan: 15
- Yondan: 29
- Godan: 544
- Rokudan: 337
- Nanadan: 110
- Hachidan: 7
Those promoted to 8th dan received their certificates directly from Doshu during the ceremony. The recipients were:
- Takuya Oiwake
- Andrew P. Demko
- Franck Noël
- Shigeru Sugawara
- Junichi Shirakami
- Yukimitsu Kobayashi
- Daikichi Shichiryoku
As always when Hombu Dojo instructors get promoted, it really brings up multiple emotions at once, one being, of course, the joy of seeing this recognition, but also the somewhat bittersweet feeling of time passing, having spent so many hours on the tatami with those instructors. In the case of both Kobayashi Sensei and Sugawara Sensei, they were truly instrumental in getting me through the tough times early on at Hombu, thanks to their very exciting classes and very approachable personalities. 
Me taking ukemi for Sugawara Sensei and Kobayashi Sensei
The French Aikido community had much to rejoice about as well, with Franck Noël Sensei receiving the 8th dan. Noël Sensei has been one of the early French practitioners who lived in Japan, and he was a very close student of the late Yamaguchi Seigo Sensei.
Franck Noël Sensei receiving the 8th dan from Doshu
I was also very pleased to see fellow Kanagawa instructors Takeda Daiyu and Yamamoto Hiroshi promoted to 7th dan, which is a wonderful development for the growth of Aikido in the prefecture. Others promoted to 7th dan included Janet Clift, Lisa Tomoleoni, Ulf Rott, Ulrike Serak, and Lothar Darjes. My good friend Guenter Zorn received the 6th dan.
Celebrating on Saturday night with Ulf Rott, Ulrike Serak, and Lothar Darjes from Aikido Federation Germany
I was also particularly pleased and honored to recommend my very old friend and training partner, Odilon Regnard, for a promotion to 5th dan. Odilon has trusted me for many years to steer him and his students toward what I believe are positive Aikido values, and formalizing our relationship in this way felt particularly meaningful. Odilon is an overseas instructor at Yokohama AikiDojo, and all the members of our dojo already look forward to seeing him come to teach and practice.
Finally, I was delighted to see that Yanis Hoarau had been promoted to 5th dan. I had seen Yanis just a few days prior, during my seminar on La Réunion Island, and we were able to practice quite a bit there before I returned to Japan.
In La Reunion with Yanis Hoarau, shooting a TV news report on Aikido
The complete and official list of promotions can be consulted here.
In addition to the promotion announcements, the ceremony featured traditional Embukai offered by Doshu Moriteru Ueshiba and Dojocho Mitsuteru Ueshiba, once again highlighting the technical precision, continuity, and spirit of Aikido as transmitted through the Hombu Dojo.
Congratulations to all the aikidoka who were awarded a new rank on this special occasion. May we all continue your training with sincerity, humility, and perseverance, and may the year ahead be one of steady progress on the path of Aikido.
