Mark Larson Sensei

Mark Larson Sensei is the founder and chief instructor of Minnesota Aiki Shuren Dojo- a name bestowed upon his dojo directly by Morihiro Saito Shihan, longest direct student of Aikido’s Founder.

In 1992, Larson Sensei’s Aikido studies took him to Japan for nearly a decade where he lived, learned, and trained as a live-in/direct student (uchideshi) at Akita Aiki Shuren Dojo under his first teacher, Shigeru Kawabe Shihan, and the Founder’s Dojo in Iwama (the birthplace of Aikido) under his head teacher Morihiro Saito Shihan. 

Larson ​Sensei received the highest sword (aiki-ken) and staff (aiki-jo) weapons certification  (menkyokaiden) from Morihiro Saito Shihan, and he currently holds a 6th degree black belt (rokudan) from the World Aikido Federation (Aikikai) Headquarters, Tokyo, Japan.  Mark Larson Sensei is known for his dedication to preserving, teaching, and disseminating the Iwama Aikido he learned directly from Morihiro Saito Shihan towards the end of Saito Sensei’s life (1993-2002).

Today, Mark Larson Sensei is available for guest speaking engagements, events and instruction. He continues to teach Aikido classes, workshops, leadership sessions, and seminars privately and as a Minnesota State college-level course. He presents locally, nationally, and internationally, traveling throughout North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. He is the founder and chief instructor of Minnesota Aiki Shuren Dojo, Nowthen, MN, and technical advisor for a number of Aikido Dojos in the USA and Japan as well as Canada, Denmark, and Sweden.

The aikido I teach at Minnesota Aiki Shuren Dojo is the aikido Morihiro Saito Sensei taught in the early 1990’s until his untimely passing in 2002.  As it was Morihiro Saito Sensei’s mission to preserve the Aikido of his teacher, Founder Morihei Ueshiba, it is my mission to preserve the Aikido I learned directly from my head teacher, Morihiro Saito Sensei, in the latter years of Saito Sensei’s life -- precisely as he taught it at the Founder’s dojo (Ibaraki Aiki Shuren Dojo) in Iwama, Japan.  It is this period of Morihiro Saito Shihan’s Aikido that originally became known worldwide as IWAMA AIKIDO.
~ Mark L. Larson (Takuto)–Minnesota Aiki Shuren Dojo-cho