Membership

Membership

The Aikido Yoshokai Association of North America (AYANA) is a non-profit educational corporation established by Sensei Takashi Kushida in 1976 in accordance with the laws of the State of Michigan and the United States. (Financial contributions are tax-deductible; for information contact the Genyokan main office.) AYANA is committed to a policy of non-discrimination, and welcomes all persons regardless of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, sexual orientation, or marital status. AYANA membership confers a number of benefits and services:

1. Eligibility to test for rank in Yoshokai Aikido;
2. Association membership card;
3. Access to the members’ section of the AYANA Web site;
4. Eligibility to attend instructional clinics and Kenshu;
5. Purchase of Dogi emblem patch, videotapes, and instructional materials;
6. Purchase of Dogis, Buki, and other items at discount prices;
7. Visits to the Genyokan and other Yoshokai Aikido Dojos; and
8. Eligibility to become certified as an instructor of Yoshokai Aikido.

These services and benefits are supported primarily by the annual dues paid by each member. Annual dues for 2019 are $40.00 ($30.00 for youth members) and are collected by a club representative after the membership enrollment application has been submitted and approved.

Beyond serving students and coordinating the teaching of Yoshokai Aikido in the United States, AYANA is committed to educating the general public about Aikido in particular and Japanese Budo in general. The publications of AYANA, the Aikido demonstrations presented by the Association, and the activities of individual instructors are directed toward these ends.

“Yoshokai” and the eight-sided circular mirror that serves as the Association symbol are service marks registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. As such, the names “Yoshokai Aikido,” “Aikido Yoshokai,” “Yoshokai-style Aikido” and the AYANA symbol may be used only under the aegis of AYANA. This, and other legal aspects of the Association, provide Kushida-sensei close control and a systematic means of monitoring the growth of Yoshokai Aikido in the United States.

There is a history in this country of other arts becoming diluted and fragmented as they grow beyond a small nucleus of students close to a master. The legal status of AYANA is an important and powerful tool that adds credibility to the Association as an educational organization and helps to ensure growth in a healthy direction—and in a way that does not compromise the foundations of Aikido in the Japanese and Samurai traditions from which it has evolved.

Click “2019 Member Enrollment” to complete 2019 AYANA membership application. This process takes only a few minutes to complete. AYANA does not sell, trade, rent, or otherwise retransmit any information collected as part of the membership enrollment process.