Mr. Hiroyuki Aoki, the founder of ShinTaiDo, was a student of fine arts and theater in Japan in the 1950s. His acting teacher, feeling that his physical expression was not powerful and effective, suggested he study Karate to strengthen his body for acting.
He became completely immersed in the world of traditional martial arts, and with intense study he attained the 5th degree (highest) black belt in the Shotokai Karate school under his teacher, master Shigeru Egami.
He was positioned to take over as head instructor of the school, but Aoki was not satisfied.
He was a child when the atomic bomb was dropped on Japan, and several members of his family were killed. He was deeply idealistic, and felt driven to create a movement practice beyond the limits of traditional martial arts.
Aiming to develop a holistic movement that could express his highest spiritual aspirations and artistic creativity, while still preserving the ancient knowledge, he left the world of Karate and formed a group called “Rakutenkai” for research and development.
Rakutenkai was a loosely-knit group of martial arts experts, artists, dancers, and other interested people. They studied many aspects of tradtional culture and martial arts, as well as Western art and literature.
They worked intensively for several years, often staying up all night and then working regular jobs in the daytime.
Some people dropped out because the physical training was too severe. Those who stayed eventually gave birth to a new system of body movement, which was later named ShinTaiDo or “new body way.”,
Foreigners living in Japan began to hear of this avant-garde offshoot of martial arts, and over time ShinTaiDo spread to France, England, Australia, the U.S.A., Italy, Germany, Canada and Switzerland.
Hiroyuki Aoki Born in Yokohama, Japan, in 1936, he graduated from Chuo University in Tokyo where he received a degree in jurisprudence.
Highlights: 1963: Received 5th degree black belt (the highest level) from Master Shigeru Egami, Head Instructor of the Shotokai School of Karate-do.
1965: Established a special team, Rakutenkai, with a group of martial artists, musicians, fine art artists, and other free thinkers to conduct research and develop a system of physical culture that encompasses the healing arts, creativity and human potential, exuberant life-expression, and profound meditation.
1966: Discovered Tenshingoso and Eiko which later became the two fundamental forms in Shintaido.
1970: Established the Shintaido Kyokai, an association formed to develop Shintaido movements, and became Head Instructor.
1972: Invited to the Third International Conference of Humanistic Psychology in Tokyo to give a lecture and demonstrate Shintaido.
1980: Was invited to the First International Conference of Shintaido Instructors held in San Francisco, California, and assumed the office of President of the International Shintaido Federation.
1984: Invited to the "Tsukuba International Conference of Science/Technology and World of Ki" (Kagakugijutsu and Seishinsekai) to demonstrate "Toate" technique ("Ki" expression) before an assembly of western doctors and philosophers. Also invited to the Fifth International Conference of Transpersonal Psychology in Kyoto to give a lecture and demonstrate Shintaido.
1990: Received a degree of Doctor of Letters from the California Graduate School of Theology in recognition of his creation of Shintaido.
1991: Helped Dr. Kakichi Kadowaki establish the Society for Mind-Body Science (Jintai-kagaku-kai) in Tokyo and attended its first conference.
