Grandmaster Seigou Okamoto 

Soke Seigou Okamoto

Soke Seigou Okamoto was a renowned martial artist, best known as the founder and head of Roppokai Daitoryu Aikijujutsu. He passed away on January 16, 2015, at the age of 89.
Below is an overview of his life and achievements.

Profile

• Date of Birth: February 10, 1925 (Taisho 14)
  
  

• Place of Birth: Yubari City, Hokkaido, Japan
  
  

• Date of Passing: January 16, 2015 (Heisei 27), age 89
  
  

• Title: Soke (Headmaster) of Roppokai Daitoryu Aikijujutsu
  
  

Biography

• 1944: Graduated from Kurihama Naval Technical School and was assigned to the Hyakurigahara Naval Air Corps.
  
  

• 1946: Joined the Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper.
  
  

• 1956: Founded a photoengraving company.
  
  

• 1963: At the age of 38, he began training in Daitoryu Aikijujutsu under Koudou Horikawa. Though he started relatively late, he advanced with extraordinary speed among Horikawa’s students.
  
  

• 1974: Awarded the rank of 7th Dan by Horikawa.
  
  

• 1977: Moved to Tokyo and worked at Tokyo Clinical Laboratory.
  
  

• 1978: Established the Kodo-kai Tokyo Branch and received the Shihan license in Daitoryu Aikijujutsu from Horikawa.
  
  

• 1980: Following the passing of Horikawa, Okamoto founded Roppokai Daitoryu Aikijujutsu, dedicating himself with his students to the practice and worldwide promotion of its unique techniques.
  
  

• 1984: Published “Introduction to Aikijujutsu”, the first book to reveal Daito-ryu techniques through sequential photography, bringing this little-known art to broader recognition.
  
  

Okamoto approached Aiki as a pure technique, developing an original teaching method based on the elements of breathing, reflex, and circular movement. Even past the age of 80, he continued to travel abroad to teach, devoting his entire life to martial arts.

Legacy

Today, Roppokai Daitoryu Aikijujutsu continues to grow, with branches across Japan—in Sapporo, Kanagawa, Tochigi, Nagoya, Shonan, Owari, Osaka, Nara, and more—as well as internationally in the United States, Mexico, Denmark, Italy, Sweden, and Russia. The techniques and spirit of Soke Okamoto live on through his many students around the world.