Mark Larson Shihan 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 Shihan’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 Shihan 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 Shihan 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.