Seminars
North Dakota Aiki Shuren Dojo Proudly Hosts:
Mark Larson (Takuto 匠人) 7th Dan Aikikai Shihan,
April 4th - 6th, 2025 - Bismarck, ND
Please join us for a great weekend of Iwama Aikido. All aikido levels, styles and affiliations are welcome. Please bring your own ken, jo and tanto, if possible. Pre-registration is required.
Our Dojo Location is in West-Central Bismarck at the corner of Memorial Hwy and Hannifin Ave. Weather-permitting, some training might take place at Kiwanis Park (South of dojo on Hannifin Ave).
Training Schedule:
Friday April 4th (full day)
9:30 am – 9:50 am. Check-in
10:00 am – Noon. Training
Noon – 3:00 pm. Lunch Break (on your own)
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm. Training
Saturday April 5th (full day)
9:30 am – 9:50 am. Check-in
10:00 am – Noon. Training
Noon – 3:00 pm. Lunch Break (on your own)
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm. Training
6:30 pm. Dinner & Party at the dojo
Dinner is a “pot luck”. Please bring something to share and bring your own beverages. We will be having a game night with a variety of games and activities for all ages.
Sunday April 6th
9:30 am. Dojo open
10:00 am – Noon. Training (Bukiwaza typically on Sunday mornings)
2025 Seminar Waiver
Seminar Prices:
-
Full Weekend - Adult $180
Friday Only ..................$80
Saturday Only ..............$80
Sunday Only ................$50 -
Full Weekend - Youth (13-18y) $120
Friday Only ...................$50
Saturday Only ...............$60
Sunday Only .................$40
Lodging:
The Bismarck Hotel and Conference Center (formerly The Ramkota) is a conveniently located hotel for both the seminar at the dojo, outdoor training in local parks, and the Saturday night dinner (at the dojo).
There are other hotels on the South side of Bismarck near Expressway and South 3rd Street that are also conveniently located and might have more basic options.
Please contact Mel at [email protected] for more information about staying on site.
Mark Larson Shihan
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 7th degree black belt 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.
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.