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Aikido Center of Los Angeles
New Dojo |
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For decades we have been fortunate to train in a handcrafted dojo built under the direction of Reverend Kensho Furuya, known fondly by his students as "Sensei", and in the style of a 16th century samurai mansion. All things change with time and so it is with our dojo. The new owner of the 940 E. 2nd Street building is converting the entire building into condominiums. As we approached the need to relocate, Furuya Sensei sought a new space which had the potential to be imbued with the spirit, presence and beauty of the residence and school he had built over a span of over twenty years. The illustrations here are all architectural renderings of the new dojo which were prepared for Sensei. Key structural elements such as the tokonoma & tea ceremony rooms will be deconstructed from our original school and reconstructed in the new location. The myriad antique ramma, shoji, screens, scrolls, tansu, panels and original architectural elements will all be used to the fullest extent in the new structure. |
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Utilizing as much of the existing wood as possible has special meaning not only because we will be conserving the environment; we will be transferring the spirit of our dojo. The dojo that was built by our teacher. The new dojo groundbreaking was blessed by Reverend Alfred Tsuyuki of the Konko Church in April of this year. Dr. Tsuyuki performed a traditional Japanese Shinto spiritual purification ground breaking that is common in Japan and here in Southern California for Japanese influenced buildings and structures. Deconstruction of our original dojo is currently in its early stages as is the preparation of the new space. We do not expect the new location to be able to accommodate the remarkable flourishing garden and entry Sensei created and nurtured. There will still be an "area of transition" incorporated in the entry which symbolizes a path and transitioning from the outside world to that of the dojo. |
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The main floor will be home to the reconstructed tokonoma, tea rooms, a meeting room, dressing rooms, bathrooms, and a larger mat area for practice. The second floor will host the office, kitchen, additional bathroom, and library. |
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The new dojo is located at 1211 N. Main Street just one and a half miles north of our old dojo. Please see our home page for our current address and directions.
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