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Sensei Bio Gabriel is considered the father of Lebanese Aikido. He studied Aikido at the Hombu Dojo in Tokyo from 1973 till 1978, while working in the shipping business. Thereafter, he taught Aikido at the Banzai Dojo in Beirut, with the help of Sensei Mohamad Darwish, a Judoka.
Between the years of 1978 and 1983, Sensei Bio taught Aikido to many
Lebanese and some foreigners who were stationed in the country during
the war, and graduated several students as black belts. However, due to
the war, he immigrated to the USA on September 9th, 1983. Today, he resides in Long Island New York, where he owns his own shipping company. He has established the Aikido of Nassau County Dojo where he is still teaching as a senior instructor. Every summer, he travels to Lebanon to give seminars and special
instructor classes at one or more of the Dojos Affiliated with the LAF. We in Lebanon are very fortunate to have
such a resourceful person in the art of Aikido. |
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- Honorary President of
the Lebanese Aikido Federation and of its Technical Committee from 1998
till 2003.
- Present Aikido rank:
6 Dan from Aikido World Headquarters, Tokyo, Japan.
- Studied Aikido under
the late and present Doshu for five years.
- Took private lessons
for five years with Masuda Sensei.
- Took private small
group lessons with: Masuda, Takezawa, Shibata, Endo.
- Took regular classes
daily under the following 9th Dan Masters: Arikawa, late Yamagushi,
Tada.
- Took regular classes
daily under the following 8th Dan Masters: Masuda, Fujita.
- Took regular classes
daily under the following 7th Dan Masters: Sasaki, Watanabeh, Endo,
Toriumi.
- Holds a special
certificate from the late Doshu Kishumaru Ueshiba. Only about ten of
such certificates exist in the whole world today.
- Holds a certificate
from the Hombu Dojo, Aikido World Headquarters, signed by the late Doshu
himself giving authorization to teach Aikido. The Hombu Dojo does not
issue such certificates anymore.
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