History of Shuyokan's Dojo Name

In 1990 the Dojo received its official name of Shuyokan by the late Soke Gozo Shioda, founder of the International Yoshinkan Aikido Federation. The Dojo certificate was presented to Sensei Dye by Yasuhisa Shioda, son of the Founder of Yoshinkan Aikido.

The name Shuyokan consists of three kanji: shu, yo and kan. The kanji "shu" translates to "practice" or "master". "Yo" translates as "training" and "kan" translates to "house" or "place". Put together, Shuyokan translates to "a place of mastering training".

The kanji "Shu" originates from "Shugyo" which translates to "austere training or ascetic exercise", "severe training" and "a period of difficult training designed to improve one's character and push one's limits". It is said that martial artists follow three defined stages of development. The first of these stages is "shu", where the martial artist follows the Sensei without question. In the second stage, "ha", the martial artist attempts to improve the teaching of the school by introducing effective or useful methods from other schools or styles. In the third stage, "ri", the martial artist founds a new school, one of his or her own design. The traditional martial arts associations do not approve of the second and third stages.

One who practices Shugyo and the principles of severe training is referred to as Shugyosha.

Osu,
Sensei Dye

Sources: Budo Jiten - The Martial Arts Encyclopedia - A Dictionary of the Martial Arts
                Tuttle Dictionary of the Martial Arts of Korea, China and Japan
                A Guide to Remembering Japanese Characters