Nihon Goshin Aikido

was developed and founded by Japanese martial artist, Shodo Morita in Hokkaido, Japan. Master Morita was under the tutelage of Kōtarō Yoshida as a pupil of Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu while also studying Judo, Karate, Kobudo, as well as some of the esoteric arts. Master Morita believed each discipline to be practical but felt a well-rounded approach would provide to be a better martial strategy. The aspects of striking (Karate), throwing (Judo), joint-lock manipulation, and circular movements (Daitō-ryū) evolved into the unique self-defense style Master Morita called “Nihon Goshin Aikido.”

NGA was brought over to the United States by Mr. Richard A. Bowe after serving the US Army. While stationed in Japan, Mr. Bowe was in search of a Martial Art to study before coming across Shodo Morita’s dojo. After a few years of daily training Nihon Goshin Aikido, Mr. Bowe became the first American to attain the rank of Sho-Dan in 1961. In 1962, Tominosuke Nara (Shodo Morita’s stepson) become the head of the art in Japan after the sudden loss of Master Shodo Morita. Master Nara continued to promote Mr. Bowe regularly until 1976 when Mr. Bowe achieved the rank of Go-Dan (Shihan) shortly before Master Nara retired from teaching the public.

When Master Nara passed away in 1978, Shihan Bowe maintained his rank of Go-dan, and as a result, Nihon Goshin Aikido became a 5-Dan system. Shihan Bowe is known as a pioneer to the martial arts community for his contributions and efforts in passing on the knowledge of Nihon Goshin Aikido to his students. Shihan Richard Bowe continued to teach NGA Black Belts until he announced his retirement in 2019.