Joe Thambu

Joe Thambu is a teacher of Yoshinkan Aikido (currently 7th Dan Shihan) with over 35 years experience in the art. Born Joseph Haridas Thambu 24 March, 1961 in Seremban Malaysia. He is the youngest of 6 children and is of Malaysian Tamil heritage.

Early Training

Joe Thambu began his training in 1972 under his uncle, Thamby Rajah at the age of 11. Thamby Rajah Sensei is often credited as the first Malaysian to be graded to black belt in both Aikido and Judo.

As a teenager Joe Thambu was fortunate that his uncle's school was on the grounds of his father's house. Internationally famous martial artists were frequent visitors to his uncle's school in Seremban, Malaysia. Amongst these were Donn F Draeger, a prolific martial arts historian and researcher who wrote over 30 books on Eastern martial arts. Draeger was expert in Judo, Karate and Jodo and was the first non-Japanese to be ranked Menkyo-Kaiden (teaching certificate) in the classical system of Muso Shinto Ryu Jodo.

Other notable visitors included Junichiro Yagi Sensei (8th Dan) and former Yoshinkan Aikido Shihan (master title), as well as Kenji Shimizu Sensei, a past headmaster of Muso Shinto Ryu Jodo.

Emigration to Australia

In 1980, Joe Thambu emigrated to Melbourne, Australia to undertake tertiary studies. After reportedly being unable to find an Aikido or Jujitsu school with a training ethic to equal his experience in Malaysia, he began teaching Shudokan Aikido.

Shudokan Aikido

The words "Shudokan Aikido" denote Thamby Rajah Sensei's interpretation of the Aikido he learned whilst training for a year under Gozo Shioda Sensei in 1959 at the Yoshinkan Hombu (heaquarters). It was also influenced by Thamby Rajah's experience in Kodokan Judo, which he studied intensively in Japan in 1957, and his training in Jujitsu under Walter De Silva in Malaysia during the early post war years.

Unlike the Yoshinkan Aikido of the early 1980s, Shudokan Aikido whilst fundamentally the same, based on video evidence, lacks much of the rationalisation of techniques and visual acuity that is a hallmark of modern Yoshinkan Aikido.

Training at Yoshinkan Hombu Dojo

In 1983, Joe Thambu first travelled to Japan to further his Aikido training. Whilst in Japan, he trained at the Yoshinkan Hombu dojo in Koganei. During this he received instruction from teachers including Gozo Shioda Sensei, Kyouichi Inoue Sensei, Takafumi Takeno Sensei, Chida Tsutomu Sensei, Hitoshi Nakano Sensei and then assistants Jacques Payet & Tsuneo Ando.

From this time onwards Joe Thambu began formally teaching the modern Yoshinkan syllabus in his school.

Yoshinkan Aikido in Austraila

Joe Thambu was the first person to teach and disseminate Yoshinkan Aikido in Australia. On his return to Australia from Japan in 1983, he established his first premises at 308 Saint Georges Road, Thornbury in the city of Melbourne (Australia). This became the first of two permanent homes for his school the Aikido Shudokan.

Continuing Connection to Japan

Joe Thambu returned to Japan a few more times in the 10 years from 1983-1993, mostly training a few weeks at a time, testing and/or demonstrating at the annual All Japan Yoshinkan Aikido Demonstration. Thambu gave a particularly memorable demonstration in 199X when the audience broke out into spontaneous applause at the sight of his now famous "suwari jiyuwaza" (sitting freestyle Aikido).

In 1993 Thambu became the last person to be graded by Yoshinkan founder Gozo Shioda, before his death in mid-1994. Also, at only 32 years of age, he became the youngest non-Japanese to be awarded a 5th Dan in Yoshinkan Aikido. This record has since been passed by Thambu's former student, Jon Marshall, who was awarded 5th Dan in 2006 at Yoshinkan Hombu at 31 years of age.

Teaching Internationally

The ten years from 2000-2010 have seen Joe Thambu regularly travel outside Australia to teach. Often invited by younger teachers in other countries to teach seminars and hold demonstrations, in turn he is widely developing and disseminating Yoshinkan Aikido.

Yoshinkan Aikido affiliated teachers who have identified themselves as direct students of Joe Thambu Shihan include:

• Andy Hobday, 2nd Dan - Sheffield, England
• Mark Hadiarja, 3rd Dan - Bandung, Indonesia
• Alireza Atarrezaei, 1st Dan - Teheran, Iran
• Ramlan Ahmed, 4th Dan - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• Pawel Felisiak, 3rd Dan - Gliwice, Poland
• Michal Pabiadsz, 2nd Dan - Lubliniec, Poland

Joe Thambu - Present Day

Despite many changes at Yoshinkan Aikido Headquarters in late 2007, Joe Thambu Shihan is still focused on teaching and disseminating the Art to which he has dedicated his life.

His school in Melbourne Australia frequently hosts students from overseas, many staying months at a time, particularly from United Kingdom, Poland, Malaysia and Indonesia. These students, referred to as dojo-sei (live in students) are eager to learn the techniques and ways of Yoshinkan, an experience that is at minimum "the same us training under a top Shihan in Japan" and at best is "even better because Joe Thambu has both the Japanese and non-Japanese experience to draw on in his teaching".

Joe Thambu's Rank Progression in Yoshinkan Aikido

• Awarded 5th Dan by Gozo Shioda Kancho, Sept 1993
• Awarded 6th Dan by Hideo Yamada Kaicho, Dec 2001
• Awarded 7th Dan by Shioda Yasuhisa, Dec 2007

Other Awards

• Tokubetsu Embushou (Special Demonstration Award), 50th All Japan Yoshinkan Aikido Demonstration, 2005
• Awarded title of Shihan (master) by Aikido Yoshinkai International, 2007
• Blitz Magazine, Aikido Instructor of the Year, 1997