User:Szane67/Justin Christou

Justin Christou is a godan (五段:ごだん): fifth-degree black belt Aikido teacher in the UK; he began his martial arts training in London at the age of fifteen, studying various forms of both Japanese and Chinese martial arts. At the age of twenty five he found himself on a journey to Japan, enrolling as an uchi-deshi (full time live in student) at the famous Iwama, Ibaraki dojo that had once been the founder's (Morihei Ueshiba) dojo and birth place of Aikido.

Christou spent the next eight years (1995 - 2003) of his life devoted solely to the study of Aikido and serving his late master the renowned Morihiro Saito Sensei. Meeting his teacher every day for practice, Bukiwaza (Weapons training), such as sword, staff and shuriken, was held each morning and Taijitsu (unarmed training) every evening.

He was personally taught and graded by Morihiro Saito, Shihan, kyuudan (9th Dan) in Japan at the Ibaraki Dojo. At over eight years continuous study, Christou is the longest serving Iwama dojo uchi-deshi from outside Japan and the longest serving uchi-deshi at the time of Saito's passing.

He is currently teaching in the UK. West London where he is the chief instructor of Aikido at the Budokwai in Chelsea, which was founded in 1918 and is the oldest Japanese martial arts club in Europe.