Shoshinkan History

The Shoshinkan (Place for the Beginner’s Mind) started out as the Shoshinkai (Beginner’s Mind Association) in May 2005 as part of the Sports & Social club at Games Workshop who provided a venue, funding for mats and the initial students. At that time Shoshinkan was also given support and affilitation by the Ken Shin Kai one of the UK’s largest Yoshinkan organisations based in the south of England.

Shoshinkan students regularly trained with the Ken Shin Kai at seminars and extended training events. Sensei Hobday also made a weekly trip to the Sendokan Yoshinkan dojo in Boreham Wood (London) to receive instruction from Sensei Terry Harrison.

In June 2006 Andy Hobday Sensei returned from a period of intensive training as dojo-sei (live in student) at Joe Thambu Shihan’s Shudokan dojo in Melbourne. Sensei Hobday became a direct student of Sensei Thambu and has returned to train in Melbourne every year since. Under Sensei Thambu’s technical direction the dojo has progressed and developed so that it was formally recognised as the Shoshinkan by the Aikido Yoshinkai Foundation in June 2008. (The suffix ‘kan’ was adopted to denote a member dojo as opposed to the original ‘kai’ which means association).

The dojo is a member of Sensei Thambu’s Aikido Shudokan. As technical director Sensei Thambu visits the Shoshinkan annually to run open seminars as well as classes at the Shoshinkan dojo and to grade senior students.

The dojo and students really benefit from having the opportunity to receive instruction from such a senior and well respected Yoshinkan teacher.

As well as this annual seminar, Shoshinkan students regularly attend other training events and have received instruction from some of the world’s most senior Yoshinkan instructors (see our gallery for pictures).

Because the Shoshinkan is not for profit we are able to use our funds to help students to progress and to enable them to train throughout the UK and abroad. Shoshinkan students are welcome to train at any of the Aikido Shudokan dojo around the world and a number of students have taken the opportunity to travel to Melbourne to train directly with Thambu Shihan. Shoshinkan students have also visited Japan and taken classes at the Yoshinkan Hombu dojo in Tokyo.

The Shoshinkan has a very close relationship with Sensei Mark Farr, Ken En Kai (Derby) with both sharing instruction and facilities to allow students of both dojo to benefit from a full time schedule.