Jiyushinkai Founder and Chief Instructor
Chuck Clark
Chuck Clark sensei (1947-2024), Founder of Jiyushin-ryu Aikibudo, began his budo training at the age of six. Throughout his life, he studied in the U.S., France, Japan, Canada, and Republic of South Vietnam, and held the rank of Jiyushinkai 8th dan Shihan. Clark sensei also practiced Kodokan Judo, Karate-do, Jujutsu, Shinto Muso Ryu Jo, Xingyiquan, and Taijiquan). Clark sensei trained under a number of top-level teachers, being most strongly influenced by F. Fujita, J. Bayless, R.L. Willingham, the late Ernie Cates, F. Hatashita, Karl Geis, Tsuneko Miyake, Phil Relnick, and T. Nishioka. He founded Jiyushinkai in 1984.
A United States Marine Corps combat veteran of Vietnam and former hospital manager and consultant, Clark sensei is survived by his son, Aaron (Jiyushinkai 7th dan Shihan and Kai-cho), daughter-in-law Caroline, two grand-daughters, and countless students. He loved dogs and cats.
Jiyushinkai Kaicho
Aaron Clark
Aaron Clark sensei is the head of Jiyushinkai.
Born in 1971, Aaron was taken into the dojo soon after birth and learned budo as a “cradle language.” He began regular training in Judo at age five and started Aikibudo and Jodo at age thirteen. As a youngster, Aaron won numerous state and national level Judo championships. He holds 7th dan, Shihan Jiyushinkai, 3rd dan Judo, and his main teachers include Chuck Clark and Karl Geis, and has also studied Shinto Muso Ryu Jo (gomokuroku) and other Japanese koryu under Phil Relnick sensei. Clark served in the U.S. Navy as a Hospital Corpsman and is married to Caroline (2nd dan). They have two daughters, Meridia and Natalie. He works as a systems engineer at the University of Washington and is an teaches in Woodinville, WA.
Renshinkan Instructors
Charlie James
Born in 1965, Charlie has been practicing Aikibudo since 1995 as well as Shinto Muso-ryu jo (Menkyo) and other Japanese koryu with Phil Relnick. His instructors are Chuck Clark and Aaron Clark. He holds Jiyushinkai 4th dan and is an instructor at the Renshinkan.
Michael Hacker
Dojo-cho
Born in 1969, Michael began his martial arts training in the late 70’s with Tae Kwon Do under the late Suk Ki Shin. He started Aikido in the late 1980s in Japan, and has had exposure to various Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Filipino martial arts. After living and training in Japan for 10 years, Michael decided to relocate to Arizona to study Jiyushin-ryu Aikibudo. His primary influences are Donald Moriyama, Amano Shigeko, Saito Morihiro, Chuck Clark, Aaron Clark, David Martin, and Stan Conner. Michael is fluent in Japanese and is the author of The Language of Aikido: A Practitioner’s Guide to Japanese Characters and Terminology. He holds Jiyushinkai 4th dan and is the primary Aikibudo instructor and Renshinkan dojo-cho.
Carl Bilodeau
Born in 1968, Carl began his budo training in 1995 under Chuck Clark in Arizona. His practice has been influenced by several teachers in the Jiyushinkai system, his peers, and Stan Conner. He holds Jiyushinkai 4th dan and is an instructor at the Renshinkan. He also studies Shinto Muso-ryu jo with Phil Relnick.
Nadereh Nabai
Nadereh stepped into the dojo and onto the mats for the first time in 2001, hoping to encourage her then 11-year-old daughter to train. She ended up falling in love with the art and began formal training in 2004, first under the guidance of Chuck Clark sensei and later Aaron Clark sensei. Nadereh currently holds Jiyushinkai 4th dan and sho-mokuroku in Shinto Muso-ryu jo.
For more information on licensed Jiyushinkai teachers in other areas, please visit Jiyushinkai.org.
