| The Biography of Sensei Henry Ellis | | | | Of this early select group eight became dan grades ( |
| 5th dan | | | | black belts ) these were the only dan grades for |
| Henry Ellis and Derek Eastman - 2000 | | | | Aikido in the UK. Henry was the first Aikido teacher |
| Henry Ellis was born May 3rd 1936 in a tough coal | | | | to introduce Aikido into the British education system |
| mining town in the County of Yorkshire, North of | | | | in the early sixties. |
| England. This was pre-war Britain, and growing up as | | | | In the very early sixties Ellis and Eastman, on the |
| a child during the austere war years of the 1940's all | | | | instructions of Williams sensei, travelled around Britain |
| Henry ever knew was hard times and hard discipline | | | | teaching Aikido to Judo and sports clubs for free. |
| as the son of a tough coal face miner. Henry didn't | | | | They worked a few days here and there for a meal |
| realize that this tough life with strict discipline would | | | | and a bed, often sleeping in the car, in an effort to |
| stand him in good stead in the years to come. | | | | promote the art to anyone who would give them |
| In 1956 he became a member of the Abbe School of | | | | the opportunity to teach and demonstrate. The two |
| Budo at the now famous Hut Dojo. His first | | | | spent one year "on the road " . |
| introduction to Martial Arts was in the Judo section. | | | | Ellis and Eastman both studied Kendo with their best |
| After a full year of Judo, Henry saw the great | | | | friend Tomio Otani Sensei the British National Coach |
| master Kenshiro Abbe sensei demonstrate Aikido | | | | for Kendo. They in turn taught Tomio Aikido. |
| which had only recently been introduced to Britain ( | | | | At this time Harada Sensei was teaching his ShotoKai |
| 1955 ). | | | | Karate at the Hut Dojo. Henry studied with Harada |
| Henry Joined the Aikido section in 1957 while | | | | Sensei, Henry using Karate in his Aikido and Harada |
| continuing with his Judo studies. | | | | Sensei using Aikido movement in his Karate. |
| TheHutDojo1957, Judo and Aikido students. | | | | Harada Sensei had last been graded to 5th dan in |
| Front row Abbe Sensei and K Williams Sensei. | | | | 1957 by the founder of modern Karate Gichin |
| The Hut was the Hell Dojo of all Hell Dojo's. The | | | | Funakoshi. Harada Sensei had developed the art of |
| discipline was very strict and very few continued to | | | | ShotoKai Karate. When asked why he was still 5th |
| study. This was the only Aikido dojo in the UK. Abbe | | | | dan as he is today, Harada replied " Any grade above |
| sensei and Williams sensei would teach with a shinai, | | | | 5th dan is totally pointless ". This impressed Henry |
| words were wasted but the shinai always received | | | | who himself was now sick at the sight of so many |
| the students full attention. Abbe sensei said many | | | | self appointed egotistical self aggrandising so called |
| times that his English was bad but his shinai spoke | | | | masters who cared more for titles than the Martial |
| excellent English. | | | | Art they represented. Ellis and Eastman agreed to |
| Henry fitted well into this disciplined routine where a | | | | follow Harada Sensei's stand and they made the |
| mistake would receive a whack with the shinai or | | | | highest grade in the Ellis Schools of Traditional Aikido |
| between 100 and 200 press-ups on the back of the | | | | to be 5th dan. |
| wrists. At third kyu Henry was promoted to | | | | Henry Ellis with Mikito Nakazono Sensei |
| personnel assistant to Williams sensei, he then | | | | Henry has personally studied with many of the great |
| travelled around the UK with his teacher taking the | | | | early names in Aikido. Sensei's Kenshiro Abbe - K |
| very first Aikido seminar in the UK in the town of | | | | Williams - Tadashi Abe - Mikoto Nakazono - Misamachi |
| Devises near historic StoneHenge. | | | | Noro - N Tamura - Kobayashi - Kazuo Chiba to name |
| Henry Ellis Sensei and David Warne Sensei | | | | a few. |
| demonstrate shiho-nage. | | | | Henry is proud of the expansion of the ESTA to the |
| Basingstoke Dojo 1986 | | | | USA in Alamogordo New Mexico and Dallas Texas. |
| When Henry reached first dan he was instructed to | | | | On the 17th of December 2004 the release of the |
| take an assistant, the assistant was Derek Eastman | | | | book " Positive Aikido " was of great satisfaction |
| who is still associated with the Ellis Aikido Schools. | | | | after almost 50 years of Martial Arts. |