On this day, I, the SAW “Daihyo Shihan”, presented Shihan Hidetaka Aso with the SAW 10th Dan (十段).
I would like to keep this SAW 10th Dan just for Shihan Aso from now on.
Presenting Shihan Aso with the SAW 10th Dan was originally something I had been planning since I was appointed “Daihyo Shihan” two years ago in 2024.
Sensei has always been a giving person, so I remember how delighted he was when I came to Japan many years ago for the SAW International Championship and gave him a framed shirts from my dojo in Australia.
So I was confident that he would be delighted to receive the 10th Dan.
At the time, the plan was to invite Sensei and several Japanese SAW students to Australia in 2025, the year after I was appointed “Daihyo Shihan”, to hold a SAW seminar for Sensei, where I would present him with the 10th Dan on the spot.
I didn’t tell Sensei about the 10th Dan award, but at first, he was happy about the Australian seminar, saying, “This will be my last seminar.”
However, shortly after, I was diagnosed with Leukaemia and was forced to fight the disease for over a year, so it couldn’t happen.
Then, last year, I somehow managed to overcome Leukaemia, and was looking forward to Sensei’s Australian seminar and the 10th Dan award the following year, but then Sensei himself was diagnosed with an illness.
Still, I believed that Sensei would overcome his illness and show us his health again, as before, so I decided to award him his 10th Dan at the Australian seminar in 2026.
If Sensei’s health had not yet recovered, I would come to Japan, gather everyone together, and present him with his 10th Dan.
Either way, it would be 2026, or so I thought. But none of that came to fruition, and I am very sad and disappointed.
However, Sensei has always been considerate of each and every one of us students, so I believe he is still watching over us.
So, believing that this would make Sensei happy, I decided to present him with my long-cherished 10th Dan on this day.
I am truly honoured that Aso Sensei’s family was also very happy about this presentation.
