Chicago Aikikai Collection
Bulk Dates
1950 – 1969
Abstract
A collection of 16mm films that originally belonged to Illinois Aikido Club, a Japanese-American martial arts dojo in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood.
Description
The films in this collection include documentary and promotional footage about aikido, archival footage of aikido teaching and training, and a reel containing a news segment about aikido made for a local NBC TV news program.
According to the Chicago Aikikai website, accessed in 2026, “Chicago Aikikai was founded in 1963 as the Illinois Aikido Club. It was the first dojo in the Midwest dedicated to Aikido.”
Collection Items
To request more information about the items in this collection, please contact the archive at
info@chicagofilmarchives.org.
Items with Viewable Media
Collection Identifier
C.2026-02
Extent of Collection
9 reels of 16mm film.
Subject
Custodial History
These films were donated to Chicago Aikikai by a former member of the Illinois Aikido Club. Chicago Aikikai donated the films to Chicago Film Archives in 2026.