Peter Van Marcke
Aikido shihan 7th dan
Founder and Chief Instructor @ Antwerpen Aikikai


Seminar schedule Aikido techniques

Peter Van Marcke shihan is chief instructor at Antwerpen Aikikai. He started aikido at the age of 10, back in 1976. He studied aikido under many teachers home and abroad, mainly under Seiichi Sugano shihan (in memoriam 2010) for 28 years, under Nobuyoshi Tamura shihan (in memoriam 2010) for 23 years and under Yoshimitsu Yamada shihan (in memoriam 2023) for 35 years. These 3 teachers have been direct, living-in students of the founder of aikido, O-sensei Morihei Ueshiba.

To learn from his teachers, Peter travelled during many years throughout Europe, the United States, Canada and Japan. During his intensive search for aikido, he stayed countless times in France and other countries on seminars with Tamura sensei, he travelled numerous times to many countries with Sugano sensei, and he stayed longer periods at the New York Aikikai, at the dojo of Yamada sensei where Sugano sensei was also teaching, in order to get a deeper understanding of their teachings.

Peter sensei started teaching aikido in 1986 and currently he's conducting aikido seminars in many countries. He opened his first dojo, Aikido Ken Kyu Kai, in Aalst in 1988, followed by a second dojo, Tobu Chiku Aikikai, in Erpe-Mere in 1994. In 2000 he moved to the Antwerp region and opened the aikido dojo Shu Shin Kan in Mortsel, Antwerp. In 2011 Shu Shin Kan was renamed to Antwerpen Aikikai.

Antwerpen Aikikai is part of Sansuikai international and Sansuikai Europe, Yamada sensei's international organisation, in which Peter sensei takes an active role as teacher on international seminars.

Peter sensei reached the rank of nanadan (7th dan) of the Aikikai Honbu dojo in Tokyo, was granted the teacher title of Shihan by the Aikido World Headquarters and the degree of Trainer A at the Vlaamse Trainerschool of Sport Vlaanderen.