Soke Ono Takashi

           Sensei Ono Takashi was born on the 30th of December 1957. He began practicing martial arts at a very young age, reason for which he received his 7th dan and the title of Kyoshi in kendo when he was only 30 years of age (32 to be more precise), following an extremely demanding examination, from the 1600 persons who were examined, he was among the only 190 who succeeded, thus becoming the youngest possessor of the title of 7 Dan, Kyoshi, in Japan at that time.

Sensei Takashi Ono graduated in 1980 from the famous Waseda University as a sport and physical education professor specialized in kendo, art which he teaches to present day at high school from the prefecture he lives in, Saitama, with his high school team (team Hoshikai), he obtained second place in the National Championship in Japan. During his college years, besides Ryogen Ryu with soke Hayashi, he also studied the Ono-Ha Itto Ryu kenjutsu school with the school’s penultimate soke (the 16th) Sasamori Junzo, kendo Hanshi 8 dan, (1886-1976), the father of the current soke, Sasamori Takemi, the 17th grandmaster. The best kendo practitioners in Japan belong to the Tokyo Police and Osaka Police Department clubs.  To be a member in the advanced class you need to have at least 7 dan. The kendo technique of the two departments outmatches by far the level of any university, except for that of the Waseda University which represents the exception, the members of this university are the only ones in Japan who can successfully face the kendo level of the members from the two departments. Sasamori sensei teaches the Ono-Ha Itto Ryu school to the Waseda team in the same manner in which he teaches the teams of the Tokyo and Osaka Police Departments.

 Soke Ono was also the student of master Okada Yasuhiko, son of the famous martial arts and calligraphy (shodo) grandmaster, founder of the Shodokan dojo, Okada Morihiro sensei (1893-1984) 8 dan Hanshi in three disciplines: kendo, iaido and jodo, one of the closest disciples of the 16th soke of the Muso Shinden Jushin Ryu (Muso Shinden Ryu/Muso Jikiden Ryu/ Eishin Ryu), Nakayama Hakudo sensei (1869-1958).

Sensei Ono first taught in Europe at the kendo dojo in Strasbourg – France, where he demonstrated Okada Morihiro sensei’s school. With the help of the Japanese Volunteers Agency (J.I.K.A. – J.O.C.V. Japan Agency for International Cooperation) on the 10th of July 1997 (a day before Ozon Karyu sensei’s birthday) Soke Ono Takashi arrives in Romania, on an unbearable 38° C heat, where he is awaited and greeted by sensei Ozon (accompanied by the president of the Romanian Kendo Association at that time) at the plane exit, at the airport exit there were other members of the R.K.A. waiting with a small Romanian protocol prepared, fact which especially impressed Ono sensei. Sensei Ono was also surprised and pleased to see the before the training sessions began, in Romania, the dojo is washed by hand (zokin-gake), an extremely rare fact in Japan, where a T-mop is used. Soke Ono insists on basic techniques with a wide arming which help create a more harmonious and elegant stance. Ono sensei remained in Romania until the year 2000, when he returned to his homeland, Japan.