The Patriarch
Kelly Tan Sensei
Chief Instructor & Founder
Kelly Tan caught the martial arts bug early in his life. The history began when he was 15. Then living in a ‘kampong’, where electronic entertainment like the iPads and Playstations of today were not yet in existence, he set out to find something interesting to do, and chanced upon an old monk teaching Wushu to a group of his ‘kampong’ friends at a temple not too far from his home. He continued to train Wushu at the temple until the old monk’s passing two years later.
At 19 years of age, both his uncles thought that, as a young man embarking on his journey into adulthood, Kelly needed to have martial arts training to “toughen himself up”. One uncle was the late Chua Siew Heng, and the other uncle, was the late Teddy Lee Meng Kum; both of which many consider to be the pioneers of Aikido in Singapore. At the same time, after being encouraged by some of his friends, he took up Karate. And so Kelly was training in both Aikido and Karate until he reached his 30s, when advancement in his career was making it difficult for him to find the time to train in both martial arts. He gave up Karate.
On why he chose Aikido: “I like the non-aggressive nature of the art. There are so many variations to the simplest of techniques, and this keeps the art interesting. It is graceful and soft, which is important now that I am an old man at 65.” he quips.
Kelly’s interests are many, they include sailing, motor racing, golf and music. He used to be part of a Singaporean band in the 60s called The Meltones, and still actively plays music today.
“There are so many variations to the simplest of techniques, and this keeps the art interesting.”
The Sage
Hironobu Yamada Shihan
Technical Advisor
Hironobu Yamada Shihan began his Aikido training in 1963 at Jiyugaoka Dojo in Tokyo under Hiroshi Tada Shihan.
In 1976, Yamada Shihan independently established his first dojo, "JAL Aikido Club", which held its trainings inside the Narita International Airport. Since then, he has gone on to establish more Aikido dojos in several cities in the Chiba Prefecture of Japan, such as Sanbu City, Tomisato City, Ichihara City and Yachimata City. All of which are now under Hokuso Aikikai's umbrella, which he helms.
Yamada Shihan is also very well linked outside of Japan, with dojos from Russia, Holland, Brazil, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia and Sri Lanka.
Instructors & Assistant Instructors
THE "ANIKI" - SEAN WANG - 5th Dan
A man of few words, Sean has the mysterious aura of a Zen master – nothing ever seems to faze him. What many do not know is that 99% of the time his mind is thinking blah, meh, why, huh, and food. And the other 1%? He’s probably asleep. But beneath Sean’s carefree facade is a burning passion for martial arts. Get him started on the topic and he’ll share happily his knowledge over a couple of drinks, or if you are lucky, he may even tell you a mythological tale.
THE PHYSICIAN - CHARLES ONG - 4th Dan
A General Practitioner by profession, his affable and genial nature makes him popular with his patients and fellow Aikidokas alike. But behind this amiable persona hides an avid golfer with lofty aspirations of one day becoming Singapore's Arnold Palmer.
THE GENTLE ONE - DOROTHY BARRETT - 3rd DAN
Middle-aged and utterly unathletic, Dorothy reluctantly attended her first aikido class in Chicago with her teenage children but to her surprise was immediately hooked. Soon after, her family’s move to Singapore began many years of training under Sensei Kelly. Though her children have grown and moved on to other interests, Dorothy remains captivated by the complexity and the simplicity of the art. Dorothy enjoys sharing her experience with others, whether teaching jewelry making and illustration, lecturing on design, or leading the children's aikido class.
THE DOUBLETON - EUGENE ANG and GOH CHEN CHEN - 2nd Dan
Rarely seen apart from each other, this pair of teenage sweethearts will remind you of the comedic couple: Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. One a ticklish giglish girl, and the other a perpetual goofball both on and off the mat.
THE ENGINEER - EDMUND WONG T.C - 2nd DAN
Usually referred to as “TC”, he is the most likely person you will meet in the Dojo as he only rest on Saturdays.
He is an engineer by profession. Aikido appeals to his fascination on leverage, vectors, center of gravity and many engineering principles. Aikido training sessions are like physics practical lessons where he gets to play and test out physics theories.
THE SHEPHERD - LOW DANLI - 1st Kyu
Danli is a hopeless romantic whose capacity for watching cheesy romantic flicks can only be described as superhuman. She loves to watch birds fly across the sky and thinks it's poetry in motion. Danli hopes to be able to fly too, but in a plane, to Paris where she’ll sit at one of their quaint little cafes and people watch all day long.
The Calvary
An integral part of the Aikido Kenshin-Kai family, there are many members who took time off their busy schedule to help. They not only support the Instructors and Assistant Instructors during classes, they also aid in fostering a positive culture in the dojo. But perhaps their most important task is to help answer whimsical questions our playful children Aikidokas will often ask.