Who is Morihiro Saito

Morihiro Saito 

Morihiro Saito one of Morihei Ueshiba longest standing students, staying in Iwama, the birthplace of Aikido.

You also have other top students of the founder Gozo Shioda, Kenji Tomiki, Koichi Tohei.

Morihiro Saito Shihan, an Aikikai 9th dan, and one of the highest ranking aikidoists in the world, began his Aikido education under Aikido's Founder, Morihei Ueshiba, in 1946. Morihiro Saito was a skinny lad of eighteen when he summoned up the courage to seek out the founder in the summer of 1946. Before his death Ueshiba gave Morihiro Saito the responsibility of carrying on the teaching at the Iwama dojo and also the position of caretaker of the Aiki Jinja located in Iwama.

Aikido

Morihiro Saito's practice of aikido spanned 56 years, from the age of 18 when he first met Morihei Ueshiba, aikido's founder, to Saito's death in 2002.  Saito's instruction of aikido is particularly remembered for its emphasis upon the basics of aikido, and especially upon the relationship between the armed and unarmed aspects of the art. 

According to Saito's son, Hitohiro Saito, Saito believed that the basis of all empty-handed, sword, and staff techniques was the mastery of aikido's basic posture (hanmi).  There have been many technical books written featuring Saito Shihan and his Aikido.  His mission of teaching Aikido to his uchideshi and students still came first

Aikido Students (uchideshi)

The life of the full-time live in students consisted of prayer each morning before sunrise, two meals of rice porridge each day, and training interspersed with copious amounts of work on the farm. 

Although other students such as Koichi Tohei trained with Ueshiba for more years than Saito did, Saito's work allowed him to train almost as an uchideshi, for long periods as the only student.  Uchideshi and students over many decades will testify that Saito Shihan was a very hard and strict teacher.