Instructors

Pradityo Soekarno

Aikikai Membership #199194

4th Dan / 合気会4段

At 18 years of age, Pradityo Soekarno began aikido training at Bulungan Aikido Dojo. During college, he trained with several senior aikido practitioners there. One of his early teachers was Satoru Shigekoshi who then held the rank of 5th degree black belt at the time assigned by Japan International Cooperation Agency. To learn the basics of the modern martial art, he also visited and joined classes at other dojos, such as PTIK Aikido Club and Financial Aikido Club.

In 2004, he started to train intensively under the instruction of Patrick Ponsoda Sensei, 5th Dan, from France. Patrick Ponsoda Sensei’s aikido lines descended from Nobuyoshi Tamura Shihan (8th Dan, 1933-2010) and T. K. Chiba Shihan (8th Dan). Besides apprenticing to Patrick Ponsoda Sensei, in the late 2006, he had also been practicing with Toshimichi Aoki Sensei who was then a 5th degree black belt aikido practitioner. After 9 intensive years of training, Pradityo earned his 1st Dan in early 2007 certified by Aikikai Foundation, Aikido World Headquarters, with Hiroyuki Namba Shidoin (5th Dan) as his examiner.

Since 2007 to 2011, he had been following Donovan Waite Shihan’s (7th Dan) instruction through routine seminars in Jakarta and apprenticing with Toshiaki Nakamoto Sensei (5th Dan) for Ki exercise regularly. By early 2009, he obtained 2nd Dan from Hiroshi Fujimaki Shihan (6th Dan) of Hombu Dojo in an annual yudansha grading examination. In October 2014 he received his 3rd Dan from Yoshinobu Irie Shihan.

In 2016, he had the chance to meet Bruno Gonzalez Sensei (6th Dan) of Le Cercle Tissier in person at a seminar in Singapore. It was a quick click and one thing led to another as Bruno Gonzalez Sensei was meant to be a part of Lotus Aikido Dojo's 10th Anniversary. Thus he has been following the guidance of Bruno Gonzalez Sensei's ever since.

Pradityo got his 4th Dan on April 15, 2018, from Tomohiro Mori Shihan (6th Dan) of Hombu Dojo as his grading examiner. Currently, he is the chairman and head instructor of Lotus Aikido Dojo.

Iliad Lubis

Aikikai Membership #247441

3rd Dan / 合気会3段

Iliad started his Aikido training when he was 11 years old at Bulungan Aikido Dojo. He and his father trained there for 2 years before moving to Washington DC, USA, in 1999. There he went to learn more for a couple of years about the art of peace from one of O Sensei's direct students, Mitsugi Saotome Shihan (8th Dan) of Aikido Shobukan Dojo (Aikido Schools of Ueshiba).

During his study for Bachelor of Engineering at McGill University, Montreal, Canada, from 2004 to 2007, he continued his training under the guidance of Daniel Laurendau Sensei (5th Dan) at McGill Aikido which was affiliated with United States Aikido Federation.

In 2012, while taking his M.B.A. at Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan, he regularly practiced at the Aikikai World Headquarters with senior rank practitioners, high level instructors, and master teachers. Within 2 years there, he took a black belt test and passed his 1st Dan examination in October 2014 with Takeki Tsuboi Shihan (8th Dan) of Gessoji Dojo / Tadajyuku as his examiner.

Later that year after also receiving his Master Degree in Business Administration, he went back home to Jakarta, Indonesia, and has been training at Lotus Aikido Dojo ever since.

After 2 years of intensive practice with Pradityo Soekarno, Iliad earned his 2nd degree black belt in August 2016 at the Annual Yudansha Grading Examination. Three years later, on March 17, 2019, he received his 3rd degree black belt from Tomohiro Mori Shihan (7th Dan Aikikai) of Hombu Dojo as his examiner. Nowadays, he is an active Aikido practitioner and an avid instructor at Lotus Aikido Dojo.

In addition of his martial art skills and experiences, he was a Muay Thai athlete in Malaysia (2012) and still trains regularly to improve his endurance and agility. Not forget to mention, now he also trains Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He considers both Muay Thai and BJJ are supplements to his Aikido knowledge.