I’ve recently attended a two-day training session with Shihan Hiroshi Isoyama. He is amazing. As a person, as a master, as a human being! He’s 70 years old now. Joined Iwama Dojo at the age of 12 and spent 20 years with Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido himself. Now, after 58 years of practise this man makes us stand with mouths wide open as he throws uke as they were made of paper! His skills of passing the huge knowledge of budo are none the less. With a big dose of sense of humor he explains the basics and reveals the secrets of the martial art to us as they were small gifts given to us with a pleasure of both sides. As my friend summarised him: “He is one of the last samurais, they don’t make such people anymore…”.

A short bio and small collection of streamed movies introducing Isoyama shihan can be found here:
http://aikitube.blogspot.com/2007/01/hiroshi-isoyama.html

I also recommend this interview with Hiroshi Isoyama shihan from the year 2000, at AJ.