Dirk Kropp

For more than five decades, I have devoted myself passionately to the art of Aikido, 8th Dan.

My Beginnings

As a teenager, I wanted to learn how to defend myself. Drawn to the aesthetics of the movements and the philosophy behind Aikido, I began training. Even as a child, I had meditated a great deal and enjoyed being active. In Aikido, I found a way to combine both whilst learning a defence art of great ethical value.

Vocation and profession

After finishing school and completing my military service, I decided to drop out of the degree course I had just started so that I could devote myself entirely to my daily training. In my early 20s, I began teaching aikido, spending five years at the ‘Samurai Porz’ judo club. It was there that I developed a deep joy in teaching a Japanese way of life.

Dojo

• February 1985, Hürth-Efferen: Together with Hans-Jürgen Klages, I founded the dojo in an old smithy that we had previously converted ourselves. I have been leading training sessions there every day ever since.
• February 1989, Cologne-Bickendorf: We moved to Silcherstraße. Here, we converted a lorry garage into a dojo. For many years, we were the largest dojo in Europe.
• In the 1980s and 1990s, I also taught Aikido at the German Sport University. In addition, I ran numerous courses throughout Germany.
• Hans-Jürgen’s and my styles of aikido drifted far apart. In 1997, we finally went our separate ways. Since then, I have borne sole responsibility for the dojo.
• January 2022, Cologne-Ossendorf: Our dojo is moving into a former church. A long-cherished dream is thus coming true.

I am now 67 …

Volunteer work

Since the Federal Association of Aikido Teachers was founded in 1987, I have been involved in a wide variety of areas within the organisation. In 2018, I was elected to the Executive Committee as a member responsible for ‘Policy Matters’.

My teachers

Katsuaki Asai

From 1975 to 1988, I looked to Katsuaki Asai as my primary guide; he is a Japanese Aikido master who lives in Düsseldorf, and whose passion for Aikido kindled a fire within me that still burns to this day.

The family that founded Aikido

Between 1984 and 2024, I travelled to Tokyo almost every year. At the Aikikai Honbu Dojo, I practised for many hours a day – particularly in the early years. My focus, however, was on training in the morning class run by the founding family – under the personal guidance of Kisshomaru (†1999), Moriteru and Mitsuteru Ueshiba.

Dr Kokichi Hatakeyama

From 1983 until his death in 1988, the sword master Dr Kokichi Hatakeyama was a close, fatherly friend. He enabled me to spend several months at a time in Japan, introduced me to the world of martial arts, and granted me precious, very personal insights into his Buddhist life and his practice of cultivating peacefulness in the art of drawing the sword.

His critical view of my Aikido training at the time was shaped by his work as a geriatrician and as the attending doctor for numerous elderly martial artists: “You won’t grow old healthily practising Aikido like that, Mr Kropp”. He spoke excellent German.

Hatakeyama came into my life at exactly the right moment. My inner connection to the ethics of Aikido and meditation was already hidden beneath a cloak of sporting ambition. At the same time, the years of rigorous physical training were increasingly taking their toll.

However, it was only after his death that I was able to recognise and accept the full depth of his observations.

Japan

For me, the ‘Land of Silence’ is a source of inspiration and my living connection to the roots of aikido. What makes it special here is that mindfulness in everyday life isn’t just a trend, but something that goes almost without saying.

For me, trips to Japan are like periods of retreat: when I’m there, alongside my training, I observe people’s everyday lives, return to familiar places – such as Shinjuku Gyoen, ‘my’ park – and reflect on our Aikido and our dojo.

The Meditative Path

Staying power

My exchanges with Hatakeyama, and indeed my first five trips to Japan, had a lasting impact on me. I did not want to shut myself off from the experiences and insights gained from these journeys: with a great deal of discipline and sound judgement, from the late 1980s until the turn of the millennium, I developed a meditative style of Aikido that focuses on the healthy and peaceful potential of this martial art.

Together with Christina Barandun, I have written a book about this holistic approach. I have been trainingAikido instructors since 2005.

What is really close to my heart

Artificial intelligence is increasingly permeating every aspect of our daily lives. Yet, despite all its astonishing possibilities, our human talents and – above all – our values remain irreplaceable. These deserve and require our special attention, care and nurturing. This is where my philosophy of practice and the dojo comes in: it creates a safe space where body, mind and soul can be equally nourished, strengthened and gently developed. A practice of Aikido in which our humanity is allowed to come alive in all its depth.