Page 24 - Hiroshi Kato Shihan

Page 24
My sincerest condolences for all of the family of the Shudokan Aikido Association and
the Suginami Aikikai of which I am a proud member and have the honor to be a part of.
May our great master rest in peace. He will always live in our hearts because we know
that we also were in in his great heart.
Dr. Geraldo Diaz, 1st dan, a Pediatrician from Monterrey, Mexico
For me words cannot convey the sadness and emptiness that I feel today from your
announcement. I can only imagine the pain that you and the dojo are going through right
now and it brings tears to my eyes. Kato Sensei was and is a decent human being. His
presence and talent helped bridge the impossible to being possible . He is a man of
peace and we are so blessed to have experienced him and the path that he tried to show
us. I know in your heart you will struggle to make sense of it all and the direction the dojo
takes will seem a challenge. However, in the end Kato Shihan left with us with a
foundation of how we maintain our sense of humanity not only on the mat but in our lives.
We are honor bound to continue that course in our lives and to emulate whatever small
part we can grasp of his teachings to live our lives with honor and integrity. Lastly Jorge,
thank you for having the vision to see how special he was and for bringing him here to
Houston to become part of our Aikido. I know it must have been difficult for you. However,
I am eternally grateful to have experienced his Aikido but also to known him as a man of
peace. Thank you for this gift. He is gone physically but his spirit remains in your dojo and
in all of us who have been touched by him.
Jim Riviera, a friend and longtime Aikido practitioner, League City, Texas