About the Merrifield Dojo
The Virginia Ki Society was founded in 1974 when a small program in the Virginia suburbs of Washington DC was established by William (Kirk) Fowler. Since that time the original dojo has moved several times, arriving in 1994 at its present location in the Washington DC suburb of Merrifield, VA. Soon after founding the VKS, Fowler Sensei moved and left the dojo under George Simcox Sensei, who was soon appointed by Ki Society founder Koichi Tohei to be Chief Instructor of the Virginia Ki Society. As new member schools from around the Mid Atlantic joined the VKS, the Merrifield facility became the headquarters dojo. Simcox Sensei led the Virginia Ki Society for almost 25 years, from 1975 until his untimely death in November 2000. In January 2001, Koichi Tohei appointed Chuck Auster, to succeed Simcox Sensei as Chief Instructor of the VKS. Auster Sensei served for several years and is currently on sabbatical.
In 2003, to reflect the reality that all member dojos of the Virginia Ki Society were equally important, the Northern VA dojo was re-christened Northern Virginia Ki-Aikido. The following year, the VKS joined the New Jersey and South Carolina Ki Societies to form the Eastern Ki Federation. David Shaner, who was previously Chief Instructor to the South Carolina group, was appointed Chief Instructor of the new federation. Shaner Sensei now oversees instruction and testing standards for all member dojos within the EKF.
Northern Virginia Ki Aikido also continues as a member of The Virginia Ki Society, which was incorporated in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the early 1980's as a non-profit (501c 3) corporation. It is organized with a Board of Directors, which is elected annually by VKS dojo members. In turn, the Board appoints officers to conduct the day-to-day business of the organization.
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If you wish to learn more, please download the Northern Virginia Ki-Aikido Instructor/Student Handbook.
[Word Version]
[PDF Version]