| Michele Quaranta sensei, 6th Dan Aikikai |
 Born on 24th of December 1953.Education: Economy High School Languages that he speaks: Italian, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese and English. Aikido: Starting in 1972, he has been practicing aikido for over 36 years continually. He is a bearer of 6th Dan in aikido. He was a student and assistant (uke) of Masatomi Ikeda sensei for 20 years and followed him to almost all his seminars. Professional profile: He was a professional football player in FC Nordstern (premier league) in the past. He was working as a professional football coach for a certain period of time, and also worked as a bank clerk. Finally he turns proffesionaly towards aikido. For 20 years he was continuously an assistant of M. Ikeda sensei. After the retirement of Ikeda sensei from the active aikido life in 2001, Quaranta sensei continues to teach and to spread out the aikido by the methodology inherited from M. Ikeda sensei. Aikido schools: He founded his own dojo in Basel (Switzerland) in 1983. All over Europe there are noumerous schools with over 3000 aikidokas that he mentors.  Internationally, he is known as the Technical manager and member of the technical committees of various countries which appreciate his ability and dedication to aikido. With the right to award degrees up to (including) 4th Dan in the Slovakian aikido association at the time when he was a bearer of 5th Dan and the title Shidoin, makes him the only example in the world with that permission granted by the Aikikai Hombu.Apart from aikido he is also teaching HOJO (a discipline developed at the famous school Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage Ryu which exists from the 14th century. Seminars: He holds aikido seminars in these countries: Switzerland, Poland, Croatia, Ireland, Slovakia, Czech, Netherlands, Ukraine, Macedonia, Egypt, Serbia, Bulgaria and G. Britain. Hobbies: music and gastronomy. |
