Chicago Aikikai

09/03/2026

09/02/2026

There will be an upcoming screening of the film "Reckoning with Redress," third in a series of films about the WWII internment of Japanese Americans [following "The Orange Story" (2017) and "Resettlement: Chicago Story" (2023)] with onscreen appearances by Chicago Aikikai/Illinois Aikido Club founding member Joe Takehara Sensei.

When Full Spectrum Features released The Orange Story in 2017, we set out to tell a part of Japanese American history that had gone largely untold — the forced removal and incarceration of over 120,000 people during World War II. With Resettlement: Chicago Story in 2023, we followed those families into the decades that followed: the assimilation, the silence, the rebuilding. Many of you have been with us every step of the way.
This fall, we complete the trilogy.
Reckoning with Redress is the third and final chapter — the story of the survivors and descendants who refused to let that history stay buried, who organized and testified and fought, and who helped win the largest reparations effort in U.S. history. It is also a story rooted right here in Chicago: in 1981, that fight came to the campus of Northeastern Illinois University, where community members testified before the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians. Forty-five years later, we're bringing it back.
On September 22, please join us for the public launch of Reckoning with Redress — a cinematic digital history project, a community celebration, and a homecoming for a story that has always belonged to this community.

08/26/2026

Trading cards with another neighborhood business. Thank you, Foot Relax Spa for letting us drop off a stack of cards on your counter.

08/25/2026

Getting to know the neighborhood

08/19/2026

Chicago Aikikai at Anime Magic 2026

08/17/2026

https://maytt.home.blog/2026/08/11/interview-with-chicago-aikikais-historian-dwight-sora-culture-archives-and-aikido-part-i/

Combined with the recent move of Chicago Aikikai and a former student finding dojo boxes in his storage, Dwight Sora found a window into Chicago’s Aikido past. Some were archival footage of the sch…

08/14/2026

🎉 JASC is turning 80—and we want you to celebrate with us!
Join us for our 80th Anniversary Block Party, proudly co-hosted by the West Ridge Chamber of Commerce!

📍 JASC (5700 N Lincoln Ave)
📅 Sunday, August 30
⏰ 12:00 - 4:00 PM
🎟️ FREE & open to the community!

Stop by for a fun afternoon featuring:

🌭 Grilled Japanese teriyaki hot dogs
🍧 Sweet treats from Rita’s Dessert Truck
🎯 Ring toss, fishing games & other family-friendly activities
🎨 Face painting
🛍️ Hidden treasures from Obachan’s (Grandma’s) Attic
🎉 And plenty of celebrating!

Whether you’ve been coming to JASC for years or have never visited us before, come see what we’re all about and celebrate 80 years of community, culture, and connection!

🙌 Want to be part of making the celebration happen? We’re looking for volunteers to help us make the day a success!

Visit our website to learn more about the Block Party and how you can support this special event: https://jasc-chicago.org/80th-anniversary-block-party/

📣 Help us spread the word! Share this post, invite your friends and neighbors, and pay us a visit on August 30!

08/14/2026