Sensei John Jenkin - 6th Dan

Born in 1956, Sensei John Jenkin began training in Judo at the age of eight, continuing for ten years. In 1973, at the age of seventeen he began his aikido training in Yoshinkan Aikido under Sensei Donal G. Weir, who was the instructor at the Epsom and Ewell Aikido Club, Rugby Lane, Cheam, Surrey.

In March 1979 Sensei John Jenkin was graded to Shodan by Sensei Wier (Sandan) and in March 1981 he was graded to Nidan by Sensei M.Victor (Rokudan) of the F.M.A., at this time it was also his honour to be uke for Sensei Weir who was graded to Yondan.

At the end of 1984 he was given the responsibility of running the Epsom and Ewell Aikido Club and continued to run it until the end of 1988 when he handed the club into the capable hands of Sensei Stuart Rolland. He continued training with as many different Sensei and styles of Aikido as he could, until an accident at work in 1990 almost bought an end to his training.

On the 6th August 1993 he founded the Koshinkan Aikido Society and from the very start he had the help of Sensei Tony Hughes. On the 8th February 1997 Sensei John Jenkin was awarded his Rokudan

On the 7th August 2003 the Koshinkan Aikido Society celebrated its 10th anniversary and Sensei John Jenkin celebrated his 30 years in aikido.

Sensei John Jenkin has also trained in two styles of Iaido (sword drawing) and holds a dan grade in Muso Shinden Ryu; he also holds dan grades in Aikijutsu and has trained in Jodo; he was a qualified practitioner of shiatsu, including moxabustion, sotai, dry cupping, auricular accupressure, holistic massage and Qi Gong and he was a member of EMBODY (formally the International Guild of Professional Practitioners).

It was Sensei John Jenkin's belief that everyone can benefit from studying aikido, and that politics puts un-necessary barriers in the way of training. It is for this reason that the Koshinkan Aikido Society encourages practice with other groups of Aikidoka for its students.

Sensei John Jenkin passed away suddenly in 2017 and he is sorely missed by all who knew him as a person, Sensei and an aikidoka.