Aikido Schools of Ueshiba George Ledyard Sensei began his Aikido studies in 1976 under the direct instruction of Mitsugi Saotome and has continued this association ever since. Ledyard Sensei currently holds the rank of 7th Dan in Aikido and Shodan in Daito Ryu Aikijujutsu. He counts Hiroshi Ikeda, William Gleason, Howard Popkin, Mary Heiny, Tom Read, Endo Seichiro, and Dan Harden as strong influences on his Aikido.