Kanshu Sunadomari was a live-in student in his teens of the Founder of Aikido, just prior to World War II. After the war, he was one of the first people to begin teaching the art of Aikido, and in 1961 he received the rank of 9th dan directly from the Founder. After his teacher's passing, Sunadomari formed an independent organization to study the spiritual teachings of Aikido. In 1999, he named his practice Aiki Manseido Aikido, symbolizing his dedication to disseminating the Founder's philosophy to future generations and developing the art as a way to help bring about world peace.