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LOGO

• Using symbols from nature is very traditional in Japanese crests

• The oak leaves are meaningful because we train in Oakland

• Using two items are appropriate because Aikido is a partner practice; we move, learn, and create powerful training relationships with each other

• The yin-yang relationship is appropriate because the roles in Aikido practice are constantly changing; sometimes you are attacker, sometimes the defender, sometimes quickly shifting.

• Staging the leaves diagonally suggests movement

• Oak is symbolic of longevity, stability, persistence, strength, hope and productivity. Some cultures believe the oak was the first tree and the acorn our first food

• Our weapons are often made of oak

• The open leaf design suggests freedom, imagination and spontaneity -- the feeling of takemusu; the leaves enclosed in the circle have a strong sense of strength, stability, continuity, Japanese heritage

• The oak leaves are inspired by traditional Japanese artwork, but modified slightly to create a little more modern experience (significantly the diagonal design and exposed, jagged stem)

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