Varis

Rainer Varis

Rainer Varis (b. 1955) is the founder of Finnish ki-aikido, 7th dan and Shihan for ki-aikido clubs in Finland and Norway.

References

Kolehmainen, Vilho (1996). Vahvaa toimintaa ilman törmäystä: Etnografinen kuvaus suomalaisesta ki-aikidosta. Master's thesis in study of religions, University of Helsinki.

Laaksonen, Tero (1992). Kamppailijoita dojolta tatamilta. Turku.

PRH (2025). "Suomen Ki-Aikido Yhdistys - Basic details of the association." Finnish Patent and Registration Office: Information Service of the Finnish Register of Associations.

https://yhdistysrekisteri.prh.fi/

Puhakka, Petteri (2010). “Juhani Laisi -shihan: Aikido on matka itsemme tuntemiseen.” Aikido 2/2010: 6-9.

https://issuu.com/suomenaikidoliitto/docs/aikidolehti_2_10_nettiin

Tohei, Koichi (1983). Kiatsu. Ki no Kenkyukai H.Q.

Varis, Rainer (1979). Aikido. Varis.

Varis in 2021.

(Photo: Kimmo Räisänen.)

Finnish aikidoka in 1973. Rainer Varis (the man with the beard) is standing under the picture of Morihei Ueshiba. On his immediate left is Juhani Laisi, another high profile aikidoka, currently 7th dan Aikikai Shihan, a long-time student of Seishiro Endo. Toshikazu Ichimura is sitting in the front in black kimono.(Laisi's home archives; Puhakka 2010, 7).

Rainer Varis in Finnish national TV in 1993. Uke: Pekka Salmi and Kalle Ilvonen. The film is a part of the series by YLE (the Finnish Broadcasting Company) introducing Budo arts in Finland:

https://yle.fi/aihe/artikkeli/2012/01/27/budo-lajit-taiteen-ja-taistelun-tasapaino.

Summer seminar with Ichimura sensei in Uppsala, Sweden, 9-19 June 1975. Rainer Varis ("finsk kille") practicing ganseki-otoshi with Mouliko Halén (at 07:00). (Aikido, sommarläger Uppsala 1975 med Ichimura sensei. Stockholm Aikikai YouTube channel. Possibly filmed by Lennart Karlsson.)

Photos from Koichi Tohei's Aikido seminar in Heidelberg in 1987 taken by Rainer Varis:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/michido/albums/72157719636260511/

1970s

Ki-aikido demonstration in Tikkurila Sports Hall, early/mid 1980s. Uke: Pekka Salmi. (Varis' home archives.)

Varis started practicing aikido and iaido in Helsinki, Finland, in 1971 with Toshikazu Ichimura and was the first to recieve black belt in aikido in Finland in 1974. He was the Finnish chief instructor of Finland Aikikai until his departure from the Aikikai in 1977.

Koichi Tohei's seminar in Brussels in 1978 had a profound influence on Varis. He founded the Finnish Ki-Aikido Society (Suomen Ki-Aikido Yhdistys aka SKAY) in 1979 and the Finnish Ki Federation in 1993. (Kolehmainen 1996, 61.)

Varis says he never had a regular personal teacher as such, but says having learned a lot from Kenjiro Yoshigasaki, then the head of ki-aikido in Europe (Laaksonen 1992, 176). Tohei also remained a major influence, and Varis regularly attended his seminars in Europe and elsewhere.

SKAY remained formally under Tohei's Ki Society until the early 2000s, when Yoshigasaki departed from Tohei and formed his own organization.

After receiving black belt in ki-aikido, Varis systematically refused to grade, saying that grades wouldn't change him in any ways (Laaksonen 1992, 177).

He was promoted to Shihan in 2021 by three clubs in Finland and Norway, and to 7th dan in 2022 by the Ki no Kenkyukai Musubi.

Rainer Varis and Michael Holm in Ähtäri, Finland, 2021. (Video: Esa Lilja.)

Aikido demonstration in Brännkyrkahallen, Sweden, 16 October 1975. Rainer Varis performs knife techniques with Juhani Laisi (uke) at c. 01:48. Varis had just had a haircut, because he was heading to the mandatory military service. The heading says "Palle Lundin", but this is apparently an error (confirmed on the phone with Varis, 17 Jan 2025). (Doshu Kisshomaro [sic.] Ueshiba in Sweden 1975 1/3. Filmed by Olle Dehlén.)

1980s

Varis was the Finnish chief instructor of the Finland Aikikai until 1977, when he left the Aikikai and the club Meidokan. Meidokan was mainly a judo club, so reasons for leaving included a wish to have more tatami hours for aikido. Moreover, there had been disagreements pertaining to Japanese customs and codes of conduct between Varis and Ichimura. (Kolehmainen 1996, 61.)

Varis continued aikido training in a martial arts club entitled Tzuki. Training was hard and was nicknamed "Tzuki power style aikido" (Kolehmainen 1996, 61).

Koichi Tohei established Ki no Kenkyukai in different cities in Europe in 1978 (Tohei 1983, 56). Varis attended Tohei's seminar in Brussels in 1978.

The Finnish Ki-Aikido Society (Suomen Ki-Aikido Yhdistys i.e. SKAY) was founded in 1979 (PRH 2025), and in the same year Varis published the booklet Aikido (1979) depicting basic techniques, aikido philosophy, and ki exercises.

Photos, videos, and some history

According to diaries of his wife Arja, "Rainer travelled to Brussels on the 16th of March 1980 to meet sensei Degueldre. He also met sensei Yoshigasaki during that trip. Rainer came back to Finland after about a month." Degueldre, who was then Tohei's representative in Europe, gave a seminar in Finland the same year. (Sources disagree whether the seminar was just before or only after Varis' trip.)

Based on Arja's diary notes: In the late spring or early summer 1982 sensei Yoshigasaki and Marie-Rose travelled from Japan through the Soviet Union by train and arrived at Helsinki railway station. Sensei and Marie-Rose had a tent and they insisted on camping out in Rainer and Arja´s backyard.

This was Yoshigasaki's first trip to Finland. This was a part of their honeymoon. Sensei also gave a seminar in Tikkurila Sports Hall.

[Under construction...]

1990s

2000s

Varis is showing basic techniques in 2005-2006 at the SKAY dojo in Myllypuro, Helsinki, Finland:

Vimeo showcase opens in a new window. An example below.

2010s

2020s

[Under construction...]

Varis in his terrace showing the 1st dan diploma signed by Kisshomaru Ueshiba in 1974.

(Photo: E.L. 2022.)

Michael Holm and Varis in the 7th dan diploma handing ceremony at the Helsinki-Vantaa airport.

(Photo: Ilkka Muhonen 2022.)

Three ki-aikido clubs nominated Varis as their Shihan in 2021. From the left: Ilkka Muhonen (Shizentai Dojo Helsinki), Timo Hautoniemi (Ähtärin Ki-Aikido), Varis, Esa Lilja (Ki-Aikido Stavanger).

(Photo: Kimmo Räisänen, Rainer Varis' 50 years of aikido celebration seminar, Ähtäri 2021.)

Esa and Rainer in Helsinki 2023.

(Photo: Kimmo Räisänen.)

Videos from seminar in Helsinki, 16 December 2023: Vimeo showcase opens in a new window. Filmed by Torstein Jacobsen. An example below.

The SKAY dojo moved to Myllypuro in eastern Helsinki in the early 2000s.

Yoshigasaki seminar in Valencia, summer 2006. Varis standing on the very left. (Varis' home archives.)

Koichi Tohei and Giuseppe Ruglioni (sitting), Heidelberg, 1987. Varis is not in any pictures, because he was usually behind the camera in seminars like this.

Varis and Pekka Salmi, 1990.

(Varis' home archives.)

Kenjiro Yoshigasaki, Heidelberg 1987 (Photos: Rainer Varis.)

SKAY members, 1978 or 1979 (according to Pekka Salmi, standing 3rd from the left; Varis' home archives.)

SKAY juniors, 1978 (according to Pekka Salmi, standing 2nd from the right; Varis' home archives.)

Karasukai