Abe Tadashi (1926-1984), un des pionniers de l'aikido en France et en Europe démontre sa pratique avec ses élèves lors des championnats de France de Judo, en 1959
阿部 正（あべ ただし、1926年 - 1984年11月23日[1]）は、日本の合気道師範。西洋に拠点を置いて合気道を広めた最初の人物である。甥はニューヨーク合気会の山田嘉光。稽古中も常に笑顔であったため、合気道の開祖「翁先生」植芝盛平からも、弟子たちからも「Happy Aikidoka」と評されていた。
Tadashi Abe (阿部 正 Abe Tadashi) (1926 - November 23, 1984)[1] was the first aikido master to live and teach in the west. He began training in Aikido in Osaka in 1942 and went on to train directly under the founder of the art Morihei Ueshiba at Iwama as an uchideshi during World War II.[1] In 1952, after graduating in law from Waseda University, he moved to France where he studied law at the Sorbonne and taught aikido as a 6th Dan representative of Aikikai Honbu. After seven years he returned to Japan. By 1964 he was a 7th dan black belt in aikido.[2]
Aikido had been introduced into France a year earlier by Minoru Mochizuki during a visit, but it was Tadashi Abe's teaching at the judo dojo of Mikonosuke Kawaishi where aikido was first taught on a regular basis in the west.
In his beginning years in aikido, Abe had been very keen on ascertaining the martial effectiveness of the art.[3] He wrote two books on aikido in French language, and a scathing letter in critique of Koichi Tohei´s decision to break from the Aikikai and start his own Ki Society.