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Suenaka and his father followed Tohei to several of the demonstrations he gave on Oahu, with the exception of a private demonstration given for the benefit of the local police. Tohei even gave a demonstration in the auditorium of Suenaka’s school, McKinley High, before traveling to the other islands in the Hawaiian chain to stage further demonstrations and establish schools. By this time, though, Warren Suenaka had no doubts. He immediately made aikido the new focus of his studies, and Roy Suenaka, though he needed no persuasion, was told to do likewise.

Warren Suenaka wasn’t the only man impressed by aikido’s uncommon power and efficacy. Tohei Sensei’s first visit to Hawaii lasted one year—long enough to establish a firm foothold, during which time many of the island’s ranking martial artists rushed to study under him. Among these early U.S. aikido pupils were many who attended the first demonstration at the Nishi-kai, including Yukiso Yamamoto, at the time fifty years old, Kazuto Sugimoto, “Koa” Kimura, and Isao Takahashi. For lack of a private dojo, aikido classes were conducted at the YBA hall in Honolulu on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and at the Kompira-san—a Buddhist temple which already doubled as a dojo for numerous martial arts, including judo, jujutsu, kendo, sumo, and kyudo—on all other days except Sunday. Suenaka studied every chance he could, alternating between classes at the YBA and the Kompira-san, training in aikido five days a week, almost to the exclusion of his judo training. As Yamamoto was also studying aikido, this potential conflict of focus caused no problems. Indeed, upon his departure a year later, Koichi Tohei appointed Yamamoto chief instructor of the brand-new Hawaii Aikikai, the parent organization for aikido in the Hawaiian islands, the headquarters of which was, naturally, at the YBA. Tohei awarded the judo godan (fifth degree black belt) the aikido rank of sandan (third degree black belt) and did the same for Takahashi and Sugimoto, naming them assistant chief instructors to Yamamoto. All three rotated among the YBA, Kompira-san, and other area schools, teaching aikido, though at the time Yamamoto had not totally forsaken his judo study and instruction.