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Breakfast concluded, Suenaka headed off for the day’s first class. As the years passed and their relationship progressed, O’Sensei often invited Suenaka not only to breakfast, but dinner as well, a pattern that began during this first visit and continued throughout all of Suenaka Sensei’s stays at the Hombu in the years to come. “Naturally, I was always there. I never missed out having breakfast or dinner with him!” Suenaka usually sat with others at the same table as O’Sensei, rather than the separate table reserved for deshi, while O’Sensei’s wife Hatsu, as per custom, took her meals in the kitchen with the domestic help.

The first full day at the Hombu unfolded predictably enough. Sometimes O’Sensei would teach the first class, although often, at his father’s discretion, the first class of the day was taught by Kisshomaru Ueshiba Doshu, known then as wakasensei, a title given to the son of a system founder before he becomes the successor (today, Moriteru Ueshiba, son of Doshu, bears the title wakasensei). Afterwards, Doshu would usually turn his attention to administrative duties, leaving the day’s instruction in the hands of a shihan. At that time, Koichi Tohei was still in Hawaii, but when at the Hombu the responsibility of teaching the next few classes was his, though he would often designate various students to teach throughout the day. Instruction commenced at around 6:30 a.m., and ended just before 9:00 p.m. Suenaka attended as many classes as he could, and enjoyed dinner with the Founder before retiring that night. The third day proceeded as the first: breakfast with O’Sensei, then classes all day long, and dinner before falling into bed.