For thirty years, Daniel Toutain was a close student of three famous Japanese experts successively, all disciples of O'Sensei Morihei Ueshiba, the Founder of Aikido:

Masamichi Noro Sensei from 1968 to 1978

Nobuyoshi Tamura Sensei from 1978 to 1988

Morihiro Saito Sensei from 1992 to 2002

from whom he received the rank of sixth dan in March 2002, as well as the highest degree of teaching of the Bukiwaza of Iwama (Aikiken and Aikijo). Saito Sensei had given him permission to conduct Iwama Ryu Dan exams in France and outside Japan on his behalf.

Daniel Toutain also holds the 6th Dan Aikikai of Tokyo.

Apart from a short experience in Judo and Karate, he practiced Wing Chun (Chinese martial art) with Sifu Nino Bernardo, an internationally renowned Master, disciple and representative of the great Master Wong Shun Leung, as well as Iai for a longer period. He started practicing Yoga in 2015 and, together with the resumption of his personal Wing Chun training, this gave him a new opening in his practice. 

Since 1975 Daniel Toutain has held a degree in Judo, Karate, Aikido and Combat Methods (majoring in Aikido) from the French Ministry of Youth and Sports. He once held the position of Regional Technical Delegate within the UNA (Union Nationale Aikido) and National Technical Manager within the FFLAB (Fédération Française Libre d’Aikido et de Budo), led by Tamura Sensei, at the beginning of the 1980s.

His practice changed enormously when he followed the direct teaching of Morihiro Saito Sensei for about ten years, staying several times a year in the Founder's Dojo in Iwama. He also participated in the numerous seminars led by his Master in Europe. During this same period he invited Saito Sensei to France three times by organising large international meetings and received him in his personal Dojo which was located in Rennes, in Brittany.

Creation of Wanomichi :

Daniel Toutain wished to give another opening to his practice in order to bring an evolution to the technical heritage acquired from his Master Saito Sensei. He created Wanomichi to offer a more contemporary and comprehensive practice that better meets the needs of today's world. Wanomichi thus corresponds to the symbiosis of the common principles existing between the different arts he was able to practice and Iwama's Aikido, which remains the main source of the applications of this symbiosis.

Wanomichi is part of the "Aiki" world. Although it shares the same purpose as Aikido, Wanomichi differs from it because of a different technical programme, an approach and a learning system of its own.

Daniel Toutain is the Technical Director of Wanomichi within the French Federation of Aikido, Aiki Budo and Associated Arts (FFAAA).

In April 2024 he has been awarded 8th dan by FFAAA.

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