Sensei Neville Billimoria
Sensei Neville Billimoria, a student of Aoinagi-Ha Shito Ryu under Shihan R.R. Castilonia, Kyoshi, since 1977, is the chief instructor of the Aoinagi Ken Shu Kai, and has been teaching traditional martial arts at UCSD for nearly 30 years. Sensei Billimoria was awarded Menkyo Sensei certification from Sensei Castilonia in 1995, and the rank of Godan from the Aoinagi Martial Arts College in 1999. Upon Sensei Castilonia’s passing in 1999, he was accepted as a direct student of O’Sensei Richard Kim, awarded the rank of Godan, and entrusted as Technical Director of Shito Ryu for the Zen Bei Butokukai and Aoinagi. After Sensei Kim’s passing in 2001, he served on the board of directors for the Zen Bei Butokukai. In 2002, he was awarded a Rokudan rank and the title of Shihan from Sensei James Miyaji’s Ken Shu Kan organization in Hawaii, where he continues his training. In 2007, he was awarded a Renshi certificate from the Kokusai Butokukai
Since founding Aoinagi at UCSD, Sensei Billimoria has fostered the growth of martial arts at home and abroad, founding the UCSD Martial Arts Council and the UCSD Martial Arts Expo, teaching at the annual Zen Bei Butokukai International Summer Camp in Guelph, Ontario, and running an annual San Diego mini-camp at UCSD. In 2008, Sensei Billimoria created a six DVD series entitled “Cracking the Code of Kata”.