Career
He was an 8th dan teacher with the title shihan in the organisation Aikikai. He moved to the United States in 1966 as a 4th dan and subsequently founded the New England Aikikai, currently located off Porter Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Kanai was instrumental in the early development of aikido in the United States and Canada, and taught seminars widely throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.
He was one of the founders and a Technical Director of both the United States Aikido Federation (United States Air Force) and the CAF. Kanai Sensei was also skilled in iaido and subsequently taught this art to his senior students, many of whom hold dan rank in both iaido and aikido.
He was also highly respected for his metalworking skills and deep historical knowledge of the Japanese sword, the katana, serving at times as a specialist advisor to the East Asian Collection at the nearby Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Some of his senior students continue to operate New England Aikikai, while others have dispersed, starting new dojos throughout New England, notably Portland (Maine) Aikido, and as far away as Portland, Oregon.
His students also run the aikido clubs at nearby Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Tufts University.