Aikido

Aikido (Japanese: 合気道; "the way of harmony of the spirit") is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba. It is derived from the Daitoryu Aikijujitsu, an old family style of unarmed combat that was taught so samurai could defend themselves should they find themselves without their swords. During his life, Ueshiba-Sensei (Sensei is a title of courtesy) changed the emphasis of his style quite a bit. This is one explanation of the origin of the different branches of Aikido that exist today - which each emphasise different aspects of Aikido.

At its core, Aikido is the way of harmony with one's surroundings, be it a partner or the world. As such, there is little in the way of attacking moves. An Aikidoka will rely principally on re-directing the energy of an attacker to either throw, control in a lock or pin the attacker. By practicing kata (literally: techniques) and then applying them through randori ho (free play methods), effective and safe self-defense moves can be learned.

Techniques

Most Aikido techniques can be described by the following pattern:

• Move out of the way of the attack.
• Break the attacker's balance by means of leverage and timing.
• Apply a throw, pin or lock to immobilise the attacker without injury to either party.

History

Daito ryu Aikijujitsu is said to have been founded by Saburo Minamoto no Yoshimitsu [1045-1127] (Note: Japanese names are given with family name first.) The art was then handed down through his descendants, the Takeda family of Kai Province (modern day Yamanashi Prefecture). Around the turn of the century, Takeda Sokaku inherited the style and began to teach it outside the family. Ueshiba Morihei trained with him and was granted a Menkyo Kaiden (high level certificate). The art is still taught and practiced today.

Ueshiba was born on the 14th of December 1883. He moved with his family to Hokkaido in 1912 where he met Takeda Sokaku and started to learn from him. He started to teach Daito ryu Aikijujitsu in 1916 in the town of Engaru in Hokkaido. On 15th September 1923 he became qualified to teach.

After his father's death, Ueshiba joined the new Omotokyo religion founded by Deguchi Onisaburo. Omotokyo was (and is) part neo-shintoism and part socio-political idealism. One goal of Omotokyo has been the unification of all humanity in a single "heavenly kingdom on earth" where all religions would be united under the banner of Omotokyo. Ueshiba said that Aikido came from his belief in this religion and encouraged others to join.

In 1931, Ueshiba founded his own dojo in Tokyo and called it the Kobukan. This dojo was nick named "hell dojo" because of the hard training. Tomiki Kenji, the founder of Shodokan Aikido, and Shioda Gozo, the founder of Yoshinkan Aikido, both learned Aikido during that time.

In 1942, Ueshiba moved to Iwama as the Kobukan was emptied by the war. This is the time when the name Aikido was first used by Ueshiba. The emphasis of the art changed from a martial art to a spiritual path.

Under Ueshiba Kisshomaru, Morihei's son, the Kobukan was reopened and then became the honbu (head dojo) of the Aikikai. To this day, the Ueshiba family teaches Aikido there. Ueshiba Morihei died on the 26th of April 1969 aged 86. His parting words were: "Aikido is for the entired world. Train not for selfish reasons, but for all people everywhere".

Different styles

There are different styles because Ueshiba Morihei, the founder of Aikido, changed the emphasis of his training and art during his life. This combined with the ideas and emphasis of different students create the diversity of Aikido schools and organisation that exist today.

• Aikikai: This school is headed by the family of Ueshiba and is the most commonly practiced school of Aikido. It is an umbrella association which recognises many different dojo and organisations in different and sometimes the same country.

• Yoshinkan: Founded by Shioda Gozo, this school is seen as one of the hardest styles of Aikido.

• Shodokan: This school was developed by Tomiki Kenji and Oba Hideo just after WW2 in Japan. Contrary to many styles of Aikido there is an element of competition named randori. It is similar to the randori of Judo. It is there to develop the skills needed to respond appropriately to attacks with vigorous resistance.

• Ki Aikido: Founded in 1971 by Tohei Koichi, this school of Aikido emphasises ki training and principles. Ki is seen as life energy. It is seen as the softest form of Aikido.

• Iwama: This school was headed by Saito Morihiro. He spend a lot of his life with Ueshiba in Iwama. His school seeks to preserve the Aikido of O-sensei (Ueshiba Morihei) as taught to Saito and includes a lot of weapons work. Saito has developed a series of bokken (wooden sword) and jo (spear) kata (techniques) to help in the practice of Aikido.

Source

York Aikido Web Site shares a lot with this page.

Albright, Scott (2002) Aikido and Randori: Reconciliation of Two Opposing Forces.- The Crowood Press.

Shioda, Gozo et al. (1997) Total Aikido: The Master Course.- Kodansha Europe.

Shishida, Fumiaki & Nariyama, Tetsuro (2002) Aikido: Tradition and the Competitive Edge.- Shodokan Publishing USA.

Ueshiba, Morihei et al. (1996) Budo: Teachings of the Founder of Aikido.- Kodansha Europe.