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What Is Aikido?
Whenever I move, that's Aikido.
O Sensei, Morihei Ueshiba
Aikido is a Japanese martial
art developed by Morihei Ueshiba (often referred to by his title 'O
Sensei' or 'Great Teacher'). On a purely physical level it is an art
involving some throws and joint locks that are derived from Jujitsu and
some throws and other techniques derived from Kenjutsu. Aikido focuses not
on punching or kicking opponents, but rather on using their own energy to
gain control of them or to throw them away from you. It is not a static
art, but places great emphasis on motion and the dynamics of movement.
Upon closer examination, practitioners will find from Aikido what they are
looking for, whether it is applicable self-defense technique, spiritual
enlightenment, physical health or peace of mind. O Sensei emphasized the
moral and spiritual aspects of this art, placing great weight on the
development of harmony and peace.
"The Way of Harmony of the
Spirit" is one way that "Aikido" may be translated into English. This is
still true of Aikido today, although different styles emphasize the more
spiritual aspects to greater or lesser degrees. Although the idea of a
martial discipline striving for peace and harmony may seem paradoxical, it
is the most basic tenet of the art. We could attempt to pigeonhole Aikido
into a synopsis of X number of words, but that would not do it justice, so
we leave the practitioner of Aikido to find out what Aikido is for
themselves without any preconceived notions. |
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Aikido history...
Aikido's founder, Morihei
Ueshiba, was born in Japan on December 14, 1883. As a boy, he often saw
local thugs beat up his father for political reasons. He set out to make
himself strong so that he could take revenge. He devoted himself to hard
physical conditioning and eventually to the practice of martial arts,
receiving certificates of mastery in several styles of jujitsu, fencing,
and spear fighting. In spite of his impressive physical and martial
capabilities, however, he felt very dissatisfied. He began delving into
religions in hopes of finding a deeper significance to life, all the while
continuing to pursue his studies of budo, or the martial arts. By
combining his martial training with his religious and political
ideologies, he created the modern martial art of Aikido. Ueshiba decided
on the name "Aikido" in 1942 (before that he called his martial art "aikibudo"
and "aikinomichi").On the technical side, Aikido is rooted in several
styles of jujitsu (from which modern judo is also derived), in particular
daitoryu-(aiki)jujitsu, as well as sword and spear fighting arts.
Oversimplifying somewhat, we may say that Aikido takes the joint locks and
throws from jujitsu and combines them with the body movements of sword and
spear fighting. However, we must also realize that many Aikido techniques
are the result of Master Ueshiba's own innovation. On the religious side,
Ueshiba was a devotee of one of Japan's so-called "new religions,"
Omotokyo. 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. It is impossible
sufficiently to understand many of O Sensei's writings and sayings without
keeping the influence of Omotokyo firmly in mind.
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