Founder of Aikido
Morihei Ueshiba () was certainly one of history's greatest martial artist. Even as an old man of eighty, he could disarm any foe, down any number of attackers, and pin an opponent with a single finger. Although invincible as a warrior, he was above all a man of peace who detested fighting, war, and any kind of violence. His way was Aikido, which can be translated as "The Art of Peace." Morihei Ueshiba is referred to by the practitioners of Aikido as O Sensei, "The Great Teacher".
The Art of Peace is an ideal, but it developed in real life on many fronts. Morihei in his youth served as an infantryman in the Russo-Japanese War, later battled pirates and bandits during an adventure in Mongolia, and then, after mastering a number of martial arts, served as an instructor at japan's elite military acadamies. Throughout his life, however, Morihei was sorely troubled by the contention and strife that plagued his world: his father's battles with corrupt politicans and their hired goons, the devastation of war, and the brutality of his country's military leaders.
Morihei was on a spiritual quest and was transformed by three visions. The
Morihei Ueshiba O-Sensei |
Aikido is a martial art created by Morihei Ueshiba. AI means harmony, KI means physical and spiritual energy and DO means Way. Ueshiba, often referred to as O-Sensei (great teacher) by Aikido practitioners, was born in Wakayama Prefecture in Japan in He was active in Budo (martial arts) until his passing in
He was an extremely talented, some say the most talented, martial artist of his time. O-Sensei based his art on the techniques and principles of Daito Ryu Aiki jujutsu, together with a very strong spiritual influence from Onisaburo Deguchi. Deguchi was the spiritual leader of the Omoto Kyo, a Shinto group.
Aikido is not a religion or a sect. O-Sensei is known to have said that one did not need to follow his religious path to learn Aikido. However, the Shinto traditions are a natural part of the Japanese culture, as are Buddhist traditions as well, and learning about them is of interest to those, such as myself, who are fascinated by Japanese culture in all of its aspects and forms.
Aikido History
Aikido was founded by Morihei Ueshiba (). Morihei Ueshiba is universally referred to as O’Sensei which means “Great Teacher.” O’Sensei spent a lifetime studying many different types of Japanese budo or martial arts where he developed a great deal of expertise, but he was also a deeply religious man as well. In , Morihei Ueshiba met and began studying with Sokaku Takeda, a famous martial arts practitioner of the time. During O’Sensei’s studies with Takeda he reached the pinnacle of his martial arts prowess, but he was still troubled by the fact that most martial arts required the killing or maiming of an opponent in order to “win” in a conflict. In a chance encounter, O’Sensei met religious leader, Onisaburo Deguchi and began studying with him. It was at this time that O’Sensei developed Aikido which was a synthesis between the martial arts techniques that he had mastered and his spiritual beliefs, in particular the preservation and betterment of mankind. Aikido is a martial art that is dedicated to the preservation and betterment of all life and therefore the techniques in Aikido are designed to align, control and redirect an aggressor’s energy in order to
Spiritual Influence
The other main influence on Morihei Ueshiba O-Sensei, not in terms of martial technique but rather in the spiritual sense, was Onisaburo Deguchi, the spiritual leader of the Omoto (Shinto) religion. O-Sensei met Deguchi for the first time in
O-Sensei moved to Tokyo around the late s, first teaching in private settings and finally establishing the Kobukan dojo in The dojo was situated in Shinjuku on the same site as the present Hombu Dojo.
Moving to Iwama
O-Sensei had purchased land in Iwama in the late s in preparation for his move out of Tokyo. In , suffering from illness and wanting to leave behind the gruelling, war-torn Tokyo life, The Founder retired to rural Iwama (know called Kasama), where he engaged in farming, training and meditation.
Beginning in the mids, O-Sensei ventured away from Iwama more often, spending days in Tokyo, Osaka, Wakayama and many other places he was invited to.
In his later years, The Founder’s health was failing and he spent more of his time in Tokyo. O-Sensei could by this time begin to see the fruits of his labor, with Aikido gaining great popularity around the world. This was partly due to the first Japanese teache
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