About Aikido
What is aikido?
Aikido is a modern martial art created by Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969), who mastered the secrets of many traditional Japanese martial arts and, through further rigorous spiritual training, developed it from an “art” jutsu to a “path” dō. Aikido has been passed down from the founder to the second generation dōshu (“master of the way”), Kisshōmaru sensei (1921-1999), and now has more than 1.5 million members in 140 countries under the leadership of the third generation dōshu, Moriteru Ueshiba sensei.
Characteristics of Aikido Techniques
It is said that the fundamentals of Japanese martial arts lie in “posture” shisei, “defensive body movement” taisabaki and “technique” waza.
The defensive body movement taisabaki in aikido can be summarized by two expressions: irimi issoku (the movement of slipping off the attack line and entering the opponent’s blind spot) and enten no ri (the movement of avoiding the opponent’s attack through a circular body motion centered on the hips, like a spinning top). The taisabaki allows the aikido practitioner to avoid the opponent’s attack through “enterings” irimi and “turns” tenshin while always keeping his/her own center. The movement of the opponent is led into one's own movement (through three-dimensional spherical movements). The techniques that emerge from this process are only controlling the opponent’s violence without threatening his/her life. This is why aikido is called the martial art of “harmony” wa.
Aikido uses the word ki to describe what unifies body and mind. The power of ki is called breathing power. It is important for the body to move smoothly and continuously in a well unified body and mind stance, and to achieve this, it is important to cultivate the “breathing power”, which is the force emanating from the core of the body (“pit of the stomach” seikatanden) that unifies all body movements to a center.
In aikido, joint techniques are used to control the opponent by bending the opponent's joints in the direction they bend. They are not by any means joint techniques where you embrace “opposition” and twist down the opponent by force. It can be said that the training method of aikido, which does not go against nature and does not apply unnecessary force, is a preventive health method blessed with the harmony and stability of nature. Also, by repeating techniques according to each other's level of proficiency, training left and right equally, and practicing both uke (receiver of the technique) and tori (performer of the technique), a sense of balance is cultivated and the body and mind can be strengthened.
Therefore, anyone, young or old, male or female, can practice. Besides the obvious benefits it brings to your health, repeated practice also naturally builds your confidence to actively tackle anything in your daily life. Since many people of all ages, genders, professions, and nationalities gather at the dojo, practicing is a great way to deepen your understanding of people.
Characteristics of Aikido Training
In regular aikido training, kata (“form”) repetitions are practiced without a so-called match format.
Kata shouldn’t be just “form” though, but an active one that can be used at once in practice to control your opponent. It is not a relative pursuit of victory and defeat, but a pursuit of absolute strength and a mutual encouragement to improve towards self-perfection.
It is the endeavor to create one technique together with your partner, to seek correctness together and strive to acquire strength that comes from that correctness, that leads to the spirit of wa, and it is also the essence of training.
Principles of Aikido Training
In the “Principles of Aikido Practice” written by the founder, Morihei Ueshiba, there is a passage stating that “the practice should always be conducted cheerfully”.
A person who truly understands the spirit of martial arts will rather look soft and relaxed on the outside, with no unnecessary tension in the shoulders and elbows. In other words, it is essential to practice in a natural, joyful, and honest manner. Training in the dojo is training based on an agreement, so to speak. However, when someone suddenly hits you in the street, will you be able to immediately avoid the attack with a calm mind? It is normal for the mind to be calm when things are calm, but it is important to maintain such a calm mind when things are not, and it is the aikido training that brings us to that point.
In aikido, there is no “retirement”. It’s active duty for life. You must continue to seek your absolute strength throughout your life. Once you start practicing, it is essential to persevere, and continuing to practice is the first step toward improvement and an important aspect of training.