Tell me about Aikido
Aikido in its present form is a pretty new innovation within the martial arts tradition. Aikido was founded in Japan in the early 20th century and is credited to Morihei Ueshiba. Ueshiba discovered the traditional martial arts as a boy by his father Yoroku. He is believed to have studied a variety of martial arts disciplines, such as ju-jistu as well as ken-jutsu and the art of the spear. In 1912 Morihei relocated to Hokkaido, where a fortunate meeting with a man named Sokaku Takeda changed his life.
Takeda was a master of daito-ryu-aiki-ju-jitsu, a discipline that had originated in the 6th century and had been passed down through the military hierarchy and formalized by brothers of the Aizu clan, becoming known as the Oshi-Kiuchi, or “striking arts.” The young Ueshiba quickly became intrigued by the fierce demeanor of Takeda and trained with him until 1919.
On returning to his native Tanabe due to the death of his father, Morihei encountered the charismatic founder of an esoteric belief called Omoto-Kyo – and spent the next six years as a disciple, wandering through Asia. In 1927, Morihei created the Kobukan school in Tokyo Japan and started teaching an combination of the martial arts he had learned from his studies Takeda, combined with the beliefs he had learned from Omoto-Kyo.
This new style he called Ueshiba-aiko-bugo. Morihei finally picked the name aikido. This word is a combination of three ideas: Ai meaning harmony, Ki: meaning spirit and Do: meaning way. As with many other styles, aikido is viewed not only as a system of self defense, but also as a means of self-cultivation and improvement. Today there are many different systems of aikido, but traditional aikido has no tournaments, competitions or contests. Physical strength isn’t required, so age is no hindrance. According to its founder, the goal of aikido is not the defeat of others, but the overcoming of the negative characteristics that occupy one’s own mind and inhibit its effective functioning.
Since the goal of aikido is harmonization, its focus is countering an enemy with a throw, joint manipulation that will completely stop them. The main thought is that if you are attacked by force and counter with force, a collision of energies ensues which results in disharmony, and naturally the most powerful force wins. If, however, you meet that attacking force with an absorbing movement and move it to the point of imbalance, before applying force of your own, you are in effect, restoring harmony or redressing an imbalance. This is the fundamental logic and underlying philosophy of aikido. Young aikido practicioners train in a uniform that matches the standard karate uniform commonly worn today.
Following the decision from hombu (headquarters) in Japan, adult students do not don colored belts while training, however, the kyu (student) grading system still applies. It is acceptable for children to wear colored belts. The student system starts at 6th-kyu which necessitates the wearing of a white belt with one red stripe. Children then move through a multitude of colored stripes and belts until they reach 1st-kyu. This is the final kyu rank before they are ready to take their black belt test (1st dan). When students pass the examination for their 1st dan (shodan), they are entitled to wear a hakama (a divided pleated skirt). This is considered an honor and the grade is recorded at hombu. Students also receive a membership card, an international yudansha record book and a certificate sighed by the founder’s son, Doshu.
People learn aikido for assorted reasons: as a way of becoming physically fit, as self defense or to gain knowledge of the Japanese culture. It is up to each person to decide upon which aspect of the discipline to pursue. As well as the development of strength, endurance and suppleness practitioners learn to tap their inner strength to find an energy that is far greater than physical strength alone. And to use this inner strength at will. Deep Breathing techniques are studied to facilitate mind and body coordination. Disciples also come into contact with other Japanese practices such as shiatsu (finger therapy) a form of overall body massage and iaido (Japanese sword drawing). Both of these disciplines are (in harmony with|complementary to} training in aikido and are on occasion taught in tandem.
