TEXAS
AIKIDO
Aikido is written in Japanese using three characters.
They are translated
as “Ai” - Harmony, “Ki” - Spirit, and “Do”
- the Way; or in one translation, "The way of spiritual harmony." It is
a comparatively modern and extremely sophisticated martial art. Being
purely self-defensive, it stresses the avoidance of conflict as an integral
part of its philosophical and technical tenets. The founder of Aikido,
Morihei Ueshiba, respectfully referred to as O-Sensei, was born in 1883.
He was a sickly child and was more interested in academic and religious
pursuits than in physical activity. Eventually, Master Ueshiba began sumo
wrestling and swimming and - by his late teens - had begun studying jujitsu
and kenjitsu, the Japanese sword art. In his early adulthood, O-Sensei
studied many martial arts including sword, spear, the short staff, jujitsu,
and principally Daito-ryu aiki-jujitsu. The distillation of these disciplines
led to the ultimate formation of Aikido. From 1927, when O-Sensei was
encouraged to formulate his own “Way” until his death in 1969,
he carefully guided and continually refined his art. Aikido is circular/spherical/spiraling
in nature. This use of circle to deflect aggression allows one to blend
with an attack and neutralize it rather than overpower the attacker using
strength. The attacker is drawn into this circular movement, then harmlessly
redirected. The technique can culminate in a pin, used to immobilize,
or a throw that can allow one the opportunity for escape. Drawing heavily
from Oriental philosophy, Aikido imposes very high moral and ethical standards
on its practitioners. In O-Sensei's own words, "Aikido is not for correcting
others, but for correcting one's own mind." It was his fondest wish that
Aikido be used to awaken mankind to the realization that the world is
one family.
They are translated
as “Ai” - Harmony, “Ki” - Spirit, and “Do”
- the Way; or in one translation, "The way of spiritual harmony." It is
a comparatively modern and extremely sophisticated martial art. Being
purely self-defensive, it stresses the avoidance of conflict as an integral
part of its philosophical and technical tenets. The founder of Aikido,
Morihei Ueshiba, respectfully referred to as O-Sensei, was born in 1883.
He was a sickly child and was more interested in academic and religious
pursuits than in physical activity. Eventually, Master Ueshiba began sumo
wrestling and swimming and - by his late teens - had begun studying jujitsu
and kenjitsu, the Japanese sword art. In his early adulthood, O-Sensei
studied many martial arts including sword, spear, the short staff, jujitsu,
and principally Daito-ryu aiki-jujitsu. The distillation of these disciplines
led to the ultimate formation of Aikido. From 1927, when O-Sensei was
encouraged to formulate his own “Way” until his death in 1969,
he carefully guided and continually refined his art. Aikido is circular/spherical/spiraling
in nature. This use of circle to deflect aggression allows one to blend
with an attack and neutralize it rather than overpower the attacker using
strength. The attacker is drawn into this circular movement, then harmlessly
redirected. The technique can culminate in a pin, used to immobilize,
or a throw that can allow one the opportunity for escape. Drawing heavily
from Oriental philosophy, Aikido imposes very high moral and ethical standards
on its practitioners. In O-Sensei's own words, "Aikido is not for correcting
others, but for correcting one's own mind." It was his fondest wish that
Aikido be used to awaken mankind to the realization that the world is
one family.