| Craig Jensen 2004-11-08, 11:09 am |
| 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.
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").
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