Aikido
Aikido at ABC
- Move slowly and Aikido can appear like Yoga or Tai chi. Move quickly and Aikido can be explosive and dangerous, like Karate or Judo. At ABC we explore every aspect of Aikido, from Ki building and meditation to powerful strikes and strong locks. All classes emphasize Kihon, Basics. All advanced techniques are built upon the understanding of Kihon. There is a saying in Budo, “You can’t build a castle on sand.” Although true understanding of Budo takes a lifetime, students should learn something useful and interesting each class.
- The most important characteristic of training at ABC is the emphasis on co-operation over competition. The people we work with are our “partners,” not enemies. All other modern Budo have a competitive part, only Aikido does not. This is because in order to increase our Ki we must trust our partners and you can’t trust a person who is trying to “beat” you. Kishomaru Doshu said competition can fuel, “egotism, self-concern, and disregard for others…. There is nothing more detrimental to budo, whose ultimate aim is to become free of self, attain no-self, and thus realize what is truly human”. At ABC we follow this concept - winning and losing can damage the ego.
Brief History of Aikido
Aikido is a Japanese Martial Art created during the 1920s by Morihei Ueshiba, an expert who reached a high level of mastery in Daito Ryu Aiki Jujutsu, Sojutsu, Kenjutsu. Morihei Ueshiba training with Daito Ryu Sokaku Takeda formed the base of Aikido techniques. Like Aiki Jujutsu, Aikido has standing, seated, sword, staff techniques. Although the roots of Aikido can clearly be seen in Daito Ryu Aiki Jujutsu, Aikido continued to evolve. Technically, Ō-sensei focused on the Aiki Waza over Jujutsu waza, and his son, Kishomaru Ueshiba, Nitai Doshu/Leader of Aikido, would provide more clarity by forming the modern structure of Aikido testing and organization. Kishomaru Doshu’s contribution was essential for Aikido’s future. Spiritually, Ō-sensei was not just a martial artist, he was a deeply spiritual person. O-Sensei’s vision of the world was in then influenced by Deguchi Onisaburō and the Ōmoto-kyō, a new Shinto group that was popular in Ayabe, Kyoto Prefecture, The combination of , Ō-sensei’s No one could claim to fully understand Ō-sensei’ s vision for Aikido, he left us his book, Budo, and the Aikikai to try to keep Aikido alive.
Morihei Ueshiba,Ō-sensei, great teacher, by his students Deguchi Onisaburō On the technical side, Aikido is rooted in several styles of jujitsu (from which modern judo is also derived), in particular daitoryu-(aiki)jujitsu, as well as sword and spear fighting arts. Oversimplifying somewhat, we may say that Aikido takes the joint locks and throws from jujitsu and combines them with the body movements of sword and spear fighting. However, we must also realize that many Aikido techniques are the result of Master Ueshiba’s own innovation.
On the religious side, Ueshiba was a devotee of one of Japan’s so-called “new religions,” Omotokyo. Omotokyo was (and is) part neo-shintoism, and part socio-political idealism. One goal of omotokyo has been the unification of all humanity in a single “heavenly kingdom on earth” where all religions would be united under the banner of omotokyo. It is impossible sufficiently to understand many of O-sensei’s writings and sayings without keeping the influence of Omotokyo firmly in mind.
Despite what many people think or claim, there is no unified philosophy of Aikido. What there is, instead, is a disorganized and only partially coherent collection of religious, ethical, and metaphysical beliefs which are only more or less shared by aikidoists, and which are either transmitted by word of mouth or found in scattered publications about Aikido.
ABC is directly affiliated with the Aikikai Souhombu dojo in Tokyo, Japan. ABC strives to follow Aikido training of O’ Sensei, and Doushu Ueshiba Moriteru.
