Aikido (pronounced, "eye-key-doe") is a relatively new martial art. It officially took its name around 1945 by founder Morihei Ueshiba, referred to as "O Sensei" or great teacher. Ueshiba sensei spent the majority of his lifetime (1886 —1969) studying various traditional Japanese martial arts, collectively referred to as bujutsu, or warrior arts. These traditions most notably included various styles of: kenjutsu (sword fencing), jojutsu (wooden staff arts), yarijutsu (spear arts) and jujutsu (grappling arts). It was O Sensei's training in a particular style of jujutsu from the ancient Daito clan of warriors, referred to as Daito-ryu aiki-jujutsu, that would later comprise the majority of aikido's technical repertoire.
In his early years, the Founder taught that through bujutsu training a person could learn to move in a natural accord with the universal laws of nature, and therefore be ultimately undefeatable in battle. However, as O Sensei continued to train and develop over his lifetime, his teaching of a martial art gave way to his emphasis on self-development through the training of his martial way (differentiated by the use of the do at the end of the art rather than the jutsu; similarly to Ju-do, Karate-do, etc.). This philosophical change he would later come to call the "way of aiki", or aikido (合気道). While its true that aikido was derived from the training of traditional martial arts, modern day life relies less on combat skills and more on people skills. O Sensei's ultimate vision was for all people to respect and protect one another, thus eliminating the need for conflict, war, victory or defeat. It is with this goal in mind that modern day aikido training continues the principles of the Founder. Aikido Training Aikido training marks a departure from other martial arts in that students constantly train to develop awareness, harmony, relaxation under pressure, and connection with their partners using aiki. There are no competitions, no winners, and no losers in class. An attitude of mutual respect and camaraderie is developed, as students work together to develop each other's skill at an individual pace. Beginners are the responsibility of advanced students and new students are given the responsibility to respect and learn from their seniors. In this way, aikido fosters a dependent and mutually respectful atmosphere that teaches us to positively deal and overcome conflict situations, rather than merely practicing to become better at them. Finally, the practical benefits of aikido training are:
All that's required to try a class is to wear loose-fitted exercise clothing, to remove all jewelry before training, and to come willing to learn something completely different! Please contact us for any questions. We look forward to seeing you in class! |
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Daito-ryu jujutsu emphasized the concept of aiki in martial confrontations. This concept is comprised of two distinctive ideas. The kanji for "ai" (合) represents a pot with a lid on it. Hence, "ai" symbolizes to two things fitting together in a harmonious manner. Second, the kanji for "ki" (気) represents a boiling pot filled with rice. We take from this that "ki" symbolizes energy or the sustaining of life.
