Morihei Ueshiba: The Life and Teachings of the Founder of Aikido
On a quiet morning in a serene garden in Japan, an elderly man in white robes performs a mesmerizing dance-like martial art, blending seamlessly with imaginary opponents. His movements exude grace, power and complete tranquility. Watching him, one can scarcely believe this gentle looking figure was once an undefeated fighter who took on all challengers and single-handedly devised an entirely new form of self-defense. This pioneering martial artist was Morihei Ueshiba, founder of the art of Aikido.
Unlike other revered masters in the Japanese martial tradition, Ueshiba was not raised in a samurai family or clan of warriors. Born in 1883 to a farming family in Tanabe, Japan, nothing predestined this unassuming youth for greatness in the martial arts. Yet driven by a deep hunger to perfect the art of combat, Ueshiba pursued training relentlessly throughout his turbulent life, overcoming all obstacles through sheer perseverance. His quest would culminate in the creation of a radical new martial philosophy that extolled victory through harmony rather than violence.
Youth and Early Training
From childhood, Ueshiba seemed fascinated by the ancient legends and feats of Japan’s warrior class. His father Yoroku, a landowner who dabbled in politics and whiskey, strongly discouraged this interest, considering martial arts uncouth for a proper gentleman like his son. But the boy’s curiosity could hardly be contained. Ueshiba would sneak away from his farm chores to watch the Musha Shugyo road warriors who traveled Japan testing their mettle against masters of various martial ryu (schools). Their daring exploits stoked a burning desire within young Ueshiba to pursue the warrior’s path.
By the age of 17, with his father’s reluctant blessing, Ueshiba journeyed to the Fukuoka prefecture to study under renowned martial artist Masakatsu Nakai. Finding the future founder too frail looking, Nakai initially refused to accept Ueshiba. But the headstrong youth’s persistence soon persuaded Nakai to take him on. Under Nakai’s demanding tutelage, Ueshiba mastered several martial disciplines including Kitō-ryū Jujutsu and various sword techniques, gaining skills that would serve as a foundation for his later innovations.
In 1901, an 18-year-old Ueshiba joined the Japanese Army, providing opportunity to continue his martial studies. While stationed in Hokkaido, he trained under the grueling conditions of Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu founder Sokaku Takeda. The art’s joint locking and throwing methods would strongly influence the early development of Aikido. During his military service, Ueshiba also studied swordsmanship and bayonet techniques, but rarely spoke of his combat experiences protecting Japanese interests in the Russo-Japanese war.
The Birth of Ueshiba’s Vision
After leaving the military in 1906, Ueshiba worked a series of jobs before opening a martial arts school in 1922 with his Daito Ryu instructor Onisaburo Deguchi, who also headed the new Shinto sect Omoto-kyo. Beyond martial techniques, Deguchi introduced Ueshiba to meditation, misogi rituals of purification and the teachings of Kototama, a mystical Shinto philosophy expounding the power of sound vibrations and mantras. These spiritual studies resonated with Ueshiba’s growing belief that the highest purpose of martial arts was fostering harmony between people instead of violence.
In 1925, after weathering serious challenges to his martial prowess in life-or-death duels with naval officers, Ueshiba experienced a spiritual epiphany that forever changed his relationship with martial arts. As Ueshiba recounted later: “Suddenly an explosion occurred within my brain and I comprehended every technique clearly. Since that time I’ve never lost a match. After that experience, my goal was to create Yo (harmony) among people, not Bi (fighting).”
Over the next 15 years, Ueshiba synthesized his extensive martial training with religious and philosophical insights to mold the techniques, breathing methods and spiritual orientation that constitute Aikido. Officially naming his art near the onset of World War II, he relocated his first dojo to the Iwama prefecture outside Tokyo, settling into a life of teaching, meditation and further refining his unusual martial way.
Principles of Harmony and Blending
At the technical core of Aikido are specific body movements and energy cultivation practices derived from Ueshiba’s long martial lineage. But equally important are the philosophical ideals encapsulated in the art’s name – Ai (harmony or unification) and Ki (spirit or universal creative energy). Ueshiba sought a means of self-defense that avoided escalating the cycle of violence, protecting both the defender and attacker. This led him to pioneer the emphasis on blending or joining one’s ki with that of the opponent, then re-directing their force rather than clashing directly. Years before terms like conflict resolution became popular, Ueshiba was developing techniques based on neutralizing hostility through spiritual harmony and compassion.
Blending allowed smaller or weaker practitioners to generate great power by harnessing their opponent’s energy. But equally important to Ueshiba was the state of mind Aikido conditioning sought to engender. He viewed mastery of the self and one’s negative emotions as more vital than mastery of martial techniques. To him, no amount of physical prowess compared to the humility, discipline and humanity developed through dedicated training.
Daily Routine and Teaching Methods
At the Iwama dojo, visitors arrived daily to find Ueshiba long awake and meditating before dawn. His routine included ice cold plunges to purify body and mind, along with rigorous exercises targeting power, flexibility and balance. Rice, vegetables and fish formed his staple diet. Ueshiba saw his body as a vessel, to be kept clean and finely tuned for channeling universal forces.
Training under the observant eye of Ueshiba required total focus and dedication. Explanations were rare during practice sessions where disciples learned largely through imitation. But Ueshiba did pause to correct students individually and share philosophical insights. He emphasized mind-body unity, positive mental state and responsible practice to avoid injury. Students unable to gracefully accept pain or punishment during training were considered unsuited to advance.
Ueshiba asserted that physical technique alone would never suffice for mastery. Only profound spiritual awareness allowed one to instantly sense an opponent’s intent and respond instinctively without mental interference. He urged disciples to pursue enlightenment and live ethically, seeking harmony with others. For Ueshiba, Aikido was first and foremost a path towards individual wisdom that also brought people closer together.
Spreading the Art Worldwide
In the 1950s, as Aikido’s reputation spread, Ueshiba traveled extensively throughout Japan to promote his art amongst martial artists and the general public. Several students with deep comprehension of the art opened schools teaching their own interpretations. Ueshiba welcomed their adaptations, though he saw the spiritual aspects being diluted in favor of combat effectiveness as Aikido incorporated more Judo and Karate-like training methods. Some of Ueshiba’s most loyal disciples, like Morihiro Saito, strived to preserve the art’s mystical dimensions.
In the founder’s later years, Aikido captured the imagination of many westerners journeying to Japan seeking esoteric knowledge. They returned home to establish schools that introduced the harmonizing art to global audiences. Though initially skeptical of Aikido’s efficacy for police and military application, these forces eventually integrated elements of the art for its unique approach to subduing aggressors while minimizing injury.
By the time of Ueshiba’s peaceful passing at age 86, Aikido stood recognized as a unique way of embodying Japanese martial wisdom. But beyond its cultural legacy, Morihei Ueshiba created an art that resonates with universal human hopes for living gently, resolving conflicts and reaching understanding – aims as vital today as ever.
Ueshiba’s Spiritual Legacy
Even in old age, Ueshiba would arise before dawn to meditate, chant mantras and ponder the mysteries of the universe he so revered. His teachings remind us that true mastery comes not through mere physical prowess but by manifesting knowledge in action. For this humble farmer turned martial arts master, alignment with the highest spiritual order allowed him to follow an extraordinary path. Perhaps the simplest summary of his philosophy lies in these words that remain Aikido’s guiding motto: “Masakatsu agatsu: True victory is victory over oneself.”
Now practiced worldwide by millions drawn to its principles of peaceful engagement and mutual growth, Aikido stands as Ueshiba’s enduring testament. Though he left no tangible empire or fortune, he gifted all who follow after a noble vision of human potential, attainable through the perpetual striving for unity and harmony with all creation.
Core Techniques and Training Practices
While the philosophical and spiritual dimensions of Aikido were key, Morihei Ueshiba did incorporate specific techniques and training methods gleaned from his studies of Daito Ryu Aiki-jujutsu, Kenjutsu and other martial arts. These were refined over decades by Ueshiba and his senior students into a formal technical curriculum that remains integral to Aikido today.
Some foundational practices include:
Tai Sabaki – Body positioning and evasive footwork designed to evade attacks. Tai sabaki movements re-direct the force of strikes to create openings for counter-techniques.
Irimi – The entering movement into an opponent’s space while leading with a specific body part depending on the attack. Irimi allows control of an attacker’s centerline.
Kokyu Nage – “Breath throws” utilize breathing power and body positioning rather than muscle strength to throw an opponent in the direction of their momentum. Timing of the exhale is crucial.
Nikyo – A wristlock that twists the arm and applies pressure into the radial nerve. Can quickly neutralize attackers by inducing pain compliance.
Sankyo – A rotational wristlock that coils joints in a folding motion. Considered one of the most sophisticated basic techniques.
Partner Training
Aikido students spend much time training with partners. One adopts the uke role, initiating predefined attacks. The other performs as nage, executing entering, throws and pins in response. Uke offers committed attacks but must also learn to fall safely to avoid injury. Rotation of roles during practice fosters understanding of both perspectives.
Weapons Training
Practice includes weapons usage with bokken (wooden sword) and jo (short staff). Suburi cutting exercises with the bokken strengthen posture, grip and hip rotation needed for empty hand techniques. Jo practice improves fluid footwork and keepalive, with the jo acting as an extension of one’s center.
Randori
This free-form exercise involves responding spontaneously to attacks from multiple opponents without relying on pre-arranged techniques. Randori hones reaction speed, sensitivity, composure under pressure and strategic decision making.
Ki Development
Ki cultivation exercises center on breath control and chanting meditations (kotodama) to unite mind and body. This unification generates heightened power and perceptual sensitivity needed for advanced techniques. Extended practice aims at integrating ki and kokyu on instinctual levels.
Ukemi
Learning to fall safely is critical in Aikido, where techniques often involve throws or pins. Ukemi is key to preserving safety while training at higher intensities and speeds. Front and back rolls, side falls and other methods of graceful landing become conditioned responses.
In summary, Ueshiba’s creation integrated both lethal techniques from classical martial ryus along with the breathing and spiritual exercises essential to his vision of the martial arts as a path to human development. Together they comprise an art that remains holistic, multifaceted and compelling.