Granville Aikikai-About Aikido

Morihei Ueshiba

O Sensei

Founder of Aikido

(1883-1969)

"Aiki is not a technique to fight with or defeat the enemy. It is the way to reconcile the world and make human beings one
family."

History of Aikido
Aikido is a traditional Japanese martial art, developed during a crucial turning point in the life of Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969), now known as O-Sensei (great teacher).
Morihei Ueshiba was born in 1883 in Tanabe, a coastal town in southern Japan. From the time of his youth, he studied various martial arts, eventually including sumo, swordsmanship, spear technique, staff technique, and various styles of jujutsu, particularly the Yagyu and Daito-Ryu styles.

From youth, O-Sensei also appears to have been a deeply sensitive and spiritual person. Eventually influenced by the charismatic spiritual leader and artist Onisaburo Deguchi, he came to view his martial training as a means of personal purification and spiritual training.

The time of O-Sensei’s life saw Japan involved in some of the most violent conflicts of the 20th century, culminating in the Pacific war. However, it was during this time that he founded Aikido and declared it to be a way of joining the peoples of the world together in peace. In this way, Aikido is truly Budo - a martial Way - rather than simply a bujutsu (martial technique) or bugei (martial art). When martial training is undertaken not simply as a means to conquer others, but as a means to refine and perfect the self, this can be said to be Budo. The famous motto of O-Sensei, Masakatsu Agatsu, contains the essence of the spirit of Aikido: True victory is victory over the self.

O-Sensei’s incredible technical expertise and charisma brought him tremendous support from high-ranking military officers, government personnel, and the Imperial family during his life. Following his death in 1969, he was awarded an Imperial medal for his unique contributions.

Permission to adapt this article kindly lent by Queensland Aikikai.