The Way of Harmony

Aikido

Aikido's founder, Morihei Ueshiba, devoted himself to hard physical conditioning and the practice of martial arts. 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. By combining his martial training with his ideologies, he created the modern martial art of Aikido. Ueshiba decided on the name "Aikido" in 1942.

On the technical side, Aikido is rooted in several styles of jujitsu, as well as sword and spear arts. It could be said that Aikido takes the joint locks and throws from jujitsu and combines them with the body movements of sword and spear fighting. However, many Aikido techniques are the result of Master Ueshiba's own innovation.

O'Sensei - Morihei Ueshiba (1883 - 1969)

Despite what many people think or claim, there is no unified philosophy of Aikido. Some examples are: "The essence of Aikido is the cultivation of ki, or mental/spiritual energy." "The secret of Aikido is to become one with the universe." "Aikido is a way to achieve physical and psychological self-mastery." "The body is the concrete unification of the physical and spiritual created by the universe." And so forth.

At the core of almost all philosophical interpretations of Aikido, however, we may identify at least two fundamental threads: (1) A commitment to peaceful resolution of conflict whenever possible. (2) A commitment to self-improvement through Aikido training.

In A.K.I. Aikido Australia we believe the journey is most important as only through concentration and being in the present moment can the goal be realized. In reality, the journey and the goal are united by the present moment. Progress is only possible by helping each other to realize our full potential.

Link to more information on Aikido and O-Sensei