Ueshiba Morihei (1883-1969): founder of the aikido

Ueshiba Morihei (1883-1969): founder of the aikido. “Aï”: union, harmony; “ki”: vital breath; “C”: sees Martial arts developed since 1931 by Ueshiba Morihei (1881-1969) with creation in Tokyo of its first Dojo, Kobukai, where it taught its techniques and its philosophy. Modern, this martial arts proposes, apart from techniques of individual defense, a “art of living”. Ueshiba Morihei, which since its youth had studied with heat the techniques of Jujitsu and Ken-jutsu, finding these techniques too sullied with warlike philosophy, only conceived a “protective” method, combining the spirit of decision, the knowledge of the anatomy and the speed of the reflexes. Contrary to the methods of Jujitsu, it refused the practices of the “body with body” with an aim of avoiding the close contact with a potential adversary. The purpose of the Aikido, by a subtle play of movements, of dodging, displacements of the body and against-catches is to turn over the force of the adversary against him. It also wished to create a typically Japanese martial arts (it was at one time when Japanese nationalism was with its apogee). For that it took as a starting point the the old techniques of combat to the sabre. The Aikido thus became an art to fight with naked hands, even against an armed adversary. Ueshiba Morihei stressed the importance to carry out the harmony between the breath (Ki) and the body (Tai) with nature, but also on that having to exist between the spirit (Shin) and morals (IH) symbolized by C, the way to follow to reach the perfection of Self. The Aikido calls especially upon two categories of movements, carried out in flexibility: those known as “of control” (Katame-waza) and those known as of projection of the adversary (Stroke-waza). It exists more than seven hundred different movements resting on these two categories, consistent to demolish themselves of a catch of hands (Tehodoki), to project the adversary on the ground by forcing the members to him (Rofuse) and finally to immobilize it by forcing the articulations (Kansetsu-gaeshi) to him. These three series constitute in the Aikido the base of all the movements of defense. This martial arts counts currently more than one million followers in the world and 55.000 in France.