HISTORY OF AIKIDO
Aikido can trace its roots to the ancient fighting arts of the Samurai of Japan. At the onset of the feudal era of Japan, the Samurai began as peasant farmers who fought for their lords with little training. As feudal battles for power became more common the need to train soldiers to protect lands became a priority. In time the status, or class, of the Samurai rose with the formation of a military government by the Minamoto family in 1192. At this time the Shogunate (military government) promoted the study of martial arts and related disciplines for the Samurai. Eventually, these studies became "Bushido"( or the Way of the Samurai) With this, the Samurai rose to the peak of Japanese society. They trained endlessly in weapons arts and the art of unarmed combat, perfecting their martial skills to protect their Shogun. In doing so they became fearless and respected warriors. The training and knowledge of these martial arts were protected and kept secret, within clans, for centuries. The Meiji Revolution (1868), at the end of the feudal era, brought not only the return of Imperial supremacy, but also a westernized cultural, political and economic way of life to Japan. The Bushi, as a class, virtually disappeared under a new constitution that proclaimed all classes equal, but the essence of Bushido (way of the Samurai), cultivated for many centuries, continuing to play an important role in the daily lives of the Japanese people. Budo, being less combative and more concerned with spiritual discipline by which one elevates oneself mentally and physically, were more attractive to the common people and were readily taken up by all classes, and people of every social strata.
Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu
From the ancient martial arts of the Samurai came the art of Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu (Aikijutsu) which was first revealed to people outside of the clan by Sokaku Takeda, who inherited the secrets of the art from his family. The origins of Daito-Ryu Aiki-jujutsu maintain a direct lineage extending approximately 900 years, originating with Shinra Saburo Minamoto no Yoshimitsu, who was a Minamoto clan Samurai and member of the Seiwa Genji (branch of the Minamoto family descended from the 56th Imperial ruler of Japan, Emperor Seiwa). Daito-ryu takes its name from the mansion that Yoshimitsu lived in as a child, called "Daito", in modern day Shiga Prefecture.
Aikido's history with Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu
Aikido can trace its roots to the ancient fighting arts of the Samurai of Japan. At the onset of the feudal era of Japan, the Samurai began as peasant farmers who fought for their lords with little training. As feudal battles for power became more common the need to train soldiers to protect lands became a priority. In time the status, or class, of the Samurai rose with the formation of a military government by the Minamoto family in 1192. At this time the Shogunate (military government) promoted the study of martial arts and related disciplines for the Samurai. Eventually, these studies became "Bushido"( or the Way of the Samurai) With this, the Samurai rose to the peak of Japanese society. They trained endlessly in weapons arts and the art of unarmed combat, perfecting their martial skills to protect their Shogun. In doing so they became fearless and respected warriors. The training and knowledge of these martial arts were protected and kept secret, within clans, for centuries. The Meiji Revolution (1868), at the end of the feudal era, brought not only the return of Imperial supremacy, but also a westernized cultural, political and economic way of life to Japan. The Bushi, as a class, virtually disappeared under a new constitution that proclaimed all classes equal, but the essence of Bushido (way of the Samurai), cultivated for many centuries, continuing to play an important role in the daily lives of the Japanese people. Budo, being less combative and more concerned with spiritual discipline by which one elevates oneself mentally and physically, were more attractive to the common people and were readily taken up by all classes, and people of every social strata.
Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu
From the ancient martial arts of the Samurai came the art of Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu (Aikijutsu) which was first revealed to people outside of the clan by Sokaku Takeda, who inherited the secrets of the art from his family. The origins of Daito-Ryu Aiki-jujutsu maintain a direct lineage extending approximately 900 years, originating with Shinra Saburo Minamoto no Yoshimitsu, who was a Minamoto clan Samurai and member of the Seiwa Genji (branch of the Minamoto family descended from the 56th Imperial ruler of Japan, Emperor Seiwa). Daito-ryu takes its name from the mansion that Yoshimitsu lived in as a child, called "Daito", in modern day Shiga Prefecture.
Aikido's history with Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu
Sokaku Takeda Sensei
Sokaku Takeda was born the second son of Sokichi Takeda on 10 October 1859 in the Takeda mansion within the precincts of Aizu Ise Shrine in Oike. As a child, Sokaku witnessed first-hand the battles of the Aizu War, many of which took place within walking distance from his home. He learned kenjutsu, bojutsu, sumo, and Daito-ryu from his father. He also learned Ono-ha Itto-ryu from Shibuya Toma at the Yokikan dojo, which was located in the Bangemachi district of the Aizu domain. In 1873, together with his father Sokichi, he visited the Jikishinkage-ryu dojo of Sakakibara Kenkichi, with whom Sokichi had a good relationship. Sokaku became a live-in student at the Sakakibara dojo, studying the depths of Jikishinkage-ryu. Sokaku trained in Daito-ryu under his father Sokichi. As for oshikiuchi he learned it for the first time from Hoshina Chikanori while studying under his mentorship at Tsutsukowake Shrine as an apprentice priest in 1876. In later years Sokaku would visit Hoshina often, including in 1898 when he spent some time at Ryozen Shrine in Fukushima prefecture, used as a dojo for esoteric practices by the Tendai Buddhist sect. There, under the supervision of Hoshina, Sokaku is said to have mastered the arts of divining time and space, the Mind's Eye and other magical powers, as well as the deepest secrets of oshikiuchi. On 12 May of the same year Sokaku received a poem from Hoshina: "People, do they know? Though you may strike the flow of a river, no mark is left on the water" This is thought to have signified the formal transmission of Daito-ryu to Sokaku. Since that time Sokaku referred to himself as a practitioner of Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu and Ono-ha Itto-ryu swordsmanship. He began traveling around Japan teaching these martial arts and is revered as the "interim reviver" of Daito-ryu. Takeda Sokaku mastered many different martial arts during his life, including sword, Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu, spear, staff, stick, shuriken, and others. He held the highest certificate (inka) awarded in Takada-ha Hozoin-ryu spear and menkyo kaiden in Ono-ha Itto-ryu swordsmanship. In his youth, he visited numerous dojo throughout Japan polishing his skills. He also engaged in personal training austerities, secluding himself in Udo Myojin Shrine in Kyushu, Futarasan Shrine in Nikko, Hagurosan Shrine in Yamagata prefecture and other places, always striving to temper his body and spirit. Sokaku's sword skills were extraordinary and fearsome to the degree that he was called "the little demon of Aizu." He was less than 150 centimeters tall, but is said to have had piercing eyes, skills that reached a level that seemed almost divine, and an ability to know a person's past, present and future even before meeting him. During his lifetime he taught about 30,000 students, including many famous martial artists (among them the swordsman Shimoe Hidetaro and aikido founder Ueshiba Morihei), as well as a wide array of politicians, military officers, judges, policemen, and other persons of high social standing from all over Japan. |
Morihei Ueshiba
Aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969) ,was one of the best students of Sokaku Takeda. Takeda Sensei had a major effect on Ueshiba, and clearly the origins of aikido lie in Daito-ryu. Morihei Ueshiba met Sokaku Takeda Sensei for the first time in 1915 in the town of Engaru in Hokkaido. He was amazed at Sokaku's martial skills and immediately became his student. Ueshiba studied Daito-ryu assiduously for about five years, and was so enthusiastic that he invited Tekeda Sensei to relocate to the village of Shirataki, where he was living at that time along with a group of settlers from Tanabe City in Wakayama prefecture. Takeda Sensei agreed and lived and taught Daito-ryu in Morihei's house for a period of time. In late 1919, Ueshiba Sensei suddenly departed Shirataki upon receiving news that his father had become ill, and he left his house along with all its furnishings to Takeda Sensei. The association between Ueshiba and Takeda Sensei was renewed in 1922 when Takeda Sensei spent about six months together, with his entire family, at Ueshiba's home in Ayabe. By that time Ueshiba Sensei had joined a community of believers in the Omoto religion and, with the encouragement of the religion's co-founder Deguchi Onisaburo, had set up a dojo in his home where he was teaching Daito-ryu. At the end of his stay in Ayabe, Takeda Sensei awarded Ueshiba the Representative Instructor (kyoju dairi) certificate, which entitled him to teach Daito-ryu on Takeda Sensei's behalf. Subsequently, Ueshiba received the kaishaku sodensho, the highest Daito-ryu certificate at the time. Although the relationship between the two ceased to be as close as before, they would meet again on several occasions during the next decade. Overall, historical records show that Morihei Ueshiba practiced Daito-ryu for some twenty years. He gradually changed Daito-ryu techniques, eventually formulating his own system, which is now known as Aikido. As a young man, Ueshiba Sensei had an unusual interest in the martial arts. In 1898, Ueshiba left his home village outside Osaka and traveled to Tokyo. He studied dozens of arts, but was eventually specialized in three, a sword style, a spear and staff style, and jujutsu. Ueshiba Sensei met Takeda Sokaku Sensei, a master of Aikijutsu, and began his study of Daito Ryu Aikijutsu under Takeda Sensei. He also continued to practice other arts he had learned. After many years, Ueshiba Sensei created his own style of aikijutsu, called Aiki Budo, largely for his own development, and during the next decade Ueshiba Sensei’s students were active in building the foundation for present-day Aikido. Ueshiba Sensei was interested in finding the true martial way, the essential spirit of budo. He went to live in the country for several years on his quest. Ueshiba Sensei diligently applied himself to the reworking of the techniques he had been taught, and changed them into a form that stressed harmony and love rather than violence and destruction. In that way, he was able to blend his personal beliefs with his great technical proficiency. In 1950, Ueshiba returned to the Tokyo dojo with a mature, modified art, which he then called Aikido. Ueshiba said that true budo, the way of the warrior, was the way of peace. He dedicated himself to the art that would teach technical skill and strength and commitment to self-discipline needed for personal growth. Ueshiba, who was called O-Sensei (great teacher), continued to teach until his death in 1968, earning the respect and admiration of all who met him. Before his death he received a government award as the designer of Aikido, and general acclaim for his efforts to bring peace and understanding to all. |