Aikido

Chances are you’ve heard of karate, but how about aikido? This is a Japanese martial art created by Morihei Ueshiba. Based on his studies in martial arts, philosophy and religious beliefs, Ueshiba formed this style to account for the movement of the attacker and redirect the momentum of the attack as opposed to addressing it straight on. Because of Ueshiba’s philosophical and religious influences, his method strived to not only allow defenders to protect themselves, but also avoid actually injuring the attacker. Hence, this form of martial art can be translated as “the way of unifying (with) life energy” or as “the way of harmonious spirit.” Underlining all of this is Ueshiba’s declaration that, “To control aggression without inflicting injury is the art of peace.”

Because aikido is executed by avoiding head-on confrontation, redirecting force through turning motions, throws and joint locks, it demands much less physical exertion, placing it in the broad arena of grappling arts. Because of the need for less energy in each move, this type of martial art is seeing growing popularity across generations; especially elderly who are either looking for regular exercise or self-defense classes suitable for their age capabilities.

Although Ueshiba did much to develop this unique method on his own, one can see that it finds much of its roots in the mouthful-of-a-martial art Daito-ryu Aiki-jujutsu; partly evidenced by original documents titled aiki-jujutsu. Because of the varied influences that Ueshiba pulled from, his original pupils actually demonstrate varying methods within this art, reflecting the different states of influence. These variations have been heightened by the spread of this martial art around world, seeing a growing number of influences and interpretations.

Despite its numerous influences, aikido still preserves concern for both the defender and the attacker’s safety as its main foundation. Strengthening this ideal is the fact that the “do” in “aikido” bridges this martial art with the more peaceful philosophy of Tao. This is a critical connection, because “aiki” is the martial art practice of blending with an attacker’s motions for the purpose of killing. It is this tenuous balance and connection of the two forms that makes this method unique to many other forms of martial arts. Adding to its uniqueness, one can see that it is also largely a form of conflict resolution as opposed to supreme oppression or absolute victory. Although this form of defense and protection carries a great meritorious emphasis, it still suffers criticisms in the martial arts realm and has not yet reached equal ranks with the other more classical forms existent today.