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87-580: Iwama was a small farming village in Japan , located 100 km north-east of Tokyo and at the centre of Ibaraki prefecture . Iwama was annexed into the City of Kasama in 2006 (dissolving Nishiibaraki County, which had previously contained Iwama Town). The original Iwama aikido dojo, Aiki Shrine and the neighbouring Tanrenkan are now addressed in the Yoshioka district of Kasama city, Ibaraki. The Iwama dojo

174-485: A Shinto sect, in Ayabe , where he served as a martial arts instructor and opened his first dojo . He accompanied the head of the Ōmoto-kyō group, Onisaburo Deguchi , on an expedition to Mongolia in 1924, where they were captured by Chinese troops and returned to Japan. The following year, he had a profound spiritual experience, stating that, "a golden spirit sprang up from the ground, veiled my body, and changed my body into

261-604: A bodyguard to Kingoro Hashimoto , the Sakurakai's founder. Ueshiba's commitment to the goal of world peace , stressed by many biographers, must be viewed in the light of these relationships and his Ōmoto-kyō beliefs. His association with the extreme right-wing is understandable when one considers that Ōmoto-kyō's view of world peace was of a benevolent dictatorship by the Emperor of Japan , with other nations being subjugated under Japanese rule. In 1921, in an event known as

348-513: A demonstration. The "Second Ōmoto Incident" in 1935 saw another government crackdown on Deguchi's sect, in which the Ayabe compound was destroyed and most of the group's leaders imprisoned. Although he had relocated to Tokyo, Ueshiba had retained links with the Ōmoto-kyō group (he had in fact helped Deguchi to establish a paramilitary branch of the sect only three years earlier ) and expected to be arrested as one of its senior members. However, he had

435-463: A dojo at his home and inviting his new teacher to be a permanent house guest. He received a kyōju dairi certificate, a teaching license, for the system from Takeda in 1922, when Takeda visited him in Ayabe . Takeda also gave him a Yagyū Shinkage-ryū sword transmission scroll. Ueshiba then became a representative of Daitō-ryū, toured with Takeda as a teaching assistant and taught the system to others. The relationship between Ueshiba and Takeda

522-445: A dojo built on the family compound to encourage his son's training. In 1907, after his return from the war, he was also presented with a certificate of enlightenment ( shingon inkyo ) by his childhood teacher Mitsujo Fujimoto. In the early part of the 20th century, the prefectural government of Hokkaidō , Japan's northernmost island, were offering various grants and incentives for mainland Japanese groups willing to relocate there. At

609-461: A few years, and Nakakura left the family in 1937. Ueshiba later designated his son Kisshomaru as the heir to his martial art. The 1930s saw Japan's invasion of mainland Asia and increased military activity in Europe. Ueshiba was concerned about the prospect of war, and became involved in a number of efforts to try and forestall the conflict that would eventually become World War II . He was part of

696-426: A fighting system that focuses on throws, pins, and joint locks together with some striking techniques. It emphasizes protecting the opponent and promotes spiritual and social development. The technical curriculum of aikido was derived from the teachings of Takeda Sōkaku; the basic techniques of aikido stem from his Daitō-ryū system. In the earlier years of his teaching, from the 1920s to the mid-1930s, Ueshiba taught

783-682: A freezing river), Ueshiba returned to Tanabe filled with enthusiasm for the project, and began recruiting families to join him. He became the leader of the Kishū Settlement Group, a collective of eighty-five pioneers who intended to settle in the Shirataki district and live as farmers; the group founded the village of Yubetsu (later Shirataki village) in August, 1912. Much of the funding for this project came from Ueshiba's father and his brothers-in-law Zenzo and Koshiro Inoue. Zenzo's son Noriaki

870-483: A golden one." After this experience, his martial arts technique became gentler, with a greater emphasis on the control of ki . Ueshiba moved to Tokyo in 1926, where he set up what would become the Aikikai Hombu Dojo . By this point he was comparatively famous in martial arts circles, and taught at this dojo and others around Japan, including in several military academies. In the aftermath of World War II

957-405: A golden spirit sprang up from the ground, veiled my body, and changed my body into a golden one. At the same time, my body became light. I was able to understand the whispering of the birds and was aware of the mind of God, the creator of the universe. At that moment I was enlightened: the source of budō [ the martial way ] is God's love – the spirit of loving protection for all beings ... Budō

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1044-439: A good relationship with the local police commissioner Kenji Tomita and the chief of police Gīchi Morita, both of whom had been his students. As a result, although he was taken in for interrogation, he was released without charge on Morita's authority. In 1932, Ueshiba's daughter Matsuko was married to the swordsman Kiyoshi Nakakura , who was adopted as Ueshiba's heir under the name Morihiro Ueshiba. The marriage ended after

1131-478: A group, along with Shūmei Ōkawa and several wealthy Japanese backers, that tried to broker a deal with Harry Chandler to export aviation fuel from the United States to Japan (in contravention of the oil embargo that was currently in force ), although this effort ultimately failed. In 1941 Ueshiba also undertook a secret diplomatic mission to China at the behest of Prince Fumimaro Konoe . The intended goal

1218-530: A landowner from Tanabe , Ueshiba studied a number of martial arts in his youth, and served in the Japanese Army during the Russo-Japanese War . After being discharged in 1907, he moved to Hokkaidō as the head of a pioneer settlement; here he met and studied with Takeda Sōkaku , the headmaster of Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu . On leaving Hokkaido in 1919, Ueshiba joined the Ōmoto-kyō movement,

1305-503: A larger Prefectural Park that extends up towards Kasama. On top of Mt. Atago is a kids' play area with a giant slide (about 150m in length) as well as the Atago shrine (愛宕神社 "Atago Jinja"). As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 16,588 and a density of 332.23 persons per km . The total area was 49.93 km . Iwama is known for having been the residence of Morihei Ueshiba , founder of Aikido , from 1942 until his death. It

1392-524: A purpose-built hall in Shinjuku . This last location, originally named the Kobukan ( 皇武館 ), would eventually become the Aikikai Hombu Dojo . During its construction, Ueshiba rented a property nearby, where he was visited by Kanō Jigorō , the founder of judo . During this period, Ueshiba was invited to teach at a number of military institutes, due to his close personal relationships with key figures in

1479-446: A result of Ueshiba's martial development throughout his life, students from each of these generations tend to have markedly different approaches to aikido. These variations are compounded by the fact that few students trained with Ueshiba for a protracted period; only Yoichiro Inoue, Kenji Tomiki , Gozo Shioda , Morihiro Saito , Tsutomu Yukawa and Mitsugi Saotome studied directly under Ueshiba for more than five or six years. After

1566-474: A role which placed him in charge of overseeing Ōmoto's move towards self-sufficiency. His son Kisshomaru was born in the summer of 1921. Three years later, in 1924, Deguchi led a small group of Ōmoto-kyō disciples, including Ueshiba, on a journey to Mongolia at the invitation of retired naval captain Yutaro Yano and his associates within the ultra-nationalist Black Dragon Society . Deguchi's intent

1653-634: A school teaching Shinkage-ryū . His training in Gotō-ha Yagyū-ryu under Masakatsu Nakai started in 1903 and continued until 1908; although this training was sporadic due to his military service, Ueshiba was granted a Menkyo Kaiden (certificate of "Total Transmission") in 1908. In 1901 he received some instruction from Tozawa Tokusaburōin in Tenjin Shin'yō-ryū jujutsu and he studied judo with Kiyoichi Takagi in Tanabe in 1911, after his father had

1740-625: A useful cover for martial arts training under the government's restrictions, it also provided food for Ueshiba, his students and other local families at a time when food shortages were commonplace. The government prohibition (on aikido, at least) was lifted in 1948 with the creation of the Aiki Foundation, established by the Japanese Ministry of Education with permission from the Occupation forces. The Hombu dojo re-opened

1827-513: Is not the felling of an opponent by force; nor is it a tool to lead the world to destruction with arms. True Budō is to accept the spirit of the universe, keep the peace of the world, correctly produce, protect and cultivate all beings in nature. His second experience occurred in 1940 when engaged in the ritual purification process of misogi . Around 2 a.m., I suddenly forgot all the martial techniques I had ever learned. The techniques of my teachers appeared completely new. Now they were vehicles for

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1914-413: Is nothing to worry about with your father". On his return to Tanabe, Ueshiba found that Yoroku had died. Criticised by family and friends for arriving too late to see his father, Ueshiba went into the mountains with a sword and practised solo sword exercises for several days; this almost led to his arrest when the police were informed of a sword-wielding madman on the loose. Within a few months, Ueshiba

2001-475: Is now practiced around the world. Morihei Ueshiba was born in Nishinotani village (now part of the city of Tanabe ), Wakayama Prefecture , Japan, on December 14, 1883, the fourth child (and only son) born to Yoroku Ueshiba and his wife Yuki. The young Ueshiba was raised in a somewhat privileged setting. His father Yoroku was a wealthy gentleman farmer and minor politician, being an elected member of

2088-591: Is operated by Hitohiro Saito (the son of one of Ueshiba's most famous disciples Morihiro Saito ) who formed his own organisation (the Aiki Shuren-Kai ) in 2003. Ueshiba’s dojo continues to operate within the Aikikai under his original students, including Chief Instructor Hiroshi Isoyama , Shigemi Inagaki and others. The Aiki Jinja , or Aikido Shrine , is situated opposite the Iwama Dojo and near

2175-493: Is the worst thing a human being can do. The real Way of a Warrior is to prevent such slaughter – it is the Art of Peace, the power of love. After these events, Ueshiba seemed to slowly grow away from Takeda, and he began to change his art. These changes are reflected in the differing names with which he referred to his system, first as aiki-jūjutsu , then Ueshiba-ryū, Asahi-ryū, and aiki budō . In 1942, when Ueshiba's group joined

2262-561: The Aiki Shuren-Kai Shin-Shin Aiki-juku . The town's official matsuri is held in the last week of September, but throughout the year it also observes the usual Japanese holidays . The Aiki Jinja Rei Taisai (Aiki-Shrine Grand Festival) is held every April on the 29th (Showa holiday) and features a "hono embu" (demonstration offering) by the Aikido Doshu . More than a thousand people usually come for

2349-552: The Dai Nippon Butoku Kai , the martial art that he developed finally came to be known as aikido. As Ueshiba grew older, more skilled, and more spiritual in his outlook, his art also changed and became softer and more gentle. Martial techniques became less important, and more focus was given to the control of ki . In his expression of the art there was a greater emphasis on what is referred to as kokyū-nage , or "breath throws" which are soft and blending, utilizing

2436-629: The Imperial Japanese Army Academy after being challenged by (and defeating) General Makoto Miura, another student of Takeda Sōkaku's Daitō-ryū. Takeda himself met Ueshiba for the last time around 1935, while Ueshiba was teaching at the Osaka headquarters of the Asahi Shimbun newspaper. Frustrated by the appearance of his teacher, who was openly critical of Ueshiba's martial arts and who appeared intent on taking over

2523-803: The Imperial household ; suddenly he was no longer an obscure provincial martial artist, but a sensei to some of Japan's most important citizens. Arriving in October 1927, the Ueshiba family set up home in the Shirokane district. The building proved too small to house the growing number of aikido students, and so the Ueshibas moved to larger premises, first in Mita district , then in Takanawa , and finally to

2610-521: The Japanese nationalist movement even in later life; his student Kanshu Sunadomari reported that Ueshiba temporarily sheltered Mikami Taku , one of the naval officers involved in the May 15 Incident , at Iwama. In 1969, Ueshiba became ill. He led his last training session on March 10, and was taken to hospital where he was diagnosed with cancer of the liver. He died suddenly on April 26, 1969. His body

2697-601: The Aiki Jinja include Morihei Ueshiba's Guardian Gods, Saruta Hiko no Ookami, Kunitsu Ryuoh Kuzuryu, Daigongen, Tajikarao no mikoto, Amenomurakumo Kukisamuhara Ryuoh, Ketsumi Miko no Ookami, Wakumusubi no Mikoto, Ryuoh, Daigongen, Ootengu, Daibosatsu, and others. The first part of the shrine building (the Honden or "Okuden" housing the deities of aikido) was completed in late autumn, 1943. The second bigger part (the Haiden )

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2784-622: The Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu system; his early students' documents bear the term Daitō-ryū. Indeed, Ueshiba trained one of the future highest grade earners in Daitō-ryū, Takuma Hisa , in the art before Takeda took charge of Hisa's training. The early form of training under Ueshiba was noticeably different from later forms of aikido. It had a larger curriculum, increased use of strikes to vital points ( atemi ), and greater use of weapons. The schools of aikido developed by Ueshiba's students from

2871-530: The First Ōmoto-kyō Incident ( 大本事件 , Ōmoto jiken ) , the Japanese authorities raided the compound, destroying the main buildings on the site and arresting Deguchi on charges of lèse-majesté . Ueshiba's dojo was undamaged and, over the following two years, he worked closely with Deguchi to reconstruct the group's centre, becoming heavily involved in farming work and serving as the group's "Caretaker of Forms",

2958-490: The Hombu dojo was temporarily closed, but Ueshiba had by this point left Tokyo and retired to Iwama , and he continued training at the dojo he had set up there. From the end of the war until the 1960s, he worked to promote aikido throughout Japan and abroad. He died from liver cancer in 1969. After Ueshiba's death, aikido continued to be promulgated by his students (many of whom became noted martial artists in their own right). It

3045-568: The Iwama dojo; the Hombu dojo in Tokyo was in any case being used as a refugee centre for citizens displaced by the severe firebombing . It was during this period that Ueshiba met and befriended Koun Nakanishi, an expert in kotodama . The study of kotodama was to become one of Ueshiba's passions in later life, and Nakanishi's work inspired Ueshiba's concept of takemusu aiki . The rural nature of his new home in Iwama allowed Ueshiba to concentrate on

3132-504: The Japanese consul. They were returned under guard to Japan, where Deguchi was imprisoned for breaking the terms of his bail. During this expedition Ueshiba was given the Chinese alias Wang Shou-gao, rendered in Japanese as "Moritaka" – he was reportedly very taken with this name and continued to use it intermittently for the rest of his life. After returning to Ayabe, Ueshiba began a regimen of spiritual training, regularly retreating to

3219-551: The Jizōderu Temple, but had little interest in the rote learning of Confucian education. However, his schoolmaster Mitsujo Fujimoto was also a priest of Shingon Buddhism , and taught the young Ueshiba some of the esoteric chants and ritual observances of the sect, which Ueshiba found intriguing. His interest in Buddhism was sufficiently great that his mother considered enrolling him in the priesthood, but his father Yoroku vetoed

3306-519: The Nishinotani village council for 22 consecutive years. His mother Yuki was from the Itokawa clan, a prominent local family who could trace their lineage back to the Heian period . Ueshiba was a rather weak, sickly child and bookish in his inclinations. At a young age his father encouraged him to take up sumo wrestling and swimming and entertained him with stories of his great-grandfather Kichiemon, who

3393-623: The Showa Seinenkai (Ōmoto-kyō's national youth organisation) and the Ōmoto Shobotai, a volunteer fire service . His close relationship with Deguchi introduced Ueshiba to various members of Japan's far-right; members of the ultranationalist group the Sakurakai would hold meetings at Ueshiba's dojo, and he developed a friendship with the philosopher Shūmei Ōkawa during this period, as well as meeting with Nisshō Inoue and Kozaburō Tachibana . Deguchi also offered Ueshiba's services as

3480-435: The aikido world and local community. The attendees then take part in a ritual prayer and memorial service offered by the Ueshiba family and other dignitaries. A special Shinto prayer called the "Amatsu Norito" is recited before the current Dōshu makes a speech and a ritual demonstration of Aikido called a "hōnō embu" (奉納演武) within the haiden of the shrine. The festival usually closes with "naorai" (a celebratory meal) in

3567-433: The apparent intention of returning to Tanabe to visit his ailing parent. En route he made a detour to Ayabe , near Kyoto , intending to visit Onisaburo Deguchi , the spiritual leader of the Ōmoto-kyō religion (Ueshiba's nephew Noriaki Inoue had already joined the religion and may have recommended it to his uncle). Ueshiba stayed at the Ōmoto-kyō headquarters for several days, and met with Deguchi, who told him that, "There

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3654-638: The capital, but while residing there was stricken with a serious illness. Deguchi visited his ailing student and, concerned for his health, commanded Ueshiba to return to Ayabe. The appeal of returning increased after Ueshiba was questioned by the police following his meeting with Deguchi; the authorities were keeping the Ōmoto-kyō leader under close surveillance. Angered at the treatment he had received, Ueshiba went back to Ayabe again. Six months later, this time with Deguchi's blessing, he and his family moved permanently to Tokyo. This move allowed Ueshiba to teach politicians, high-ranking military personnel, and members of

3741-772: The capital, he left Tokyo and moved to Iwama permanently, settling in a small farmer's cottage. Here he founded the Aiki Shuren Dojo, also known as the Iwama dojo , and the Aiki Shrine, a devotional shrine to the "Great Spirit of Aiki". During this time he travelled extensively in Japan, particularly in the Kansai region , teaching his aikido. Despite the prohibition on the teaching of martial arts after World War II, Ueshiba and his students continued to practice in secret at

3828-695: The caretaker and chief instructor at the Iwama Dojo and caretaker of the Aiki Shrine and remained so for more than thirty years. After Saito Shihan's death in May 2002, Moriteru Ueshiba became the default Dojo Chief while Saito's son, Hitohiro Saito , assumed the role of Acting Dojo Chief on behalf of the Dōshu . However, in November 2003, Hitohiro Sensei announced his departure from the Aikikai. Hitohiro's organisation

3915-413: The celebration which also features a Shinto ceremony carried out by Ōmoto-kyō priests. Morihei Ueshiba Morihei Ueshiba ( 植芝 盛平 , Ueshiba Morihei , December 14, 1883 – April 26, 1969) was a Japanese martial artist and founder of the martial art of aikido . He is often referred to as "the founder" Kaiso ( 開祖 ) or Ōsensei ( 大先生/翁先生 ) , "Great Teacher". The son of

4002-404: The centre's grounds. Ueshiba also taught Takeda's Daitō-ryū in neighbouring Hyōgo Prefecture during this period. His second son, Kuniharu, was born in 1920 in Ayabe, but died from illness the same year, along with three-year-old Takemori. Takeda visited Ueshiba in Ayabe to provide instruction, although he was not a follower of Ōmoto and did not get along with Deguchi, which led to a cooling of

4089-473: The ceremony every month on the 14th. This tradition is kept up by current Dōshu Moriteru Ueshiba . Every year on April 29 (the start of the Japanese Golden Week holiday), the annual shrine festival "Aiki Jinja Rei Taisai" (合気神社例大祭　"Grand Festival of the Aiki Shrine") is held by Oomoto priests in commemoration of Ueshiba's death on April 26, 1969. Under former caretaker Morihiro Saito ,

4176-464: The classes there, Ueshiba left Osaka during the night, bowing to the residence in which Takeda was staying and thereafter avoiding all contact with him. Between 1940 and 1942 he made several visits to Manchukuo (Japanese occupied Manchuria) where he was the principal martial arts instructor at Kenkoku University . Whilst in Manchuria, he met and defeated the sumo wrestler Tenryū Saburō during

4263-477: The cultivation of life, knowledge, and virtue, not devices to throw people with. His third experience was in 1942 during the worst fighting of World War II when Ueshiba had a vision of the "Great Spirit of Peace". The Way of the Warrior has been misunderstood. It is not a means to kill and destroy others. Those who seek to compete and better one another are making a terrible mistake. To smash, injure, or destroy

4350-421: The departure of around twenty families. Ueshiba was attending a meeting over railway construction around 50 miles away, but on learning of the fire travelled back the entire distance on foot. He was elected to the village council that year, and took a prominent role in leading the reconstruction efforts. In the summer of 1918, Hatsu gave birth to their first son, Takemori. The young Ueshiba met Takeda Sōkaku ,

4437-572: The dojo and surrounding gardens, often with the azaleas in bloom. Tanrenkan (鍛錬館) is an aikido training hall run by Hitohiro Saito , now Hitohira, who is the son of Morihiro Saito . It is the main dojo of the Iwama Shin-Shin Aiki Shuren-Kai organisation. The Tanrenkan was built in 2000 on Saito family land and exists independently of the original Iwama dojo. There are also other aikido dojos in former-Iwama: Iwama, Ibaraki Iwama ( 岩間町 , Iwama-machi )

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4524-568: The dojo was severely damaged by an earthquake and rendered unusable. Aikido practice continued in the Aiki Shrine from 14 March until 17 September 2011 when the newly repaired dojo reopened for training. The Ibaraki Branch Dojo has nine regular local instructors, headed by Hiroshi Isoyama (8th dan), with the majority of the teaching (including the live-in student programme) being carried out by Shigemi Inagaki (8th Dan). Additionally, Dojo Chief Mitsuteru Ueshiba and Aikido Doshu Moriteru Ueshiba visit on Wednesdays and Saturdays respectively to teach

4611-438: The event grew to become a very big day for the small town of Iwama. The festival has continued to attract hundreds of Aikido practitioners to the small dojo and shrine under current Dojo Chief Moriteru Ueshiba . The Aiki Shrine Festival usually starts with a "shubatsu" 　(a Shinto ritual), "taisai-shukuji" 　(ritual felicitations) and " tamagushi -hoten" (offering of sacred sprigs) by the Ueshiba family and representatives from

4698-620: The following year. After the war Ueshiba effectively retired from aikido. He delegated most of the work of running the Hombu dojo and the Aiki Federation to his son Kisshomaru, and instead chose to spend much of his time in prayer, meditation, calligraphy and farming. He still travelled extensively to promote aikido, even visiting Hawaii in 1961. He also appeared in a television documentary on aikido: NTV's The Master of Aikido , broadcast in January 1960. Ueshiba maintained links with

4785-566: The founder of Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu , at the Hisada Inn in Engaru , in March 1915. Ueshiba was deeply impressed with Takeda's martial art, and despite being on an important mission for his village at the time, abandoned his journey to spend the next month studying with Takeda. He requested formal instruction and began studying Takeda's style of jūjutsu in earnest, going so far as to construct

4872-489: The founder of aikido was erected in the shrine grounds and unveiled on 8 November 2009. Surplus material from this monument was used to make a bust of the founder which was unveiled at the newly rebuilt Iwama Station on 24 July 2012. The Torii gate and Honden were damaged during the Great Tohoku earthquake . The relatively unscathed Haiden was used for aikido training while the dojo was unusable. When Morihei Ueshiba

4959-408: The founder of aikido, in 1940. In 1943 he built the first part of the current Aiki Jinja and an "outdoor dojo" where he lived a life of "Buno Ichinyo" (the union of agriculture and Budō ). This dojo was completed in 1945 and was originally called "The Aiki Shuren Dojo" (合気修練道場, lit. harmonising drill dojo). At first the dojo did not include tatami mats , and students received training directly upon

5046-530: The general class. General classes are held every day of the week for regular students while live-in students (内弟子 uchi deshi ) practise three times per day in addition to carrying out other duties such as maintaining the dojo and shrine precincts. Aiki Jinja (合気神社) is the shrine built by Morihei Ueshiba in Iwama in honor of the deities of aikido . The shrine grounds include the Ibaraki Branch dojo (training hall). The 42 kami enshrined within

5133-496: The idea. Ueshiba went to Tanabe Higher Elementary School and then to Tanabe Prefectural Middle School, but left formal education in his early teens, enrolling instead at a private abacus academy, the Yoshida Institute, to study accountancy. On graduating from the academy, he worked at a local tax office for a few months, but the job did not suit him and in 1901 he left for Tokyo, funded by his father. Ueshiba Trading,

5220-483: The middle of the night), arrange his travel plans, massage, and bathe him, and assist with household chores. There were roughly four generations of students, comprising the pre-war students (training c. 1921–1935), students who trained during the Second World War (c.1936–1945), the post-war students in Iwama (c.1946–1955) and the students who trained with Ueshiba during his final years (c.1956–c.1969). As

5307-629: The military (among them Sadao Araki , the Japanese Minister of War ). He accepted an invitation from Admiral Sankichi Takahashi to be the martial arts instructor at the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy , and also taught at the Nakano Spy School , although aikido was later judged to be too technical for the students there and karate was adopted instead. He also became a visiting instructor at

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5394-460: The mountains or performing misogi in the Nachi Falls . As his prowess as a martial artist increased, his fame began to spread. He was challenged by many established martial artists, some of whom later became his students after being defeated by him. In the autumn of 1925 he was asked to give a demonstration of his art in Tokyo, at the behest of Admiral Isamu Takeshita ; one of the spectators

5481-550: The opponent's movement to throw them. Ueshiba regularly practiced cold water misogi , as well as other spiritual and religious rites, and viewed his studies of aikido as part of this spiritual training. Over the years, Ueshiba trained a large number of students , many of whom later became famous teachers in their own right and developed their styles of aikido. Some of them were uchi-deshi , live-in students. Ueshiba placed many demands on his uchi-deshi , expecting them to attend to him at all times, act as training partners (even in

5568-492: The physical exam he had increased his height by the necessary half-inch to pass. He was assigned to the Osaka Fourth Division, 37th Regiment, and was promoted to corporal of the 61st Wakayama regiment by the following year; after serving on the front lines during the Russo-Japanese War he was promoted to sergeant. He was discharged in 1907, and again returned to his father's farm in Tanabe. Here he befriended

5655-519: The pre-war period tend to reflect the harder style of the early training. These students included Kenji Tomiki (who founded the Shodokan Aikido sometimes called Tomiki-ryū), Noriaki Inoue (who founded Shin'ei Taidō), Minoru Mochizuki (who founded Yoseikan Budo ) and Gozo Shioda (who founded Yoshinkan Aikido ). Many of these styles are therefore considered "pre-war styles", although some of these teachers continued to train with Ueshiba in

5742-445: The relationship between him and Ueshiba. Ueshiba continued to teach his martial art under the name "Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu", at the behest of his teacher. However, Deguchi encouraged Ueshiba to create his own style of martial arts, "Ueshiba-ryū", and sent many Ōmoto followers to study at the dojo. He also brought Ueshiba into the highest levels of the group's bureaucracy, making Ueshiba his executive assistant and putting him in charge of

5829-632: The role of Acting Dojo Chief and Senior Instructor. Isoyama first began training in the Iwama dojo in 1949 at the age 12, as a direct student of the Morihei Ueshiba and the registration documents that he signed stated the name: " Daito-ryu Aiki-jujutsu ". Isoyama's position was later taken over by Mitsuteru Ueshiba who then became the current Dojo Chief in place of his father in April 2015. Isoyama Shihan remains as chief instructor and Executive Advisor with support from Inagaki Shihan. On 11 March 2011,

5916-475: The second great passion of his life: farming. He had been born into a farming family and spent much of his life cultivating the land, from his settlement days in Hokkaidō to his work in Ayabe trying to make the Ōmoto-kyō compound self-sufficient. He viewed farming as a logical complement to martial arts; both were physically demanding and required single-minded dedication. Not only did his farming activities provide

6003-568: The stationery business which he opened there, was short-lived; unhappy with life in the capital, he returned to Tanabe less than a year later after suffering a bout of beri-beri . Shortly thereafter he married his childhood acquaintance Hatsu Itokawa. In 1903, Ueshiba was called up for military service. He failed the initial physical examination, being shorter than the regulation 5 feet 2 inches (1.57 m). To overcome this, he stretched his spine by attaching heavy weights to his legs and suspending himself from tree branches; when he re-took

6090-540: The time, Hokkaidō was still largely unsettled by the Japanese, being occupied primarily by the indigenous Ainu . In 1910, Ueshiba travelled to Hokkaidō in the company of his acquaintance Denzaburo Kurahashi, who had lived on the northern island before. His intent was to scout out a propitious location for a new settlement, and he found the site at Shirataki suitable for his plans. Despite the hardships he suffered on this journey (which included getting lost in snowstorms several times and an incident in which he nearly drowned in

6177-424: The wooden floor. Eventually 24 mats were installed. The dojo was later moved to the present day location and expanded to 60 mats. When the founder formally established the Aikikai for the promotion of aikido in 1948, the dojo served as the world headquarters for the art and remained so until the opening of the new Aikikai Hombu Dojo in 1956. After the death of the aikido founder in 1969, Morihiro Saito became

6264-514: The writer and philosopher Minakata Kumagusu , becoming involved with Minakata's opposition to the Meiji government 's Shrine Consolidation Policy . He and his wife had their first child, a daughter named Matsuko, in 1911. Ueshiba studied several martial arts during his early life, and was renowned for his physical strength during his youth. During his sojourn in Tokyo he studied Kitō-ryū jujutsu under Takisaburo Tobari , and briefly enrolled in

6351-422: The years after World War II. During his lifetime, Ueshiba had three spiritual experiences that impacted greatly his understanding of the martial arts. The first occurred in 1925, after Ueshiba had defeated a naval officer's bokken (wooden katana ) attacks unarmed and without hurting the officer. Ueshiba then walked to his garden, where he had the following realization: I felt the universe suddenly quake and

6438-471: Was Yamamoto Gonnohyōe , who requested that Ueshiba stay in the capital to instruct the Imperial Guard in his martial art. After a couple of weeks, however, Ueshiba took issue with several government officials who voiced concerns about his connections to Deguchi; he cancelled the training and returned to Ayabe. In 1926 Takeshita invited Ueshiba to visit Tokyo again. Ueshiba relented and returned to

6525-546: Was a complicated one. Ueshiba was an extremely dedicated student, dutifully attending to his teacher's needs and displaying great respect. However, Takeda overshadowed him throughout his early martial arts career, and Ueshiba's own students recorded the need to address what they referred to as "the Takeda problem". In November 1919, Ueshiba learned that his father Yoroku was ill, and was not expected to survive. Leaving most of his possessions to Takeda, Ueshiba left Shirataki with

6612-507: Was a meeting with Chiang Kai-shek to establish peace talks, but Ueshiba was unable to meet with the Chinese leader, arriving too late to fulfil his mission. From 1935 onwards, Ueshiba had been purchasing land in Iwama in Ibaraki Prefecture , and by the early 1940s had acquired around 17 acres (6.9  ha ; 0.027  sq mi ) of farmland there. In 1942, disenchanted with the war-mongering and political manoeuvring in

6699-480: Was a small town located in Nishiibaraki District , Ibaraki Prefecture , Japan . On March 19, 2006, Iwama, along with the town of Tomobe (also from Nishiibaraki District ), was merged into the expanded city of Kasama . The former town of Iwama is located about 100 km northeast of Tokyo and near the city of Mito . Iwama is at the base of Mt. Atago (愛宕山 Atago-San). Mt. Atago is part of

6786-404: Was alive, once a month he would preside over what was initially a small religious ceremony in the Aiki Jinja called Tsukinamisai (月並み祭), which lasted up to an hour. Food offerings of fruits, vegetables, and fish adorned the kamidana . Later, a small party with the uchi deshi (live-in students) was held inside the dojo. After Ueshiba died, caretaker Morihiro Saito took responsibility for hosting

6873-404: Was also a member of the settlement group. Poor soil conditions and bad weather led to crop failures during the first three years of the project, but the group still managed to cultivate mint and farm livestock. The burgeoning timber industry provided a boost to the settlement's economy, and by 1918 there were over 500 families residing there. A fire in 1917 razed the entire village, leading to

6960-418: Was back in Ayabe, having decided to become a full-time student of Ōmoto-kyō. In 1920 he moved his entire family, including his mother, to the Ōmoto compound; at the same time he also purchased enough rice to feed himself and his family for several years. That same year, Deguchi asked Ueshiba to become the group's martial arts instructor, and a dojo—the first of several that Ueshiba was to lead—was constructed on

7047-531: Was buried at Kozan-ji Temple Tanabe-shi Wakayama Japan, and he was given the posthumous Buddhist title "Aiki-in Moritake En'yū Daidōshi" ( 合気院盛武円融大道士 ); parts of his hair were enshrined at Ayabe, Iwama and Kumano. Two months later, his wife Hatsu ( 植芝 はつ Ueshiba Hatsu , née Itokawa Hatsu ; 1881–1969) also died. Aikido—usually translated as the Way of Unifying Spirit or the Way of Spiritual Harmony —is

7134-417: Was considered a very strong samurai in his era. The need for such strength was further emphasized when the young Ueshiba witnessed his father being attacked by followers of a competing politician. A major influence on Ueshiba's early education was his elementary schoolteacher Tasaburo Nasu, who was a Shinto priest and who introduced Ueshiba to the religion. At the age of six Ueshiba was sent to study at

7221-600: Was during this period that the term "Aikido" came into use. The world's only shrine to Aikido was built here by the founder along with a small dojo . Practitioners from around the world come to Iwama to train as uchideshi (内弟子) or “live-in students”. There are two famous Aikido dojos in the town including the original Iwama dojo (now called the Aikikai Foundation Ibaraki Branch Dojo) and the Shin-Shin Aiki-Juku . The latter

7308-471: Was erected in front of the Honden in 1962. Both parts were renovated by care-taker Morihiro Saito in 2001-2002 with the approval of Dōshu Moriteru Ueshiba . This renovation also included a fence set up around the compound, and a stone with the carvings "Aiki Jinja" designed by Seiseki Abe , a master of both calligraphy and Aikido, who was also the calligraphy teacher of Morihei Ueshiba. A large statue of

7395-510: Was formed following his formal separation from the Aikikai in November 2003. This created a split among students of Morihiro Saito with some joining Hitohira Sensei's new organisation and others (most notably the three that Saitō had promoted to 7th dan, William Witt, Paolo Corallini, and Ulf Evenås) remaining affiliated with the Aikikai. In December 2003, the dojo was renamed the Ibaraki Branch Dojo with Hiroshi Isoyama taking on

7482-593: Was significantly damaged in the 2011 earthquake . The Aiki Shrine and other dojos in former Iwama Town were also affected by the disaster. The Ibaraki Branch Dojo (茨城支部道場 Ibaraki Shibu Dojo ), also known as the Ibaraki Dojo or the Shibu Dojo , is a small aikido dojo , run by the Aikikai Foundation . The land on which the dojo and shrine were built was first purchased by Morihei Ueshiba ,

7569-577: Was to establish a new religious kingdom in Mongolia, and to this end he had distributed propaganda suggesting that he was the reincarnation of Genghis Khan . Allied with the Mongolian bandit Lu Zhankui , Deguchi's group were arrested in Tongliao by the Chinese authorities. Fortunately for Ueshiba, whilst Lu and his men were executed by firing squad, the Japanese group was released into the custody of

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