The Uniqueness of Aikido

Aikido is essentially a modern manifestation of the Japanese martial arts (budo). It is orthodox in that it inherits the spiritual and martial tradition of ancient Japan, first recorded in the eighth-century literary and historical works, Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters) and Nihongi (Chronicle of Japan). This does not mean that aikido blindly carries on the tradition of the ancient fighting arts, merely preserving and maintaining its original form in the modern world. The ancient fighting arts are a historical and cultural legacy, originating on the battlefield in periods of civil strife and later formalized as budo, the Way of martial arts, in the Tokugawa period (1603-1868).

They need to be properly assessed and appreciated. In their original form they are unacceptable to people today and are out of place in the modern world, which in the case of Japan begins with the Meiji Restoration (1868). The Founder of aikido, Master Ueshiba Morihei was born on December 14, 1883. Living in the turbulent time of Japan's modernization, he dedicated himself to establishing a martial art that would meet the needs of contemporary people but would not be an anachronism. The following factors were at the core of Master Ueshiba’s primary concerns: an abiding love for traditional martial arts, the care that it not be misunderstood and a deep wish to revive the spiritual quality of budo. He sought to achieve his goal through a relentless quest, given substance by constant training in the martial arts, for the truth of budo throughout the vicissitudes of modern Japanese history.

Ultimately, Master Ueshiba concluded that the true spirit of budo is not to be found in a competitive and combative atmosphere where brute strength dominates and victory at any cost is the paramount objective. He concluded that it is to be realized in the quest for perfection as a human being, both in mind and body, through cumulative naming and practice with kindred spirits in the martial arts. For him only such a true manifestation of budo can have a raison d'etre in the modern world, and when that quality exists, it lies beyond any particular culture or age. His goal, deeply religious in nature, is summarized in a single statement: the unification of the fundamental creative principle, ki, permeating the universe, and the individual ki, inseparable from breath-power, of each person. Through constant training of mind and body, the individual ki harmonizes with the universal ki, and this unity appears in the dynamic, flowing movement of ki-power which is free and fluid, indestructible and invincible.

This is the essence of Japanese martial arts as embodied in aikido. Through the genius of Master Ueshiba the first principle of budo, as formulated by him—the constant training of mind and body as a basic discipline for human beings walking the spiritual path—was transformed into a contemporary martial art, aikido. Today, it is found in all levels and classes of society and is embraced by countless people all over the world as the martial discipline most suited to our age. That aikido is a modern budo does not simply mean that a traditional martial art has taken on contemporary features found in the other "modernized" forms of budo, such as judo, karate and kendo.

While inheriting the spiritual aspects of martial arts and emphasizing the training of mind and body, the others have emphasized competition and tournaments, stressing their athletic nature, placing priority on winning, and thus securing a place in the world of sports. In contrast, aikido refuses to become a competitive sport and rejects all forms of contests or tournaments, including weight divisions, rankings based on the number of wins and the crowning of champions. Such things are seen as fueling only egotism, self-concern and disregard for others. A great temptation lures people into combative sports—everyone wants to be a winner—but there is nothing more detrimental to budo, whose ultimate aim is to become free of self, attain no-self, and thus realize what is truly human. This is not intended as a criticism of other martial arts for becoming modern sports. Historically, this direction was inevitable for their survival, especially in Japan immediately after World War II, when all martial arts were banned by the Allied Occupation authorities. Even as sports, they have attracted the interest of many people, whether as participants or spectators. This is positive, for there is no denying that the young, especially, are attracted to martial arts because of the con-tests and tournaments which decide the best in the field.

Despite this trend, aikido refuses to join their ranks and remains true to the original intention of budo: the training and cultivation of the spirit. Within the world of aikido voices calling for tournaments have occasionally been heard, the argument being that it is necessary to gather a wider audience for survival in the present age. In fact, some aikido practitioners have started independent schools advocating "competitive aikido." This is a serious matter, since the transformation of aikido into another form of modern sport could lead to its inclusion in the national sports meets and, in the future, perhaps the Olympic Games, Aikido draws a clear and sharp demarcation line from such thinking, and the reason is very clear. Aikido seeks to maintain the integrity of budo and to transmit the spirit of traditional martial arts, remaining true to the first principle of budo, as enunciated by Master Ueshiba the constant training of mind and body as the basic discipline for human beings walking the spiritual path. In the tradition of budo strict adherence to the Founder's ideals and commitment to the Way take precedence over all other considerations.

The very reason for Aikido’s existence in the present world is because of its identification with the ideals of Master Ueshiba, even though the public may regard it as merely another form of combative martial art. The unique place claimed by aikido, clearly differentiating it from both classical budo and its modern counterparts, cannot be truly predated by the stereotypes people have of the fighting arts. This fact together with the principles and movements unique to aikido, may pre sent some obstacles to the popularization of this art. At one time or another all practitioners have been asked the question, "What is aikido?" Even advanced students have difficulty in providing a straightforward answer. Moreover, people who see aikido movements and techniques for the first time are confounded or skeptical and have many doubts and questions. Such people fall into either one of two groups. The first group consists of those who watch aikido with certain assumptions about martial arts, based upon what they have heard or read. On seeing aikido demonstrations their general reaction is one of disappointment, because they expect to see a display of brute force, combat, violence—and even lethal techniques. At first glance aikido, with its beautiful flowing movements, appears to be non-violent, even passive Frequently overheard are such comments as: "Everything seems to be choreographed and planned." "There's no climax, no high point, in the movements." "In a critical situation it would be useless," and so on.

These criticisms are understandable and come especially from the young who seek thrills in victory and conquest or from those who have stereotypes of martial arts as consisting of shouting, hissing, kicking, hitting and destroying people. In the second group are those who have become acquainted with modernized martial arts, especially their competitive forms, and view aikido from that vantage point. Their criticisms are various: "Why doesn't aikido hold championship tournaments, like judo, karate and kendo?" "Why is it limited to public demonstrations which become boring once you've seen one?" "Since there are no tournaments, it's impossible to tell who is strong and who is weak, who are beginners and who are advanced students." "Without tournaments no one practices and trains seriously." Again, the criticism is understandable, since people generally want to see who has the best technique and who is the strongest. Another naive but commonly asked question is, "Can one win a fight if he knows aikido?" All of these questions and criticisms are simplistic and superficial, revealing ignorance of the basic principle of aikido and misunderstanding of the chief characteristic of martial arts: the training of the spirit. If a person who has no self-discipline wants to show off his physical prowess and seeks to learn aikido simply for its fighting technique, he will be asked to leave.

Without actually practicing aikido with some patience and experiencing this art firsthand, the questions will never be answered to full satisfaction. Actual training in aikido is the only way to grasp its significance and to gain some benefit, tangible or intangible. Most aikido practitioners have gone through such a process—beginning with doubts and questions, being initiated into practice, then gradually becoming acquainted with the method and form of aikido. Later, they experience its irresistible attraction and finally some measure of realization of its bottomless depth. A person who has gone through this cycle will have learned several things about aikido that make it a unique martial art. First, he will be surprised. Unlike the "soft" appearance seen in public demonstrations, it can actually be "hard," vigorous and dynamic, with powerful wrist locks and direct strikes (atemi). Contrary to what one might assume, aikido contains several devastating techniques, especially those meant to disarm and subdue the enemy. Next, he will be shocked to discover, even at the beginner's level, how complicated and difficult it is to execute the basic techniques and movements, such as taking a fall (ukemi), proper distancing (ma-ai) entering (irimi) and other body movements (tai-sabaki).

The fact is that the whole body, not just the arms or legs, must move continuously in a coordinated manner, and this must be done with speed, vigor and power. In order to perform smoothly and swiftly, an extraordinary degree of mental concentration and agility, balance and reflex action are necessary. He will also realize the importance of breath control, which includes normal breathing but something much more that connects with ki-energy. This mastery of breath-power is basic to every move and execution and insures the continuity of flow in the movements. Further-more, it is intimately connected with the philosophy of budo developed by Master Ueshiba, as we shall see later. Finally, as the student advances he will be amazed at the endless number of techniques with their variations and applications, all characterized by rationality and economy. It is only after experiencing the complexity of aikido movements that he will appreciate the centrality of ki, both personal and universal. And then he will begin to sense the depth and sophistication of aikido as a martial art. In brief, only through actual training in aikido does one become fully aware of the crucial dimension of budo—constant training of mind and body as the basic discipline for human beings walking the spiritual path. Only then can one fully appreciate the rejection of contests and tournaments in aikido and the reason for public demonstrations being a display of constant training, not of ego accomplishment.
Kisshomaru Ueshiba