About Aikido

 

Aikido is a modern Japanese martial art - defensive in attitude and execution, and without competitive elements. On this basis, Aikido is a traditional Japanese martial art (in Japanese: budo), and not a sport.

'Aikido' is a term that was created in the 20th century. Morihei Ueshiba, also called Ō-Sensei (the revered teacher), is considered to have developed aikido in the period from the 1930s until his death in 1969. The technical basis is largely made up of Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu and Kashima Shinto Ryu - one of the oldest traditional martial arts lineages in Japan.

 

Ō-Sensei was formally enrolled as a "student" in Kashima Shinto Ryu's "Eimeiroku" (membership list), in addition to the "keppan" (blood seal), but contented himself with sending one of his students - Zenzaburo Akazawa - and his own son Kisshomaru Ueshiba to train. Protocol dictated that it was not well-regarded for a master like

Ō-Sensei to receive direct instruction in situations such as these.

In Denmark, aikido training began in 1963.

Aikido consists of three characters:
合 – ai – harmony
気 – ki – mind, will, energy (physical and spiritual)
道 – do – way (which unites body and energy)

Aikido can be interpreted as the way to harmonize energy / the mind.

Aikido is not a word that is used in everyday settings in Japan, but is considered a technical term within martial arts. It is difficult to translate unambiguously, partly because the term aiki is used in many different ways, and partly because the personal understanding of the concept of aiki itself develops throughout one’s life.

Aikido is not only a fighting technique, but to a large extent also a personal development process. The club or “dojo” in question is thus not "just" a place where you train, but the basis for a community of practice – being in a group where, by virtue of your individuality and the different levels each one is at, at a given time, contribute to each other's development.

What you learn is not just the physical part of aikido; through training, you acquire a whole culture that includes both aikido and elements of Japanese life, philosophy and etiquette. 

It is this richness – this development and honing of the practitioner's entire character that makes aikido a very special form of Japanese martial art.