2006-09-01 00:28:12 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Sports ➔ Martial Arts
Morihei Ueshiba (1883 - 1969)
O-Sensei was a man who had devoted his whole life to the study of Martial Arts, and the perfection of himself as a human being. Born in 1883 in Tanabe, a small fishing village near Osaka, he grew up in an environment where the fighting arts were common place. Being of small stature and sometimes ill-health, his life of struggle, travel, failures and successes, and an apparent talent for Martial Arts, transformed him into a tenacious and hard working leader.
While in northern Hokkaido, helping establish a settlement town, he encountered a Daito-Ryu Aiki Ju-Jutsu teacher that was to have a profound effect on him. O-Sensei followed and studied with this fierce and eccentric nomad sporadically for a number of years, and began teaching the art himself, due to his fame that was spreading regarding his martial prowess.
O-Sensei was once known as the strongest man in Japan; he was challenged by and defeated the champion Sumo Tennryu, taught Martial Arts to Admirals of the Japanese Navy and demonstrated his techniques for the Emperor.
Although Aikido is a Martial Art, it also includes imagery, poetry and a deep philosophy of life based upon the principles of Shinto and Shingon, two small but popular religions in Japan that expound the need for an appreciation and harmony with the Universe, a respect for the natural world. He was also called the most religious man in Japan, as he would stop and pray at every shrine he walked past. In his earlier years, he underwent formal training at a Shingon Buddhist temple, and also spent a great deal of time studying Shinto of the Omoto sect under Onisaburo Deguchi, a charismatic though somewhat radical religious leader of the pre-war years.
O-Sensei, which means "great teacher", devoted his whole life to the path of Budo, the Martial Way, and set an example to all people by treading the precarious path between Martial Arts and Spirituality. His belief was that Aikido is a means of transforming the body, mind and spirit to reach enlightenment by studying Martial Arts with the right intentions in mind.
Sometime during his mid-fifties, O-Sensei, experienced a revelation after he was challenged to a duel in which he defeated one of Japan's top kendo masters. This experience led O-Sensei to change his view on the meaning of Martial Arts, and sometime in 1942 began calling his new art Aikido. He moved to the countryside outside Tokyo, not only to escape the US occupational forces which forbade Martial Arts after WWII, but also to concentrate more on farming, and to spend more time to developing his ideas on Aikido. Here, favoured students lived, worked and trained with O-Sensei, for the next 25 years. From this point, Aikido was born. One of these students, Morihiro Saito, was to stay with O-Sensei for the next 23 years, until his death.
During this time, O-Sensei travelled widely, teaching, lecturing, and giving public demonstrations. Many of Japan's top government and military officials, as well as US servicemen visited and trained with O-Sensei, each one proclaiming that what O-Sensei was doing was an amazing, innovative and astounding art. O-Sensei lived to be 86 years old, teaching until he passed away in 1969. O-Sensei's Aikido was believed by many to be at his strongest in his seventies, and in the years before his death was still reportedly able to perform amazing feats of strength and speed. In the year before his death he was declared a National Treasure by the Japanese Government, and now, every year in April, O-Sensei's son Kisshomaru, and Aikido practitioners and supporters visit the place of O-Sensei's final resting to perform special rememberance ceremonies at the Aikido shrine.
2006-09-01 00:31:03 · answer #1 · answered by Rocket Surgeon 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Morihei Ueshiba, but keep in mind that Aikido is an evolved art form that sources from Aikijitsu. Not sure who the founder of that was.
2006-09-01 18:49:09 · answer #2 · answered by Kavan Lee 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Aikido, is a modern Japanese budo. It was developed by Morihei Ueshiba over the period of the 1920s to the 1960s. Ueshiba is also known by practitioners of aikido as O-Sensei or "Great Teacher".
2006-09-01 07:30:37 · answer #3 · answered by sharrron 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Morihei Ueshiba was the "modern father" or founder of aikido, but it also is derived fro aikijitsuand that dates back a little further, so you may have to dig a little deeper on that discipline.
2006-09-02 17:53:32 · answer #4 · answered by quiksilver8676 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Morihei Ueshiba
2006-09-01 07:30:51 · answer #5 · answered by yyy 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ueshiba Morihei.
2006-09-01 13:37:58 · answer #6 · answered by noute_sotbef 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Heichai.
2006-09-01 07:33:07 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
The jaoanese
2006-09-01 07:32:26 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Mr.Aikido?
2006-09-01 15:41:07 · answer #9 · answered by The Shadow 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋