UESHIBA

Less than a year after joining the army, Morihei Ueshiba was promoted to corporal, and in 1904, he was sent to the front during the Russo-Japanese War, from which he returned with the rank of sergeant.

Around 1906 or 1907, Ueshiba was demobilized and returned to civilian life. He continued to train with Masakatsu Nakai and received a diploma from the Goto school in 1910. He eventually returned to Tanabe, and in 1911, his first daughter, Matsuko Ueshiba, was born. That same year, Morihei began studying Judo under Kiyoichi Takagi.

Barely thirty-two years old at the time, Morihei Ueshiba was already highly skilled in martial arts, but he was far from matching Takeda Sensei. The number of techniques Takeda practiced—both complex and powerful—fascinated Morihei. From then on, he devoted much time and money to learning them. He even invited Sokaku to live in his home so that he could benefit from private lessons. These private lessons were expensive, and his father Yoroku Ueshiba supported him financially by sending funds from Tanabe.

Quickly becoming one of Takeda’s top students, Morihei Ueshiba received a first-level instructor’s diploma in Daito-Ryu in 1917. The techniques he learned during this time would form the foundation of what would later become Master Ueshiba’s Aikido. It was also during this period that his first son, Takemori Ueshiba, was born.

It was in Ayabe, in 1920, that Ueshiba’s second son, Kuniharu, was born. Sadly, both Kuniharu and his first son Takemori—then three years old—passed away in the same year.

In 1921, Master Ueshiba’s third son, Kisshomaru Ueshiba, was born. He would go on to become the future Doshu (head) of Aikido. That same year, Onisaburo Deguchi invited Morihei to become a martial arts instructor and had a dojo built for that purpose. Master Ueshiba thus began teaching Daito-Ryu Jujutsu to members of the Omoto religion, while continuing his training with Takeda Sensei, who visited him frequently. In 1922, Takeda awarded Morihei the title of Kyori Dairi (assistant instructor).

Morihei Ueshiba’s reputation and renown began to grow, thanks to his association with Onisaburo Deguchi and the high quality of his instruction at his dojo.

It was also in 1922 that Morihei Ueshiba’s mother passed away.

In 1931, at the initiative of Onisaburo Deguchi, the Association for the Promotion of Martial Arts was created with the goal of promoting Morihei Ueshiba’s work in the martial arts. Branches of this school were established throughout Japan and organized martial arts training seminars alongside local Omoto religion meetings. This organization was active from 1931 to 1935, when the Omoto-Kyo religion was banned by the Japanese military government.

In 1935, Master Ueshiba also traveled to Osaka to give classes. It was on this occasion that a demonstration was featured in the Asahi newspaper.

Also in 1935, in Osaka, Master Ueshiba and Master Takeda met for the last time, as their relationship had deteriorated over time.

Between 1939 and 1940, Morihei Ueshiba was contracted to teach martial arts at various military academies such as the naval school, the Toyama Officer School, the Nakano spy school, and others. However, in reality, Ueshiba often delegated teaching to advanced Kobukan students due to his very busy schedule.

In 1939, Master Ueshiba was invited to Manchuria to give a public demonstration. He faced the former sumo wrestler Tenryu and pinned him to the ground; Tenryu then became his student. Master Ueshiba returned to Manchuria several times, the last time being in 1942 for the tenth anniversary of the creation of the state of Manchuria. On that day, O Sensei performed his demonstration before Emperor Pu’Yi.

On April 30, 1940, the Kobukan received official recognition as a “Training Institution approved by the Ministry of Health and Hygiene.” Admiral Isamu Takeshita became the first president of the Kobukan.

The demonstration before Emperor Pu’Yi had a great impact among foreign dignitaries. Although Master Ueshiba was never a supporter of such exhibitions, he understood that Japan was entering a new era, and so he allowed it to happen. On August 7, 1952, the Aiki temple in Iwama hosted a grand festival celebrating Master Ueshiba’s sixty years of practice. In 1964, O Sensei Ueshiba received a special distinction from Emperor Hirohito in recognition of his exceptional contribution to the martial arts.

On March 14, 1967, the construction of a new Hombu Dojo, a three-story building, was launched. It was completed on December 18 of the same year. Morihei Ueshiba reserved only one room for working and sleeping. The current Hombu Dojo has five floors, housing three dojos and welcoming more than 500 members. Over 30 instructors take turns teaching daily classes, seven days a week.

The Aikikai Foundation, founded in 1940 by Kishomaru Ueshiba, today holds a privileged position within the global Aikido community. More than half of the national Aikido organizations remain affiliated with the Tokyo Aikikai, which serves as the International Aikido Federation.

Other styles of Aikido are now practiced:

• Yoshinkan Aikido, created by Gozo Shioda, emphasizes a powerful pre-war style.

• Shinshin Toitsu Aikido, created by Koichi Tohei, is a health method incorporating Aikido techniques focused on the concept of KI.

• Tomiki Aikido, developed by Kenji Tomiki, includes a competitive aspect.

• Yoseikan Aikido, created by Minoru Mochizuki, is a blend of Aikido, Judo, Karate, and Kenjutsu techniques.

Towards the late 1930s, the Japanese army became deeply involved in the war effort. Most of Master Ueshiba’s young students were conscripted into the military. This thinning of the Kobukan dojo ranks led to a reduction in its activities just as the Pacific War began.

In 1942, after falling ill from a serious intestinal disease, Master Ueshiba decided to establish a new base for the Aikido organization in Ibaraki Prefecture, in the village of Iwama, where he had purchased land a few years earlier. He entrusted the management of the dojos in Wakamatsu-cho to his son Kisshomaru Ueshiba.

At Iwama, O Sensei began the construction of what he called the Ubuya (“place of birth”), the sacred circle of Aikido: a complex including the Aiki altar and an outdoor dojo. This was completed in 1964 by a beautiful set of forty-three guardian deity sculptures of Aikido. The dojo, now known as the Ibaraki Dojo, was finished in 1945 just before the end of the war. There, away from the turmoil in Tokyo caused by the war, O Sensei dedicated himself to agriculture, training, and meditation.

These years spent in Iwama proved decisive for the development of modern Aikido. Morihei Ueshiba focused all his energy on intensive training to perfect his martial art dedicated to the peaceful resolution of conflict.

By the end of the war, O Sensei had few students in Iwama, as many pre-war disciples had scattered across Southeast Asia.

It was during this period, in the summer of 1946, that a young man employed by the Japanese National Railways joined the Iwama dojo. Morihiro Saito would become one of O Sensei’s closest students and later his technical successor.

Master Ueshiba deepened the study of the sword, known in Aikido as Aiki Ken, and the staff, called Aiki Jo. He believed it was fundamental to understand the handling of these weapons to correctly execute empty-hand techniques.

He then developed a comprehensive Aikido program including weapons practice alongside unarmed techniques. During this time, young Saito often served as O Sensei’s training partner, allowing him to discover many techniques that O Sensei rarely taught.

While living in Iwama, Master Ueshiba defined the concept of Takemusu Aiki, which corresponds to the spontaneous execution of an infinite number of techniques adapted to any kind of attack.

During the 1950s, Master Ueshiba traveled extensively throughout Japan to respond to countless requests. He also spent a few days each month in Tokyo before returning to Iwama. At this time, it was very difficult to predict from day to day where Master Ueshiba would be or when he would stop to teach at the Aikikai in Tokyo. Many students who began training after the war and had the chance to see the founder teach or demonstrate Aikido were enthusiastic about the energy and beauty of his movements, as well as his martial arts ethics.

At this stage, his technique flowed like a river from his spirit, limitless and fundamentally different from the extremely rigorous practice highlighting physical strength that characterized his younger years. During his last years, as his health declined, Master Ueshiba moved less quickly and freely, adapting his techniques by shortening them. O Sensei would project his students with a quick gesture or a slight hand movement, sometimes without even touching them. This phase coincided with the early international spread of Aikido through public demonstrations and film distribution, inspiring many imitators who did not understand that this Aikido was a natural continuation of his past experiences and the result of over sixty years of practice—not a new beginning.

Morihei Ueshiba passed away from liver cancer on April 26, 1969. On the same day, O Sensei received a final posthumous distinction from Emperor Hirohito. His ashes rest in the Ueshiba family temple in Tanabe, and locks of his hair were preserved as relics on the Aiki altar in Iwama, in the family cemetery of Ayabe, and at the grand Kumano altar. His son Kisshomaru Ueshiba succeeded him as the second Doshu of Aikido.