Aikido - A Brief History - Part #2
Excerpt from : "The Elements of Aikido" by Greg O'Connor
"You and I and everything in this universe exist as a part of the endless flow of God's love. Realizing this we recognize that all creation is bound together by the same benevolence.
To harmonize with life is to come into accord with that part of God which flows through all things.
To foster and protect all life is both our mission and our prayer, and we call our path 'Take Musu Aiki'". - Morihei Ueshiba
O Sensei, in explaining Aikido, often referred to the phrase take-musu aiki. Take-musu aiki means, roughly, that Aikido is the martial way of unending rebirth and rejuvenation with limitless and boundless creativity. It is misogi, purification. Through the practice of Aikido one continually renews oneself through that purification process. He felt that martial artists who only practised combat techniques were short-sighted in their true value; that in acquiring the ability to take life, they should also develop the power to give life.
He felt that winning at someone else's cost was not truly winning at all, and that true victory was winning over oneself and one's own demons. He came to realize that physical force could not possibly win over the power of a spirit rooted and connected to the divine spirit. Throughout his years O Sensei's teaching of Aikido was filled with references to the divine, and how his Aikido connected him to God and revealed the true natures of both himself and the universe.
He often used references to obscure Japanese mythology with which even his Japanese students were unfamiliar. He spoke metaphorically of the sword that takes life and the sword that gives life. Literally speaking, an actual sword can be used to kill, yet it can be used wisely to protect and preserve righteousness. The impetuous and the fearful draw the sword easily. The sword that remains sheathed remains there only by the fearlessness, wisdom and strength of character of its owner. Metaphorically speaking, the sword that kills also destroys its master. The sword that gives life is used to cut through our own ego and selfishness, and opens us to the reality that we all share. O Sensei, therefore, admonished that 'Aikido is not for correcting others. It is a tool for correcting and polishing your own mind'.
Most are familiar with the advice of Jesus Christ when he said, 'He that lives by the sword, dies by the sword'. This is the same advice the founder of Aikido would offer. This death is not so much a physical death, but an internal one: a spiritual death. O Sensei said, 'When an enemy tries to fight with me, the universe itself, he has to break the harmony of the universe. Hence, at the moment he has the mind to fight with me, he is already defeated.' We refer to those that lose as such because they have indeed lost; they have lost something of importance to them, something of value. The most important thing we can lose is our sense of peace and contentment. We value our own serenity. True serenity comes from loving and supporting the world around and in us and, hopefully, having it returned in kind. In using violence, or when winning at the expense of another, we lose. We have lost our connection with universal harmony. We have lost our serenity.
Violence is an act of desperation that often has its beginnings in frustration and pain. The reliance on violence harms the one committing it as well - either immediately or ultimately. In such a situation such people have lost the ability to control themselves, and to see other options. They have lost their sense of personal power and dignity. They have lost peace. They have lost love.
If your character, personal resolve and capacity for compassion are strong enough, there is no need to use violence. One knows that violence is a knife that cuts both ways. One can choose to have the wisdom and intelligence to explore more productive, and therefore more desirable, alternatives. These alternatives should benefit all.
O Sensei realized that the people of the world needed the help that Aikido could bring; and so, in the 1950s and early '60s he encouraged some of his students to live and teach abroad. Today Aikido can be found in nearly every country and practically every major city in the world.
O Sensei developed two dojo which remain active today. The main dojo is in the Shinjuku section of Tokyo, and is referred to as Aikido Hombu Dojo, or Aikido home dojo. It continues today as World Headquarters for Aikido. Since O Sensei's passing in 1969, Aikido Hombu Dojo and since then The International Aikido Federation was headed by O Sensei's son, Kisshomaru Ueshiba, who, in Aikido terms, is referred to as Doshu or 'leader of the way'. Kisshomaru continued his father's work at Aikido World Headquarters (Hombu Dojo) until he passed away in 1999. Today, O'Sensei's grandson, the third Doshu, Moriteru Ueshiba, continues to enlighten the lives of men, women and children from over seventy countries.
O Sensei's other dojo is located in the Japanese countryside town of Iwama in Ibaraki Prefecture. The Iwama dojo also contains the Aiki Shrine, or Aiki Jinja, which was built and dedicated by O Sensei to the spirit of Aikido. The Iwama dojo was very special to O Sensei for it was there that he was able to devote himself to his gardening. Working with the earth, nurturing and growing his plants provided a communication with nature that O Sensei valued a great deal. He felt that his gardening and his Aikido were intertwined. Morihiro Saito Sensei, having cared for O Sensei at Iwama for many years, is now the caretaker and chief instructor of the Iwama dojo. He also works with Aikido Hombu Dojo for its continued preservation.
O Sensei died on 26 April 1969, and Aikido dojo around the world commonly hold special remembrances on that day to commemorate his life and his gift of Aikido. His way, his Aikido, is his gift of transcendence to anyone who comes to it.
It is interesting that O Sensei never took credit for being the source of Aikido. He said he was merely allowing the divine nature of universe to move through him.
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