Morihei Ueshiba

From Karate, Kungfu, Wrestling, Mixed Fighting Information Source

The founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba, (referred to by Aikidokas as O-Sensei or "Great Teacher") was born on December 14, 1883, to a farming family in an area of the Wakayama Prefecture now known as Tanabe. Among five children, he was the only son. From his father Yoroku, he inherited a samurai's determination and interest in public affairs, and from his mother an intense interest in religion, poetry and art. In his early childhood, Morihei was rather weak and sickly, which led to his preference for staying indoors to read books instead of playing outside. He loved to listen to the miraculous legends of the wonder-working saints En no Gyoja and Kobo Daishi, and was fascinated by the esoteric Buddhist rituals. Morihei had even considered becoming a Buddhist priest at one time.

To counteract his son's daydreaming, Yoroku would recount the tales of Morihei's great-grandfather Kichiemon, said to be one of the strongest samurai of his day, and encouraged him to study Sumo wrestling and swimming. Morihei became stronger and finally realized the necessity of being strong after his father was attacked and beaten by a gang of thugs hired by a rival politician.

School seemed to bore Morihei as his nervous energy needed a more practical outlet. He took on several jobs, but they too seemed to disillusion him. During a brief stint as a merchant, he finally realized he had an affinity for the martial arts. He greatly enjoyed his study of Jujutsu at the Kito-ryu dojo and swordsmanship at the Shinkage Ryu training center. But as luck would have it, a severe case of Beri-Beri sent him home, where he soon married a girl by the name of Itogawa Hatsu.

After regaining his health during the Russo-Japanese War period, he decided to enlist in the army. Standing at just under five feet tall, he failed to meet the minimum height requirements. He was so upset that he went immediately to the forests and swung on trees trying desperately to stretch his body out. On his next attempt to enlist, he passed his examination and became an infantryman in 1903. During this time he impressed his superiors so much that his commanding officer recommended him for the National Military Academy, but for various reasons he declined the position and resigned from active duty.

Morihei returned home to the farm. Having grown strong during his time in the military, he was now eager to continue physical training. His father built a dojo on his farm and invited the well-known Jujutsu instructor Takaki Kiyoichi to tutor him. During this time, young Ueshiba became stronger and found he possessed great skills. At the same time he became more interested in political affairs. In the Spring of 1912, at the age of 29, he and his family moved into the wilderness of Hokkaido, northernmost of the four main islands of Japan. After a few years of struggle, the small village where they lived started to prosper. Ueshiba had grown tremendously muscular, to the point that the power he possessed in his arms became almost legendary.

Start of Aikido

Morihei Ueshiba's Art of Aikido is heavily influenced by Daito Ryu Aikijujutsu which he studied under Grandmaster Takeda Sokaku. On the spiritual side he was influenced by Deguchi Onisaburo, founder of the pacifistic Omoto-kyo sect. During his childhood, the Ueshibas lived in Maizuru (Kyoto Prefecture). O-Sensei continued his life as a farmer in Hokkaido with his wife. This was followed by a trip to China and Mongolia.

In 1927 master Ueshiba moved to Tokyo where he founded his first dojo, which still exists today under the name Hombu Dojo. In 1942 he left Tokyo and moved to the prefecture of Iwama where the term Aikido was first used as a name for his art. Ueshiba gained national prominence as a skilled martial artist when he defeated an Imperial Navy officer (highly skilled in Kendo) in a martial arts match in Tokyo. In 1946 Morihiro Saito began studying under O-Sensei in Iwama which he did until Ueshiba’s passing in 1969. In 1959 Itsuo Tsuda also began studying under O-Sensei. Morihiro Saito became keeper of the Aiki shrine in Iwama after O-Sensei's death.

His son Kisshomaru Ueshiba became the second Doshu, the official heir and maintainer of Aikido, until his death in January 4th, 1999; the current Doshu is Kisshomaru Ueshiba's son Moriteru Ueshiba.

Many of today's top ranking Aikido shihan were students of O-Sensei. Many anecdotal stories exist about O-Sensei's martial skill. It is said he was able to escape a tight ring of students that surrounded him with swords. Many of these students would later say they had not even seen O-Sensei go by them.