Aikido is a modern Japanese martial art with a strong emphasis on defense that was developed in the early 20th century by Morihei Ueshiba. Ueshiba synthesized various budo disciplines, but above all, he evolved Daito-Ryu Aiki-Jujutsu into Aikido.
A martial artist who practices Aikido is called an aikidoka.
The goal of aikido is to redirect the force of an attack in order to temporarily render the opponent incapable of attacking without seriously injuring him or her.
This is usually achieved through throwing and holding techniques, which make up the bulk of aikido techniques.
What makes Aikido unique is that it does not involve offensive attack techniques, but only defensive and control techniques. As a result, it teaches a correspondingly defensive and responsible mental attitude.
During its various stages of development, Morihei Ueshiba referred to his martial art as Aiki-Bujutsu and later as Aiki-Budo. It was not until the Second World War that he renamed it Aikido.
The name “Aikido” is composed of three Sino-Japanese characters (Ai, “harmony”; Ki, “life energy or universal energy”; and Do, “way of life”) and can therefore be roughly translated as “The Way of Harmony in Interaction with Energy,” “The Way to Harmony of Forces,” or “The Way of Harmony with the Energy of the Universe.”
This term refers to the fact that aikido techniques aim to control attacks by directing their energy rather than by blocking them. A commonly cited analogy is that the flexible weeping willow can withstand a storm by bending, while the much sturdier oak will break if the wind is too strong.
The term “aiki” was already used in older Japanese martial arts, where it meant “appropriate force” in the sense of moving with the attacker. It was Ueshiba who expanded the interpretation to include spiritual harmony as well.