Aikido is a modern Japanese martial art with a distinctly defensive character, developed in the early 20th century by Morihei Ueshiba. Ueshiba synthesised various budo disciplines, but above all he developed Daito-Ryu Aiki-Jujutsu into aikido.
A martial arts practitioner who trains in aikido is called an ‘aikidoka’.
The aim of aikido is to redirect the force of an attack so as to render the opponent temporarily unable to attack, without causing them serious injury.
This is usually achieved through throwing and control techniques, which form the core of aikido’s techniques.
What makes aikido unique is that it does not use any attacking techniques, but only defensive and controlling techniques. This enables the teaching of a mindset focused on defence and a sense of responsibility.
During the various stages of its 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 ‘vital energy or universal energy’, Do, ‘the way of life’) and can therefore be roughly translated as ‘the way of harmony in interaction with energy’, ‘the way towards harmony of forces’ or ‘the way of harmony with the energy of the universe’.
This expression refers to the fact that aikido techniques aim to neutralise attacks by controlling their energy, rather than by blocking them. A comparison often cited is that of the weeping willow, which, thanks to its flexibility, can withstand a storm by bending, whilst the oak, though much sturdier, will eventually snap if the wind is too strong.
The term ‘aiki’ was already in use in ancient Japanese martial arts, where it referred to ‘appropriate force’, in the sense of an ability to follow the attacker’s movement. It was not until Ueshiba that this interpretation was broadened to also include a dimension of spiritual harmony.