We are now offering the outstanding Aiki Ken and Jo DVD set by Morihiro Saito Shihan in a multilingual edition. When viewing the DVDs, you can choose to listen to Saito Sensei in the original Japanese or your preferred voiceover in English or French.
We feel that this wonderful innovation will permit a much wider audience to view and understand the teachings of Saito Sensei on the weapons training of aikido.
The article below has been selected from the extensive archives of the Online Aikido Journal. We believe that an informed readership with knowledge of the history, techniques and philosophy of aikido is essential to the growth of the art and its adherence to the principles espoused by Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba.
I was pleased to see a review of the book Bloody Iron in Volume 24, No. 3 of Aikido Journal. Here is a book that speaks plainly about the reality of conflict with edged weapons in circumstances involving lethal force. The authors, both long time residents of some of Americas finest prisons, describe in detail the prison environment as regards to the edged weapons conflict that is a part of daily life. The nature of such situations is presented graphically so that there will be no mistake as to their grim reality. There is much to learn in this volume and perhaps some of the information can give insight into the training that was necessary for the feudal era warriors of Japan.
From Aikiweb.com:
“What is this fear that by doing an art like Aikido we can be beaten by someone doing mixed martial arts? Is this a worry that you live with on a daily basis? There’ll you’ll be at the grocery store when, suddenly, you are accosted by the local gang of MMA practitioners… Really, I can’t honestly say that I know even one person who was ever in a fight with another martial artist on the street.”
Without doubt, one of the finest reference sources on Aikido technique is the six-volume series titled Takemusu Aikido authored by Morihiro Saito, 9th dan, in the last decade of his life. We are now, for the first time, offering a 20% discount to customers who purchase the entire set. Save on postage too!
The Takemusu Aikido series contain hundreds of techniques that encapsulize the teachings of Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba in Iwama in the years following World War II. These wonderful reference manuals feature thousands of technical photos including historical shots of O-Sensei and Saito Sensei.
The article below has been selected from the extensive archives of the Online Aikido Journal. We believe that an informed readership with knowledge of the history, techniques and philosophy of aikido is essential to the growth of the art and its adherence to the principles espoused by Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba.
Ueshiba Sensei was very religiously oriented. He regarded Mr. Onisaburo Deguchi of the Omoto religion as his master. He firmly believed that having Mr. Deguchi as his teacher would make it possible to attain eternal power. Therefore, his religious services in the morning and evening used to be a major event each day. Sensei recited Shinto prayers and then offered thanks to the kami or deities (starting with the Sun Goddess to the kami of water and grass). The whole ritual took approximately one and a half hours every day. Sensei was especially severe with respect to the kami and even the slightest mistake by his students during the daily ritual would raise his ire. That was one aspect of the most difficult training we experienced. I personally could not commit myself to believing in the kami and I only followed my teacher.
Damien Gauthier has kindly sent us this French translation of an article written by the late Minoru Mochizuki Sensei, one of the prewar generation of students who studied directly under Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba.
Article: Souvenirs de Minoru Mochizuki
Language: French, translated by Damien Gauthier
Original English article: Reminiscences Of Minoru Mochizuki
Patrick Augé Sensei submitted the following report and photo:
“Mochizuki Sensei’s remnants were brought back to Japan last April and placed into the family grave as per his wishes, May 25, 2008 in Shizuoka City. The ceremony was attended by family members and students. It was immediately followed by the Fifth Year Ritual Ceremony at Nakajimaya Hotel in Shizuoka City.”
We have added two beautiful large display photos of Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba to our selection of shomen portraits for aikido dojos.
Here are links to each of the three portraits for your consideration:
The article below by Aikido Journal Editor Stanley Pranin has been selected from the extensive archives of the Online Aikido Journal. We believe that an informed readership with knowledge of the history, techniques and philosophy of aikido is essential to the growth of the art and its adherence to the principles espoused by Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba.
Although the term “aikido” was first adopted in 1942, the growth of the art did not pick up momentum in Japan until the late 1950s. Not surprisingly, the devastating effects of World War II created a set of adverse circumstances that limited the art’s early development. Together with the economic and physical debilitation of Japan, there existed a strong negative bias toward anything connected with the prewar militaristic apparatus and mentality. As such, the martial arts that had been held in high esteem and which were an institutionalized part of the education system, fell into disrepute.