AIKIDO ROOTS

Aikido is a Japanese contemporary martial art that gained notoriety in the West in 50’s and late 60’s due to the works of Morihei Ueshiba. It primarily emphasizes non-aggression when dealing with every day personal non-physical problems. Its methods are primarily defensive but its applications are varied in scope and depth.

The origins of aikido techniques were mainly derived from the traditional study of weaponry that was employed during the Feudal period of Japanese history. As far as I know, the fist formal schools to be established in Bushido were during the Tokugawa regime, which lasted from (1600 – 1876). In this time period, there was a unification movement propitiated by tough military rule which had a heavy influence on the national government This gave rise to the Feudal knights that were know as the Samurai. In the 17th century, the government set up the first school of Confucianism that became the model for the Samurai. These schools trained and taught Bushido which were the standards established for the formal conduct and training of the upper class and nobility.