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ORIGIN OF
"AIKIDO"
The word 'Aikido' was originated by grandmaster Morihei Ueyshiba. As a
youth, harassment encountered by his father kindled his interest in martial
arts. Subsequently, association with a spiritual leader influenced his
religious attitude. Finally, his father demise prompted his spiritual
quest.
While perfecting his
martial art, several words were chosen to name it. The earlier names
included the syllable 'bu' (martial art). As he advanced in his religious
pursuit, he finally settled on the word 'Aikido' to reflect his ultimate
understanding of life and the universal realm. The syllable 'bu' was
omitted.
He managed to originate a sophisticated martial art in which he
demonstrated successfully to convey its intrinsic power.
Due to the
conservative tradition of those days, practices were often done with
minimum instruction. The emphasis was on rigorous training. Further, due to
his religious background, his teachings of Aikido were often full of
mystical connotations arising from his ascetic training. Thus the power,
which accompanied the sophistication of Aikido as a martial art, was not
fully understood nor inherited extensively.
FOUNDER OF
KI-AIKIDO
In the meantime, his top disciple, Sensei Koichi Tohei, steadfastly went
about figuring out the essence of his master's achievement. It required a
keen insight as well as the arduous practice of other disciplines to polish
his understanding of Ki.
As a university
graduate, the academic education provided him with the basis to study
everything in a scientific manner.
Coupled with his
astute ability, he successfully deciphered the natural phenomena of Ki and
subsequently founded what is now internationally known as 'Ki-Aikido'. The
prefix denotes Sensei Tohei's emphasis on Ki development.
Sensei Koichi Tohei's
greatest gift to the world is in his simplistic Ki curriculums, which he painstakingly
compiled over the decades so that we can benefit from his legacy. This
includes Aikido with mind and body coordinated. The crux of all his
programmes is based on scientific explanations of the natural phenomena,
including Ki.
It is indeed a worthy
treasure to inherit from him.
Francis H S Chong
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