The founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba, was born on December 14 1883, to a farming family in Tanabe.
From his father he inherited a samurai's determination and interest in public affairs, and from his mother an intense interest in religion, poetry and art.
In his early childhood, Morihei was rather weak and sickly, but he loved to listen to the legends of the wonder-working saints and was fascinated by the esoteric Buddhist rituals. His father would recount the tales of his great-grandfather, said to be one of the strongest samurai of his day, and encouraged him to study Sumo-wrestling and swimming.
School bored him, as his nervous energy needed a more practical outlet. He took on several jobs, but they too seemed to disillusion him. He realised he had an affinity for the martial arts, and greatly enjoyed his study of Jujutsu and Swordsmanship. But a severe case of Beri-Beri sent him home, where he later married.
After regaining his health he decided to enlist in the army. Standing at just under five feet tall, he failed to meet the minimum height requirements. He was so upset that he went immediately to the forests and swung on trees trying desperately to stretch his body out. On his next attempt to enlist, he passed his examination, becoming an infantryman in 1903.
During this time he impressed his superiors so much that a commanding officer recommended him for the National Military Academy, but he declined the position and resigned from active duty.
Morihei returned home to the farm. Having grown strong during his time in the military, he was now eager to continue physical training. His father built a Dojo on his farm and invited a well-known Jujutsu instructor to tutor him. During this time he found he possessed great skills.
In the spring of 1912, at the age of 29, he and his family moved to Hokkaido. During this time he met Takeda Sokaku, grand master of Daito-ryu Aikijutsu. After finding himself no match for his teacher, Morihei seemed to forget everything else and threw himself into training. He went back to Shirataki, built a Dojo, and invited Takeda to live there. However, upon hearing of his father's serious illness, Morihei sold off most of his property and left the Dojo to Takeda, never to return.
On his journey home, he impulsively stopped in Ayabe, headquarters for the new Omoto-kyo religion. Here he met the master of the new religion, Deguchi Onisaburo. He stayed three additional days.
Upon returning home, he found that he had stayed away too long; his father had passed away. Morihei took his father's death very hard, sold off all his ancestral land and moved to Ayabe to study Omoto-kyo. For the next eight years he studied with Deguchi Onisaburo, taught Budo, and headed up the local fire brigade.
A pacifist, Deguchi was an advocate of non-violent resistance and universal disarmament. He was noted to have said, “Armament and war are the means by which the landlords and capitalists make their profit, while the poor suffer”.
It did not take long for Deguchi to realise that Ueshiba' purpose on earth was “to teach the real meaning of Budo: an end to all fighting and contention”.
The study of Omoto-kyo and his association with Onisaburo profoundly affected Moriheis' life. He once stated that while Takeda Sokaku opened his eyes to the essence of Budo, his enlightenment came from his Omoto-kyo experiences.
During his early 40's he had several spiritual experiences which so impressed him that his life and training were forever changed. He realised the true purpose of Budo was love that cherishes and nourishes all beings. In 1927, Deguchi Onisaburo encouraged him to separate from Omoto-kyo and begin his own way, so he moved to Tokyo.
Moriheis' following grew, and he built a formal Dojo in the city. While the Dojo was being constructed, many high-ranking instructors of other arts came to visit. They were so impressed that they would dispatch their own students to study under him. He also held special classes for the major military and police academies.
In 1942, supposedly because of a divine command, he returned to the farmlands, moving to the village of Iwama where he built an outdoor Dojo and the now famous Aiki Shrine. He often said “Budo and farming are one”.
Iwama is considered by many to be the birth place of modern-day Aikido. Prior to this move, his system had been called Aikijutsu, then Aiki-Budo. Still primarily a martial art rather than a spiritual path.
From 1942, (when the name Aikido was first formally used) to 1952, Ueshiba consolidated the techniques and perfected the religious philosophy of Aikido.
After the war, Aikido grew rapidly. Morihei Ueshiba had become famous as “O Sensei” or “The Grand Teacher”, the “Master of Aikido”. He had also received many decorations from the Japanese government. Right up to the end of his life, O Sensei refined and improved his “Way”, never losing his dedication for hard training.
In early Spring 1969, O Sensei fell ill and told his son, “God is calling me ...”.
He was returned to his home at his request to be near his Dojo. As his students made their last calls, he gave his final instructions. “Aikido is for the entire world. Train not for selfish reasons, but for all people everywhere”.
Early on the morning of April 26th 1969 before passing away, the 86 year old O Sensei took his son's hand, smiled and said, “take care of things”.
Every year a memorial service is held on April 29th at the Aiki Shrine in Iwama.
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