Morihei Ueshiba

A sickly child who trained hard

Morihei Ueshiba was born in Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture, in 1883. Often unwell as a child, he built his strength through physical work and studied several martial arts, including jujutsu and sword and spear techniques.

Hokkaido and Daito-ryu

In 1912 Ueshiba led a group of settlers to Shirataki, near the town of Engaru in Hokkaido, where they cleared land and built a farming village. There he met Sokaku Takeda and studied Daito-ryu aiki-jujutsu, an art of joint locks and throws that became the technical foundation of aikido. A monument in Engaru marks this connection.

Creating aikido

Through the 1920s and 1930s Ueshiba refined his own art in Tokyo, attracting students from many backgrounds. He emphasised blending with an attack and controlling it without unnecessary harm. The name aikido was officially adopted in 1942, and after 1945 he and his son Kisshomaru worked to spread it internationally.

Did you know?

Film recordings from the 1930s and the 1950s and 1960s show how Ueshiba's style changed over his life, from strong, direct techniques in his younger years to softer, more circular movements as he aged. Students who trained with him at different times went on to teach different versions of aikido, which is one reason styles vary so much today. His house and dojo in Iwama remain a destination for aikido practitioners from around the world.

In Tanabe, his birthplace, a memorial and local events celebrate him as one of the city's most famous sons.

Legacy

Ueshiba spent many later years in Iwama, Ibaraki, training and farming. He died in 1969. His son and grandson led the Aikikai Foundation, and his students founded styles that now have dojos around the world. Old film shows the elderly master throwing younger students with seemingly little effort, a sight that still inspires practitioners.

Learn techniques only from a qualified instructor in a supervised class, with proper equipment and a partner who knows what to expect.

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