AIKIDO

FOUNDER: MORIHEI UESHIBA (1883/1969)

Known as O`SENSEI (GREAT TEACHER)

O`Sensei was born in Tanabe on the 14^th December 1883, sickly as a child he was encouraged by his father to take up swimming and sumo wrestling.

In 1901 Morihei went to Tokyo to start a business in stationary, while there he trained in Ju Jutsu under master Tokusaburo Tojawa.

In 1903 he enlists in the infantry where he learns bayonet fighting and an ability to anticipate an attack.

1912 he moves to Hokkaido where he meets the Daito Ryu Aiki Jutsu Grand Master Takeda Sokaku with whom he trains until 1919 the year he returns to Tanabe.

In 1927 with his family he moves to Tokyo his skills in the martial arts are quickly noticed and he soon has a large following, one of which is the founder of Judo Jigoro Kano. Aikido at that time was known as Ueshiba Aiki Ju Jutsu.

In 1942 Morihei with his family moved to Iwama leaving his son Kisshomaru in charge of the Kobulan Dojo. While in Iwama Morihei continued his martial arts practice and farmed, he also built the Aiki Shrine. It was while living in Iwama that O`Sensei changed the name from Aiki Jiujutsu To Aikido.