Martial Arts - Aikido

Associated in the minds of many with the actor, Steven Seagal, aikido is rich in both history and tradition, an art that originally started in Japan back in the 1940s.

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It's a fact that Aikido is one of the most effective and most popular martial arts in the United States today. In the U.S., at least, the art of Aikido is most commonly associated with actor Steven Seagal, who made it popular with his movies. While relatively new to U.S. movies, at least as compared to Karate and Kung Fu, Aikido, which actually originated in Japan back in the 1940s, is a martial art rich with history and tradition. The founder of Aikido is recognized to be Morihei Ueshiba. Ueshiba was born on December 14, 1883. Growing up in Japan, Ueshiba witnessed local thugs vandalizing his father and other citizens and merchants. In a story line similar to the comic book origins of Batman, the young boy decided that he would make himself strong in order to seek revenge against these thugs. Ueshiba was a very strong willed individual, and devoted his every waking moment to physical training and perfecting his ability in the martial arts. As Morihei Ueshiba gained in strength and skill, he received many awards in jujitsu, spear fighting, and fencing. Even though he was very impressive to others in his abilities, he himself was never happy with his skills. He knew that there must be more to mastery of the martial arts than just the physical side, and began to investigate religion and the spiritual side of combat training, hoping that he would find a greater significance in life, simultaneously pursuing his own personal supremacy in martial arts. Eventually, Ueshiba "officially" founded the martial art of Aikido after combining both his religious beliefs, and his vast experience in various styles of martial arts. Originally, the martial arts style which is now known as Aikido was known as ai ibudo. However, it was not until 1942 that the name Aikido really stuck. The style was quite different from more commonly known styles of martial arts, incorporating several different styles of Jujitsu, aiki-jujitsu, and spear and sword fighting techniques as well. Even though there are a great many people who think of Aikido as the ultimate martial art, it must also be viewed as much as a philosophical and pshychological art that is based on religion and harmony, as it is on physical prowess. A bit of a unique martial art, Aikido combines joint locks, weight manipulation, and throws to achieve its purpose. Rather than being a competition form of martial arts, it is a very realistic and effective form of personal defense, which was the intention of Ueshiba from the very start. Despite the many aspects and techniques of modern day Aikido, it is still the result of the creative and innovative powers of one man, its founder, Morihei Ueshiba. Despite the use of the common term "Aikido", there actually is not a single unified system of belief or philosophy which IS the martial art of Aikido. While Aikido is barely over half a century old, it already has a background rich in heritage and belief. Aikido is based on harmony and peace of the spirit. Ueshiba the master of Aikido, believed that the human body is capable of anything once an individual has found a way to achieve a higher spiritual power. Even though Morihei Ueshiba, himself, was originally motivated by revenge, he still believed, and taught, that Aikido was not about fighting, but, was rather a way to reconcile oneself with the world, and make every human being a member of one giant family. In the decades since its creation, Aikido has been introduced in America and other parts of the world with amazing results. Actor Steven Seagal, is by far the most popular and best known master of the art, showing the world the power and harmony of Aikido through his many movies. There are hundreds of martial arts dojos (schools)in North America that train students in Aikido, and almost certainlyu one somewhere near you. Not only will Aikido teach you how to defend yourself, but it will also teach harmony of spirit and help you find inner peace as well. Articles About Aikido Martial Arts