Is Aikido a Martial Art?

Sensei Henry Ellis Co-Author of the new book Positive Aikido.- 2005. A direct student from 1957 of the legendary master Kenshiro Abbe Sensei 1915 – 1985.

At first sight of the above title I am sure that a lot of Aikidoist’s will be angry, they will assume that this is yet another attack on the credibility of Aikido by other martial artist’s. On this occasion they are totally wrong, I have been a student of Aikido since 1956, In those early days I first started Judo in 1955 at the Kenshiro Abbe School of Budo, I studied Karate with Harada Sensei and Kendo with Tomio O’Tani Sensei, so with my background I feel that I have something to offer to this debate.

First Impressions

The Aikido that I first saw being demonstrated by Abbe Sensei in 1956 was without doubt a positive martial art. I was immediately impressed by its positive techniques and power, and in those days my fellow martial artists and I were in no doubt that we were witnessing a devastating new form of self-defense as demonstrated by Kenshiro Abbe Sensei. Abbe Sensei had begun his martial arts career at the age of five and became a legend in his own lifetime. At eighteen he was the youngest ever all Japan Judo champion and also the youngest ever 5th Dan at the world renowned Kodokan. He later became the oldest ever all Japan Judo champion at the age of thirty three.

When Abbe Sensei arrived in the UK in 1955 he was 8th Dan Judo, 6th Dan Karate, 6th Dan Kendo, 6th Dan Kyudo, 6th Dan Aikido, the question must be asked; would this Budo master have studied Aikido if he did not believe it to be a martial art?

It is my opinion that Abbe Sensei would not have studied Aikido as it is today. Read more

Samurai and Fair Fights

In a recent post, I responded to a a statement on the aikido forum, quoting a noted aikido instructor, Mr. Isoyama. I criticized his knowledge of at least one aspect of Japanese culture, based on his quoted statement about hakama length. I received a very decent email from one of his students who disagreed with my conclusions – and the upshot of it was we chose to continue to disagree.

It will thus perhaps appear that I bear Mr. Isoyama some animus (I do not!) in citing another statement Nathan Scott quotes him as saying that I must disagree with. “Isoyama Hiroshi Shihan … explained the frontal attack/ushirowaza setup found in Aikido as being something done for reasons of “samurai manner”. Basically, saying that it would have been un-samurai like to sneak up behind someone to attack them. So even in practice they would not train that way, lest others would think them low class.” Again, I can only state that this statement – very common among Japanese and Westerners who have an idealistic fantasy of the samurai, and evidently little actual knowledge of bushi history – is not borne out in fact. Most of the oldest jujutsu-ryu specifically have any number of surprise attacks, including attacks from the rear, WHERE THE ATTACKER WINS. No counters (they were developed later in Japanese history, in peacetime – the oldest ryu had killing methods at their core, and central were methods of quickly dispatching the vulnerable, not self-defense or counters!) Read more

Morihei Ueshiba & Morihiro Saito

by Stanley Pranin – Aikido Journal #101 (1994)

The following article was prepared with the kind assistance of Dan Palmer of the UK.

Few individuals have so thoroughly investigated the origins of aikido as Aiki News’ own editor-in-chief Stanley Pranin. In this series, originally written for publication in the Japanese-language magazine Wushu, Pranin recounts some of the highlights of aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba’s long career through his association with his teachers and leading students. Part eight focuses on Morihiro Saito, keeper of the Aiki Shrine in Iwama, who has done much to classify and systematize the aikido he learned during fifteen years of training with O-Sensei.

The process of technical diversification began in aikido even before the death of its founder, Morihei Ueshiba. Among the tendencies prevalent in aikido today are the soft approach emphasizing circular or ki no nagare techniques of Doshu Kisshomaru Ueshiba of the Aikikai Hombu Dojo, the so-called hard-style school of Yoshinkan aikido headed by Gozo Shioda Sensei, the emphasis on the concept of ki of Shinshin Toitsu aikido as espoused by Koichi Tohei Sensei, the eclectic system of Minoru Mochizuki Sensei of Yoseikan aikido, and the sports aikido system devised by Kenji Tomiki Shihan, which includes competition. To these must be added the unified technical curriculum formulated by 9th dan Aikikai shihan Morihiro Saito. Saito Sensei’s approach, which stresses the inter-relationship between empty-handed techniques and weapons (aiki ken and jo), has become a de facto standard for many aikido practitioners throughout the world. This has been due largely to the success of his many books on aikido techniques and his extensive foreign travels.

Introduction to aikido

Morihiro Saito was a skinny, unimpressive lad of eighteen when he first met Morihei Ueshiba in sleepy Iwama Village in July 1946. It was shortly after the end of World War II and practice of the martial arts was prohibited by the GHQ. The founder had been “officially” retired in Iwama for several years, although in reality he was engaged in intensive shugyo in these secluded surroundings. Indeed, it was during the Iwama years during and after the war that Morihei Ueshiba was in the process of perfecting modem aikido.

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Interview with Morihiro Saito (9th Dan)

by Mark Binder

Several years ago I had the opportunity to interview Saito Sensei at a seminar.

BINDER: What do you think the most important Aikido technique is?
SAITO: “They’re all very important, but the one that makes people really get good is Shihonage, because you have the way of movement and the way of using weapons in Shihonage. O Sensei used to always say you can never do enough shihonage.”

Q: What is it that makes a strong shihonage?
A: “Kokyho. And the hips.”

Q: Can you explain Kokyho?
A: “You can’t really see it. You can’t really show it.”

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