Aikido
合気道A Japanese art of throws and joint locks that Morihei Ueshiba developed from Daito-ryu aiki-jujutsu. It is practiced mainly in paired kata, and only some schools compete.
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JapanCharacter & Origin
Training
Who It Suits
Organisation & Competition
What the style is built from
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About Aikido
Aikido was developed by Morihei Ueshiba (1883–1969) in the late twenties and the thirties of the twentieth century. From 1915 he studied Daito-ryu aiki-jujutsu under Sokaku Takeda, in 1922 he received from him the kyoju dairi license, and the official link with Daito-ryu lasted until 1937. He first taught his art under the names aiki-jujutsu, Ueshiba-ryu and aiki budo, and adopted the name aikido in 1942. He founded the Kobukan dojo in Tokyo in April 1931, and after the war it became the Hombu dojo of the Aikikai foundation.
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The technique rests on the principles of irimi (entering) and tenkan (turning), on throws such as shiho nage and kote gaeshi, and on the joint locks ikkyo to gokyo. It is practiced standing, seated (suwari waza) and in the hanmi handachi position, in which the attacker stands and the defender sits. Atemi serves as a strike to a vulnerable spot or as a distraction before a throw. A large part of the technical structure comes from kenjutsu, and traditional equipment includes the bokken, jo and tanto. Training is mainly in paired kata: uke attacks, tori performs the technique and the roles alternate. Ukemi, that is receiving the technique and falling safely, is a skill in itself. The Aikikai has kept non-competitive training, and Yoshinkan of Gozo Shioda (1955) does not usually practice free randori. The exception is the Shodokan of Kenji Tomiki, which competes in tanto randori, toshu randori and in a scored paired kata, and where the defender in randori provides resistance. Koichi Tohei’s Ki Society holds competitions in taigi. The grades kyu and dan differ between organizations and are not interchangeable, and in the Aikikai the foundation issues certificates of grades signed by the doshu. The study by Zetaruk et al. (British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2005) found an injury with lost training time within a year in 51% of 47 aikidoka, with a higher risk for the head, neck and upper limbs than in karate.
History
Aikido was developed by Morihei Ueshiba (1883–1969) at the end of the twenties and in the thirties of the 20th century as a synthesis of earlier studies. In 1911 he practised judo under Kiyoichi Takagi, and from 1915 he studied Daito-ryu Aiki-jujutsu under Sokaku Takeda in Engaru on Hokkaido. In 1922 Takeda stayed with Ueshiba in Ayabe for about four and a half months and on 15 September granted him the kyoju dairi licence. Takeda’s student records (eimeiroku) place Ueshiba at 13 documented seminars from 1915 to 1931, and the official link to Daito-ryu lasted until 1937.
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Korean hapkido also derives from Daito-ryu and the teaching of Sokaku Takeda. Its founder Choi Yong-sool, by his own account, studied under Takeda for about 30 years, but Takeda’s records confirm only a shorter period of study. Wrist and elbow locks are common to both arts, which differ in philosophy and in the execution of techniques. Ueshiba first taught his art as aiki-jujutsu, Ueshiba-ryu and aiki budo. He adopted the name aikido in 1942, when his group joined the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai. He founded the Kobukan dojo in Tokyo in April 1931, and after the war it became the Hombu dojo. Minoru Mochizuki, a student of both Jigoro Kano and Gichin Funakoshi, was an uchi-deshi at the Kobukan in 1930–1931 and then opened the Yoseikan dojo in Shizuoka. After the war Mochizuki visited France in 1951, Koichi Tohei founded a dojo in Hawaii in 1953, and in 1955 Great Britain followed.
Technique
The technique rests on the principles of irimi (entering), tenkan (turning), atemi, kokyu-ho (breath control) and sankaku-ho (the triangle principle). The joint locks consist of the five teachings ikkyo to gokyo, and the basic throws include shiho nage (four-direction throw) and kote gaeshi (forearm return). It is practiced standing (tachi waza), seated (suwari waza) and in the hanmi handachi position, in which uke stands and tori sits. Atemi serves as a strike to a vulnerable spot or as a distraction before a throw. Yoshinkan teaches 6 kihon dosa (basic movements) and around 150 kihon waza (basic techniques). Randori against several attackers is required for higher grades, and in Shodokan it is one on one, and both participants attack and counter.
Training
Many dojo begin with the junbi taiso warm-up with stretching and practice of falls. Then paired kata practice predominates: uke attacks, tori performs the technique and the roles alternate. Ukemi, receiving the technique and falling safely, is a skill in itself. The emphasis lies on relaxation, joint mobility, flexibility and endurance rather than strength. The degree of resistance differs by school. Critics point out that weak attacks by uke lead to conditioned reactions of tori. Yoshinkan does not usually practice free randori, and in Shodokan the defender in tanto randori provides resistance against a training knife. The Iwama style practices the weapons aiki-ken and aiki-jo. The Hombu dojo trains seven days a week, and we have not found a recommended training frequency.
Ranks and progression
Aikido has student grades (kyu) with a white belt and master grades (dan) with a black belt. Standards differ between organizations, so grades are not interchangeable, and some dojo set a minimum age for the dan exam. Hombu dojo Aikikai examines five kyu grades and dan grades 1 to 4. 5th kyu needs 30 days of training, 1st dan 70 days after 1st kyu and an age of at least 15, and 4th dan an age of at least 22. Aikikai's international regulations allow dan grades 1 to 8. In Aikikai, certificates of grades and instructor titles are issued by the foundation with the signature of the doshu, and Hombu also certifies the grades of recognized foreign organizations. Yoshinkan runs the eleven-month intensive Senshusei course, and in Ki Society students are assessed in ki classes and aikido classes.
Who it suits
The Hombu dojo of the Aikikai has a women’s and a children’s class, and we have not found the age or content. We have not found children’s programmes or competitions of other schools, nor a study in children. Ki Society teaches students of all age groups. Zetaruk et al. (British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2005) followed 47 aikido practitioners: 51% of them suffered an injury with time lost from training within a year, against 30% of 114 Shotokan karate practitioners in the same study. Aikido practitioners had a higher risk for the head and neck, upper limbs and soft tissues. The risk rose with age from 18 years, 3 or more years of practice and training over 3 hours a week. The authors conclude that martial arts seem safe for young athletes, especially beginners. Saruhan and Bavli (2023) found in 30 beginners after 8 weeks of aikido an improvement in static balance. A review by Szabolcs et al. (2017, 20 articles) reports benefits for flexibility and balance, but also methodological shortcomings.
Competition
The Aikikai has kept Ueshiba’s non-competitive training and Yoshinkan avoids competitions. Competitions were introduced by Shodokan of the judoka Kenji Tomiki, who built the techniques by what worked in judo. Shodokan competes in tanto randori, where the opponents take turns with a training knife, in toshu randori without a weapon, and in embu, a scored paired kata. Points are tanto tsukiari 1, yuko 1, waza-ari 2 and ippon 4. Competitions began in 1967, and a world championship is held every two years. Some aikidoka regard them as contrary to the spirit of aikido. Ki Society competes in taigi, scored for rhythm, balance and the use of ki.
Gear
Practice is in the keikogi (aikidogi), usually white, in a thick judo or thin karate cotton version. Hakama is worn in many schools by dan holders or instructors. Traditional equipment includes the bokken (wooden sword), jo (short staff) and tanto (knife). In Shodokan tanto randori the attacker uses a training knife made of rubber or padded. Protective gear is not mentioned for ordinary training.
Philosophy
The declared aim of aikido is to overcome oneself, not to cultivate violence. Ueshiba called this principle masakatsu agatsu katsuhayabi. In November 1919 he joined Omoto-kyo in Ayabe, and meeting Onisaburo Deguchi opened for him access to influential political and military circles. The concept of takemusu aiki was inspired by the work of Koun Nakanishi on kotodama, which Ueshiba became acquainted with after the war in Iwama. Koichi Tohei’s Ki Society derives from the discipline Shin Shin Toitsu-do and teaches four principles: One Point, Relax Completely, Keep Weight Underside and Extend Ki.
Styles and schools
Most aikido practitioners train in the Aikikai foundation based at the Hombu dojo. The Japanese state recognized it on 9 February 1948, and since 18 January 1999 it has been led by the third doshu, Moriteru Ueshiba. Aikikai is the only representative of aikido in the Japan Budo Association, alongside the federations of judo, kendo, karate and others.
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Independent branches emerged from Ueshiba's students. Shioda Gozo, who trained with Ueshiba for about eight years from 1932, founded Yoshinkan in 1955. In 1957 he created the Senshusei program for the Tokyo police and in 1990 an international instructor course. Tomiki Kenji, a student of Jigoro Kano, opened the Shodokan dojo in July 1967, the first only for aikido. His branch introduced competitions in which, according to Britannica, points are scored by quickly touching the opponent with a rubber or wooden knife, and the opponent tries to disarm the attacker. Tohei Koichi broke with Kisshomaru Ueshiba in 1974 over the interpretation of aikido, left Aikikai and founded Shinshin Toitsu Aikido. Saito Morihiro led the dojo in Iwama with the Aiki shrine from 1969 until his death in 2002 and taught there, besides unarmed techniques, the aiki-ken sword and aiki-jo staff, and since 2003 the dojo has been run directly by the Hombu dojo. Mochizuki Minoru, whom Jigoro Kano himself sent to Ueshiba in 1930, combined judo, jujutsu, aikido, karate and Katori Shinto-ryu in Yoseikan budo. In France in 1979 Ueshiba's student Masamichi Noro created kinomichi with softer, more flowing movement.
Today
The Aikikai foundation is led by the Ueshiba family. The second doshu was Kisshomaru Ueshiba (1969–1999), and since 1999 the doshu has been Moriteru Ueshiba. The IAF was founded in 1976 as an umbrella organization, with only one member from each country recognized by the Hombu. Independent schools are Yoseikan (Minoru Mochizuki, 1931), Yoshinkan (Gozo Shioda, 1955) with the federation IYAF (1990) and Shodokan (1967), which split in 2012 into the JAA and SAF. Ki Society was led by Koichi Tohei from 1971, and he left the Aikikai in 1974. The Iwama line of Morihiro Saito never left the Aikikai. The Yoshinkan Senshusei course, created in 1957, lasts 11 months, and students in it train with the Tokyo riot police. The film Above the Law (1988) with Steven Seagal is considered the first American film with aikido in its fight scenes, and Seagal’s claims of study under Ueshiba are disputed.
In culture
The Japanese government honored Ueshiba Morihei in 1960 with the Medal with Purple Ribbon and in 1964 with the Order of the Rising Sun. In Iwama in Ibaraki Prefecture stands the Aiki shrine, built in 1943. Aikido is one of the nine modern budo covered by the Budo Charter, issued by the Japan Budo Association on 10 October 2008. The Charter describes budo as a path of self-improvement. Aikido was introduced to Western pop culture by the 1988 film Above the Law, Steven Seagal's debut, in whose credits Seagal is listed as aikido choreographer. In his review Roger Ebert mentioned Seagal's sixth dan in aikido, but took the figure from the studio's press materials.
Did you know
Britannica translates aikido as the way of harmonizing energy. Ueshiba Morihei was born on 14 December 1883 in present-day Tanabe in Wakayama Prefecture and died on 26 April 1969. Before adopting the name aikido in 1942, he taught at the Kobukan dojo under the name aiki budo. According to Ki Society, Tohei Koichi received the tenth dan in 1969. After Mochizuki, who demonstrated aikido in France in 1951, Tadashi Abe of the Hombu dojo came to Europe in 1952 and Nobuyoshi Tamura in 1964. Ueshiba himself visited Hawaii in 1961 for the opening of Honolulu Aikikai. The Japan Aikido Federation was founded in 1976, and in the same year the first congress of the International Aikido Federation was held in Tokyo. Aikikai has been a public interest foundation since 2012. The Shodokan federation organizes the Kansai Aikido Tournament, whose 51st edition is planned for 15 November 2026.
Styles & Branches
A line of aikido founded in 1955 by Gozo Shioda. It practises techniques broken down in a counted rhythm and since 1957 has run the senshusei course for the Tokyo police.
The only line of aikido with competition. Kenji Tomiki was a student of both Ueshiba and Kano and brought judo's principle that technique needs a measurable test.
A Serbian self-defence system derived from aikido, created by Ljubomir Vračarević in 1993. It drops the philosophy and adds strikes to sensitive points.
Aikido line from Iwama associated with Morihiro Saito. It trains techniques without weapons, the sword and the staff as one whole.
An aikido style founded in 1974 by Tohei Koichi after he left Aikikai. It is built on the four basic principles to unify mind and body and on ki tests.
A soft discipline derived from aikido, made independent in Paris in 1979 by Masamichi Noro. It has no dan grades and no competitions.
A composite style by Minoru Mochizuki, a student of both Kano and Ueshiba, with a dojo in Shizuoka since 1931. It combines aikido, judo, karate and weapons.
Frequently asked questions
What is aikido?
Aikido is a Japanese martial art created by Ueshiba Morihei. Britannica describes it as a self-defense system related to jujutsu and judo that uses joint locks and throws and turns the attacker's force against him in order to neutralize the opponent, not to maim him.
What does the word aikido mean?
Britannica translates aikido as the way of harmonizing energy. Ueshiba Morihei introduced the concept of aiki in 1922 as the essence of the martial arts, and the name aikido was adopted in 1942.
What are the ranks in aikido?
Aikido has student grades called kyu and master grades called dan. The Hombu dojo Aikikai examines five kyu and dan 1 to 4, and 1st dan requires a minimum age of 15 and 70 days of training after 1st kyu. The international Aikikai regulations allow dan 1 to 8.
What are the Japanese martial arts?
The Japanese Budo Association lists nine arts as modern budo: judo, kendo, kyudo, sumo, karatedo, aikido, Shorinji Kempo, naginata and jukendo. Aikido is represented in it by the Aikikai Foundation.
Does aikido have competitions?
The Aikikai Foundation states that aikido has no tournaments or competitions that would determine superiority. Competitions are held by the Tomiki aikido branch, for example the Shodokan federation with the Kansai Aikido Tournament or the World Sports Aikido Federation with the tanto randori competition, in which one opponent attacks with a foam knife.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.