What is Aiki?

 

 

"O-Sensei gave many
explanations about Aikido
and also specifically about Aiki"

 

Basically I am trying to best possibly taking O-Sensei's explanations and statements as a reference and a guideline for my own thinking, as O-Sensei gave many explanations about Aikido and also specifically about Aiki. However, his explanations mostly aren't easy to understand. O-Sensei used a very specific vocabulary with special expressions and terms to verbalize his knowledge about the subject. He used a vocabulary familiar to him from his studies in Shinto, Shingon, Omoto-Kyo and other fields of his personal interest. Without having at least to some extent some knowledge of these subjects, it is very hard, if almost impossible to follow O-Sensei's explanations. On the other hand, once having some knowledge about those topics things become more clear.

He also used the expressions of his time and he spoke the dialect of his region. In Tokyo, many of his students did not understand much of his explanations 1. However, there were also students who were well versed in one or more of the topics mentioned. Be it as being from a family of believers in Omoto like Kanshu Sunadomari 2 or as a person who had a deep knowledge about Shinto and devoted himself completely to O-Sensei like Michio Hikitsuchi 3. And there are others too.

O-Sensei's explanations are also closely based on the personal spiritual experiences he had during his life 4. The birth of Aikido must also be seen in the context of these spiritual experiences and of course also in context with O-Sensei's budo career. Finally we should also take into account the historical context in which things happened. So everything gets quite complicated and I guess that it's almost impossible to give an overall and correct image of it all. So I won't even try to get into details at length, but I will stick to the relevant bits, as I see them relevant to the subject in question.

"the techniques O-Sensei uses
in his Aikido, with maybe very few exceptions,
are based on the techniques of Daito-Ryu"

It is well documented that the techniques O-Sensei used in his Aikido untill his very last days, with maybe very few exceptions, are based on the techniques of Daito-Ryu. 

From 1915 on, O-Sensei was a direct and very close student of Sokaku Takeda 5. O-Sensei received the highest confirmation of transmission 6 from Takeda sensei in 1922. O-Sensei explained about his relationship to Takeda sensei 7: "Takeda sensei opened my eyes to budo". Just as Takeda sensei can probably be seen as O-Sensei's most important teacher of budo, Onisaburo Deguchi 8 can probably be seen as O-Sensei's most influential religious and spiritual teacher. In 1919, O-Sensei joined the Omoto-Kyo and, as we can see from historical documents, he had a close relationship with Onisaburo Deguchi, from whom he most likely learned various spiritual practices of the Omoto-Kyo. 

Chinkon-Kishin 9, an exercise that is still practiced in some Aikido dojos today before the start of training to calm the body, mind and spirit, at least in its modern and reduced form, comes from Omoto-Kyo. With great certainty it can therefore be said that in general the technical part of Aikido comes from Daito-Ryu and the spiritual part of Aikido is based on O-Sensei's spiritual experiences gained through the spiritual practices and teachings of Omoto-Kyo. It should also be noted that probably some of his personal practices might be part of Shingon, which he studied from before starting his life in budo. 

From the mid-1920s, O-Sensei had already made a name for himself as a master of budo, namely Daito-Ryu. For example, in 1925 he was invited by Admiral Isamu Takeshita 10 to give a demonstration of his skills in Tokyo, whereupon he was invited by Yamamoto Gonbee 11 to stay in Tokyo and teach the Imperial Guard. Because of O-Sensei's relations with the Omoto-Kyo, however, in the end nothing came of it 12.

So then, what exactly is the Aiki that O-Sensei used in his Aikido?

 Is it the same as in the Daito-Ryu of Sokaku Takeda? Or could it be possible that this kind of Aiki is something that O-Sensei didn't learn from Sokaku Takeda but realized by himself?

Without having better knowledge about that specific matter, let's compare some explanations about Aiki given by Yukiyoshi Sagawa 13 (Daito-Ryu) with some explanations given by O-Sensei (Aikido).

 

"True training begins
once you understand Aiki"

Yukiyoshi Sagawa explains 14 Aiki in Daito-Ryu Aiki-Jujutsu:

• When one understands Aiki, one can use it on anyone without using any physical effort or force. 


• If it is hard to fight someone who is physically strong, then that’s not Aiki.


• Unbalancing your opponent is part of Aiki, but not all of it.


• In Aiki, unlike other bujutsu, force isn’t used. 


• No matter how hard you may look, Aiki cannot be understood by observing the external. 


• With Aiki, the focus is different, the concept is completely different. 


• True training begins once you understand Aiki. 

• Takeda Sensei often used to call it Aiki no jutsu, the technique of Aiki. That means that he considered Aiki to be a technique.




 

"Aiki is Love,
Aiki is Misogi"

 

O-Sensei Morihei Ueshiba explains 15 Aiki in Aikido:

• Aiki allows us to proceed on the path of harmony without raising the spirit of armament.
• Aiki is Love
• Aiki is Misogi
  
• Aiki is the manifestation of Takemusu.
  
• Refining the practice of Aiki to achieve harmony.
• To connect while with harmony and integrity - this is Aiki.
• In Aiki, one moves forward with this path of the mind and path of the body as one.
• Aikido is the study of the soul and the techniques of Aiki.
• The practice of Aiki is to soften, harden, and polish a great power by unification of the spirit and body.
• The meeting of circular movement is the technique of Aiki.
• Master the technique of aiki, the divine way. Then no enemy will attack. 

 

Here are some more definitions of Aiki 16 as given by different masters of Daito-Ryu:

• The essential principles of Daito-Ryu are love and harmony
• There is no first attack in Aiki-jujutsu 
• Neither cut nor be cut. Neither strike nor be struck. Neither kick nor be kicked.
• When one uses “Aiki” even the very impulse to counter-attack ceases to arise
• One enters into a selfless world without ego
  
• Daito-ryu Aiki-jujutsu is the bujutsu of love
  
• The final goal (of Daito-Ryu) is the spirit of love and harmony 17
  

 

O-Sensei also defines his Aikido 18: "the true state of Aikido is love and harmony. There is no opponent in Aikido".

"The true state of Aikido
is love and harmony.
There is no opponent in Aikido"

 

Then again, O-Sensei from his early days on seemed to differ in his techniques from the techniques of his teacher Sokaku Takeda as told by Takuma Hisa 19 (Daito-Ryu) 20: "Everyone had been absorbed in Ueshiba’s beautiful techniques, but right then we became completely fascinated by the strong techniques of this old master (Sokaku Takeda)". Then again, Hisa also was adamant about Ueshiba’s and Takeda’s techniques being identical 21 : "the techniques that both master Ueshiba and Takeda taught were the same. Definitely the same."

O-Sensei himself points out, that at one point in his life he stopped the training of the old Aiki and all that was left to him was the method of Shochikubai (the new Aiki) 22. Also, as O-Sensei clearly differentiated his Aiki from the Aiki of other masters of budo, I'm getting the idea that the Aiki in Aikido, even though some core principles are the same, maby is not exactly the same as in Daito-Ryu. Same, same, but different?

However, the physical and technical aspects of Aiki in Daito-Ryu Aiki-Jujutsu and in Aikido, seem to be the same or at least seem to be based on the same core principles.

 

"Any movement done with Aiki,
becomes an Aikido technique"

 

O-Sensei explains 23: "In Aikido there is ablsolutely no attack. To attack means that the spirit has already lost. We adhere to the principle of absolute non-resistance, that is to say, we do not oppose the attacker. Thus there is no opponent in Aikido".

 

"We adhere to the principle
of absolute non-resistance"

 

If we understand Aiki basically as a non-resistant and non-violent principle, it only seems consistent and logical that in Aiki no force is to be used against an opponent, since there is no intent to fight against an opponent. The emphasis lies in the word "against". Whatever force is used, it is used to maintain our balance and posture and by doing so being able to lead our opponent, which so becomes our partner. 

Since the mind is not occupied with the idea of an opponent and how to defeat him, the mind is free from aggressive thoughts against an opponent. Thus the mind is able to more fully perceive a situation as it is. Hence, it seems more understandable when O-Sensei says that the techniques of Aikido arise naturally and spontaneously according to the situation 24. Aikido therefore is not limited to a certain number of techniques. Any movement done with Aiki, becomes an Aikido technique.

"In Aiki, we do not depend on our
physical strength and power"

In Aiki, the force involved, is not directed against an opponent. Aiki is not about who's stronger and who's not. Therefore Aiki also works well for physically weaker persons. In Aiki we do not depend on our physical strength and power. 

In Aiki we are not able to show off with our physical strength and power. Not to do so, especially for men, often seems to be a task quiet difficult. Henry Kono recounts about O-Sensei sometimes not being amused with the way the guys trained in Aikido 25 : "We used to apply a technique on our partner in a very competitive manner. On the other hand, O-Sensei only cared about keeping the balance between the two parts of a same entity, very much like the two parts that compose the yin and the yang. I always wonder how he could have had the patience of seeing us all get it wrong; yet letting us do it. Of course, every now and then, he would storm into the dojo and yell 'Nobody does Aikido here! Only women do Aikido!!'" 

In Aikido it is all about following the Aiki principles, consequently and without fault, fully entrusting ourselves to these principles. If we have doubts and hesitate in our action, even if just for a moment, or if we don't trust the functioning of the principle of Aiki and therefore, we put in our physical power to succeed in our techniques, we most certainly will be failing. A strong Aikido technique is not strong because a lot of power is used in doing the technique. Actually, it's quite the contrary. In Aiki, the execution of a technique doesn't require great strength and power at all.

 

"In Aikido it is all about
following the principles of Aiki"

 

What a paradox, the moment we are afraid of losing and we are not willing to take the risk of losing or failing, we will absolutely totally lose and fail with no chance to escape this predicament, other than giving up completely the will to win. But then, who is really willing to go there?

"Aiki is the technique
of no-technique"

Considering all of this, it could be said, that Aiki is the technique of no-technique. If we understand the functioning of Aiki, we can see that Aiki techniques are not really a set of techniques but are more like a principle which is used in all Aikido techniques. It is the application of the Aiki principle to a technique that makes the technique into an Aiki technique. The technique of Aiki has no distinct form, yet it has to be absolutely precise in execution. Therefore, since Aiki has no form, it cannot be taught by teaching distinct forms or techniques. Yet, Aikido techniques is exactly what we are taught and Aikido techniques is exactly what we train in our daily Aikido training.

"the formless nature of Aiki"

Many of O-Sensei's students recount that he didn’t really bother teaching techniques by explaining technical details. O-Sensei just demonstrated this and that, but gave no technical explanations whatsoever, though he did explain a lot about the principles of Aikido and Aiki. Looking at the formless nature of Aiki, this just makes sense, since how would one even try to teach a formless thing such as Aiki by the form of technique? So I guess, the best O-Sensei could do to teach his students, is to point his students towards Aiki by giving them all the necessary information they needed to be able to find Aiki for themselves. Also giving them examples of how Aiki works by demonstrating how Aiki is used in his Aikido techniques by letting them taking the experience of his Aiki. Maybe kind of like in Zen, he himself was 'the finger pointing at he moon'.

1  "Many students say O-Sensei was difficult to understand. I think they just lacked patience and knowledge. If you studied and thought about what he was saying, it was not so difficult to understand." Sadateru Arikawa in "Remenbering O-Sensei" by Susan Perry
   "Ueshiba Sensei never explained anything, he used to show a movement and we would copy him. His discourse was very complex and the few clues that he was letting through were very hard to dissociate from the mystical mumbo-jumbo. O-Sensei's discourse was a mystical mess in which he used to throw a few clues. You just had to be attentive enough to intercept them." Henry Kono in an interview with Guillaume Erard taken in 2008?
2  Kanshu Sunadomari (1932 - 2010), 9th dan Aikido, author of "Enlightenment through Aikido"
3  Michio Hikitsuchi (1923 - 2004), 10th dan Aikido, head of Shingu Dojo
4  O-Sensei had three spiritual experiences, they took place in 1925, 1940, 1942
5  Sokaku Takeda (1859 - 1943), founder of Daito-Ryu Aiki-Jujutsu
6  at the time designated to O-Sensei, the Kyoju Dairi was the highest certificate handed out by Sokaku Takeda
7  Quote taken from an Interview with O-Sensei as published in Aikido Journal online
8  Onisaburo Deguchi (1871 - 1941), one of the two spiritual leaders of the Omoto-Kyo
9  detailed information on Chinkon Kishin can be found in "Chinkon Kishin ..." by Birgit Staemmler
10  Isamu Takeshita (1870 - 1949), admiral of the imperial navy
11  Yamamoto Gonbee (1852 - 1933), admiral of the imperial navy, jap. prime minister
12  Quote taken from Wikipedia
13  Yukiyoshi Sagawa (1902 - 1998), Daito-Ryu master and direct student of Sokaku Takeda
14  Quotes taken from "Tranparent Power" by Tatsuo Kimuro
15  Quotes taken from "Takemusu Aiki" by Takahashi Hideo and from "Aiki Shinzui" a collection of texts from O-Sensei collected and redacted by Aikikai Hombu Dojo
16  Quotes taken from "Ai no Bujutsu - Aiki and the Bujutsu of Love" by Aikido Sangenkai online
17  Quote taken from an Interview with Katsuyuki Kondo as published in Aikido Journal online
18  Quote taken from an Interview with O-Sensei as published in Aikido Journal online
19  Takuma Hisa (1895 - 1980), Daito-Ryu master and direct student of Sokaku Takeda, 8th dan Aikido
20  Quote taken from an Interview with Takuma Hisa as published in Aikido Journal online 
21  Quote taken from aikidosangenkai.
22  See "Takemusu Aiki" by Takahashi Hideo
23  24   Quotes taken from an interview with O-Sensei as published in Aikido Journal online
25  Quote taken from an interview with Henry Kono taken by Guillaume Erard in 2008?

Page first published on 19.09.2023
Page last updated on 01.09.2025

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Disclaimer: everything presented in this post only represents my personal opinions based on my personal  knowledge, understanding and experiences made regarding the matter in discussion except where quotes are made. Other opinions are highly respected as long as they can withstand the argumentation. Some of the points presented may be purely speculative on my side due to the lack of evidence known to me. Any evidence presented to help clarify the points in question is highly welcomed. The post may still undergo little changes, although the content will mainly remain the same.

Notes on Copyrights: None of the content was written by AI. Neither text or parts of the text may be used or published elsewhere without the consent of the author. It is OK though to quote with correct references made to this text.
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