Japanese Repentence Period just after World War Ⅱ and the Achievement of the 2nd Doshu of Aikikai

The word "Japanese Repentence Period" in the title of this essay means about ten-year period from 1945 that World War Ⅱ was over to 1955 that Japan had just starting her recovery from the war damages. It was also the period that Japan tried to reform her fundamental systems, politics, election, economics, farming and so on in accordance with the orders of the occupied force ( G H Q - General Headquater of Occupied Force ).

Well first allow me to say a few words of presumption, I would like start to describe about the character of the 2nd Doshu, Kisshomaru Ueshiba sensei, when he was young.

Because I guess that why he devised Aikikai style Aikido and how he spread his style in Japan in the much disordered period just after World War Ⅱ depend on the relationship between his character and the Japanese social tendency of this period.

The 2nd Doshu was born at Ayabe, near Kyoto, where the headquater of Omoto-kyo ( a new religion ) is in 1921 and he was named by the master of Omoto-kyo, Wanisaburo Deguchi. His father, O-sensei, Morihei Ueshiba sensei, have must been delightful very much beyond our supposition.

However honestly speaking he was very delicate in health when he was in his boyhood and his father O-sensei was troubled very much for a long time.

I will write these following paragraphs quoting the books written by the 2nd Doshu himself. I hope you should confirm them.

When he was 6 years old he moved to Tokyo with his family and entered to learn at Akabane praimary shool next year, near Shinagawa, in 1927. And he started to practice Kendo there shouldering the successor of Aikido founder.

In spite of he was weak or not, because Japan was a militaristic nation in those days, the 2nd Doshu tried to apply for admission to take the entrance examination of Japanese Army Academy at his 16 years old ( 1937 ), the 4th year of the middle school ( under old system ), Shinjuku high school now.

However he fell due to tha lack of his weight and the weakness of his body.

O-sensei himself had also thought at that time that his son was too weak to convey Aikido and could not be his successor. So he adopted the son-in-law with Matsuko-san ( the elder sister of the 2nd Doshu ), Mr. Kiyoshi Nakakura, who was a skillful Kendo artist. However after five years Mr. Nakakura offered to dissolve the adoption saying he won't become O-sensei's successor.

After then the 2nd Doshu entered the high school attached Waseda University, near Shinjuku,Tokyo, but suffered from pleurisy and had been in hospital several months absenting from school. Furthermore he had to go back to his father's native town, Tanabe, Wakayama pref. , for recuperation for several months.

Anyway after several years the 2nd Doshu entered to the Politics and Economics department of Waseda University by his own ambition. I suppose with confidence that he had an amazing political and business talent by nature instead of his weakness of health.

At any rate Japan had advanced as one of the big militalismic nations in the world since Meiji Revolution in 1868.

So at that period Japan also had imposed every man at 20-year old the national physical examination for the Conscription without exception whatever any profession wherever any home. The 2nd Doshu was given the phisical examination when he was a student of Waseda in 1941 and fell it, too. The reason was the same his weekness, he had to return home instantaneously by order.

He wrote in his book that he felt a big humiliation for himself.

By Japanese wartime system he had to study as a student of the university and as well as work at a private plant making military instruments at the same time. Moreover he could not enough Aikido practices at Tokyo dojo ( Koubukan dojo ) because many refugees from U.S. air attacks occupied almost of all space of Kobukan dojo ( the forerunner of Aikikai Hombu dojo ), Shinjuku, Tokyo.

While O-sensei himself already had left Tokyo to Iwama, Ibaragi pref. north to Tokyo with only his wife Hatsu-san by his inspiration in 1942 before three years of the end of the war. At that time O-sensei handed over all his position, the chief of Kobukan dojo, to the 2nd Doshu at the age of 21.

Then the 2nd Doshu had gradually started to recover his health condition from this time and push froward his own Aikido realizing strongly to become the O-sensei's successor.

At last World War Ⅱ was over at the 2nd Doshu's age of 24 in 1945 and he graduated from the university in the midst of a big confusional period of Japan. After a few years he obtained a job in a securities firm. Therefore he had run two things at the same time both Aikido practices and his offfice work for his living for about seven years long. However because he was very serious and methodican person originally he tried to continue daily Aikido practiceas well as he could.

In 1946 the 2nd Doshu made an application of the establishment of Aikikai organization to the Ministry of Education and Culture at the age of 25 and he got the approval of the authorization in 1949 at the age of 27 in1948.

In the previous year he married at the age of 26 and after then he had settled down in Tokyo.

It means that the 2nd Doshu lived mainly at Tokyo and sometimes at Iwama and went back and forth between two places often for very six years from 1942 (21) until 1948 (26).

However he assisted O-sensei’ s practice for every beginner at Iwama when he went there. Morihiro Saito sensei said that the 2nd Doshu was strong and his arms were very big as well that he could not effect Yonkyo the 2nd Doshu at any time.

Well I would like to summarize the charactor of the young 2nd Doshu at the first half of his twenties.

His strong points are his inborn political talents, eloquent, writing, literary, strategy and so on based on his very wide knowlege. This charactor had been developed more and more with his years. If there were not been his mervelous talent, there could not have been the explosive spread Aikido over the world.

As the first Aikikai leader he wrote books and essays well over than thirty works even picking up his main writings, although O-sensei's writing was absolutely mere one, "Budo".

I remember Morihiro Saito sensei once said that the 2nd Doshu was an exact opposite person to O-sensei as matter from every aspect.

While his weak points are his weak constitution, the lack of the orthodox practice time of Aikido.

I imagine that his real basic practice time is rather short not over the total of 7~8 years from his boyhood until he became Aikikai leader. It is also sure that he was taught mainly Ki-no-nagare ( flowing techniques ) from O-sensei.

The reasons why depend on his inborn weakness until around 20 years old, the war, the defeat, the food shortage, the two residences Tokyo and Iwama, the social confusion, the two things both Aikido and work, no space of dojo, marriage, family support and so on.

( Please refer to the chronological table, Chapt. 10 of my thesis )

Next here I would like to describ about the social tendency of Japan in those days, what I call, "Japanese Repentance Period".

The food shortage that had already occurred at the last stage of the war grew worse and worse endlessly after the defeat. Japanese government implemented the Food Distribution System all over Japan.

O-sensei was no distribution exceptionally because of his own real estate at Iwama, rice and vegetable field. However the 2nd Doshu and his family must have experienced much hardships and felt starving, I can surely assert by my own experiances.

While the lives of Japanese general public had become poor extremely and the desolation of the moral decay of them is very deep. The social situations had changed drastically and their thinking had gone to eccentricly toward the left wing, the revolutions.

The left factions had been oppressed for a long time. Just after the war several well-known revolutionists who were released from the jails complained the miserable lives of people and appealed reactionally Mass Demonstration, Labors Revolution and Socialism Revolution.

At the same time some intelligentsias apealed the renunciation of war throughout the media, the radio, the press, the writings, the speechs and so on. Their ideology were absolute pacifism, unarmed neutrality and non-resistance. They appealed again and again to everyone, everyday and everywhere so they were called "the progressive intelligentsias".

As a matter of fact Japan has progressed later gradually to realistic direction since then anyway. — New Constitution, Liberal Democratic Party government, Korean war, San Francisco Peace Treaty, Treaty of Security between Japan and U.S., Self-defence Force and so on happened consecutively.

Well I suggest to the wise readers here. Please try to duplicate the character of the young 2nd Doshu to the Japanese social tendency at that time, right?

This is the main point of this essay.

I think the following current of times must be very natural.

The 2nd Doshu had to restore Aikido. He had to increase beginners quickly. All general public desire peace ardently. The peaceful Aikido must be suitable for them and should be everyone can do. It is good to harmonize Tori and Uke in Ki-no-nagare. This should be called a new martial art "Spiritual Harmonized Martial Art".

Thus it was the inevitable result that Aikikai Aikido became the conventional and easy one. In other words the 2nd Doshu saw through completely the tendency of Japanese societies by his inborn stragetic talent and planned to inovate Aikido to the way of conventional one in the future.

However it also meant he changed his father's Aikido at the aspect of the real techniques as the martial art.

Although he had a very hard time during the initial several years but as soon as his concept "Harmonization" had been recognized in the world Aikikai Aikido spread explosionally not only in the inside but also in the outside of Japan since around 1960.

It is also very natural that many beginners entered Aikikai willingly because new Aikido emphasized harmonaization, no win and loss, no strength, use the opponent strength and so on. It also stressed even no strong person can do. I was really one of them, too, and I joined Aikikai in 1965. In this meaning I thank the 2nd Doshu very much.

In 1999, the 2nd Doshu died at the age of 78.

In conclusion the achievement of the 2nd Doshu is that he spread widely the name "Akido", Ki-no-nagare ( flowing techniques ), and the concept "Harmonization" all over the world.

I agree with the evaluation of him in this meaning and people will never forget his work even from now on. His concept Harmonization itself is no problem and it is also no problem that Aikikai Aikido would become as prosperous as ever in the future. ( Please refer to my thesis Chapt. 6 "The excellent features of Aikikai style" ).

However I would like to point out that we should train the invincible techniques before aiming for the spiritual goal ( Haumonization ). Aikikai Aikido clearly lacks and is insufficient its phased intermidiate practice, step by step practices, from Katai-keiko to Ki-no-nagare. This is the basic different point from O-sensei's Aikido.

For example O-sensei used to show his techniques with very sharp shouting, you know, but the 2nd Doshu didn't shout basically all the time. Another O-sensei instructed very severely both the form and the order of his techniques. However it is very natural that Aikikai Aikido cannot instruct severely both the form and the order because they would enter from Ki-no-nagare in the first place. ( Please refer to the Supplementary Material 3. Summary--Second. )

O-sensei's Aikido is a pure and true martial art. It is one of invincible martial arts in the long history of Japanese martial arts.