6. The Roots and the Features of Aikikai Style

It is true that Aikikai style is useful for our self-defence, however it is also true that it leaves one with a sense of anxiety or concern regarding its effectiveness at least for myself.

What original process did Aikikai style follow? I would like to discuss the historical process of it although it is a little long.

During the war and for about ten years after its end (1945-1955), Japanese society experienced unprecedented hard times, destruction, famine, confusion and so on. I was a boy in junior high school. O-sensei, who had already moved in Iwama in 1942, had to obtain his food in self-sufficient manner by farming in all his spare time. At the same time the 2nd Doshu, Kisshomaru sensei was in Tokyo and had two duties; one was his job (at a securities firm) and the other was to establish new Aikido organization. It must have been very hard work because almost all Japanese experienced great difficulties in their lives at that time.

I guess the 2nd Doshu must have thought that Aikido should become easier and more understandable for the general public. He picked out a part of Ki-no-nagare of O-sensei's Aikido and classified, arranged and named it. This style was set up as the official style of the Aikikai and it has been called Aikikai style.

In those days Gozo Shioda sensei was instructing his unique Aikido based on the techniques of O-sensei's Aikido prior to the war. In 1955 he became independent of Aikikai with his Yoshinkan style Aikido and planned on spreading his style mainly to police force, business enterprises. Counter to this, the 2nd Doshu promoted and spread his Aikikai style mainly to colleges, civil sports clubs.

I believe the 2nd Doshu, as the son of O-sensei, must have learned Katai-keiko (Solid practice) (Refer to Chapt. 2 Note 7), too. Therefore the reason why he eliminated it must have been due to his belief that it is absolutely impossible to instruct O-sensei's miraculous techniques themselves for directly to the general public and so made Aikido easier for general members of society.

One more reason, it is my guess, may be the Japanese situation at that time. Shortly after World War II, Headquarters of Occupation Forces issued a special order prohibiting all practices of the Japanese martial arts, Judo, Kendo and others. Therefore it was possible for the 2nd Doshu thought that Aikido must emphasize more strongly its peace-oriented features, whose aim is harmonization, rather than its martial aspects. If he hadn't done that, the Aikikai organization might not have been approved officially by Japanese government in 1948.

What did O-sensei think about this philosophy of the 2nd Doshu?

Of course he didn't oppose it, but sometime in the 1960s, at a time when Aikikai style had just begun to spread rapidly all over the world, he said as follows in front of several disciples (Uchideshi) at Aikikai Hombu dojo in Tokyo: "In the society of the future martial arts might be unnecessary for the general public. However you professionals have to train Aikido as a martial art." — Refer to Aiki News No.102 Oct. 1944 Kazuo Chiba sensei's interview —

What does this mean? I guess O-sensei recognized the difference between Aikikai style, with its focus on "Harmonization" before everything else, and the strong Aikido that he had created before. I imagine that this statement is an admission of consent to the change evident in Aikikai style Aikido.

In 1956 the 1st demonstration meeting was held in Tokyo and was sponsored by the Aikikai. O-sensei demonstrated his Aikido for the first time to the general public. Of course that was Ki-no-nagare and was really attractive and fascinating. After that time I watched his demonstrations several times and each time the spectators were moved by O-sensei's performance wishing that they were able to acquire such splendid techniques. Therefore the general public accepted the concept undoubtedly that Aikido is equal to the Ki-no-nagare techniques and this view is held even now. So did I until I was expose Iwama style Aikido.

However I think it is natural that we should practice Katai-keiko (Solid practice) first, then proceed to slowly moving practice and speed up it step by step. That is the normal process with all martial arts, too. O-sensei also walked this same path. I would like to know what the 2nd Doshu thought about the following words of O-sensei's: "I am what I am because I had trained Katai-keiko for sixty years. What do you think you can do?"

However the 2nd Doshu's strategy succeeded in the popularization of Aikido at that time andAikikai style spread rapidly inside and outside of Japan. He won the competition with Yoshinkan with regard to the number of people practicing. He then also overcame the trouble with Koichi Tohei sensei, past Head of the Aikikai's teaching staff at Aikikai Hombu dojo, the ex-head of Ki-no-kenkyukai style Aikido.

Anyway we must recognize that these persons, the 2nd Doshu, Gozo Shioda and Koichi Tohei sensei contributed very much to the popularization and development of Aikido. If the 2nd Doshu had not changed Aikido into his popular style from O-sensei's traditional style, I might not have had the chance that I also learned Aikido itself in the first place. I still thank him in this aspect.

During this period O-sensei had devoted himself still more to the completion of Aikido in Iwama without saying anything. This period, from 1945 to 1968 (the previous year of his death), is very important for Aikido world because O-sensei changed his incomplete Aikido into the completed Aikido improving the detailed forms of each technique.

If you investigate the level of the rationale between Hombu and Iwama style techniques, you can recognize that many significant differences occurred during those twenty-four years. It is not too much to say that the real Aikido was completed during this period in Iwama. ( Please refer to the table in Chapter 2 and Different Points of Supplementary Material Item ④ —Ⅰ, ⑥ —Ⅰ and so on. )

In addition, O-sensei had continued his new research into the Weapons techniques (mainly Ken and Jo) in Iwama in the late 1950s and the early 1960s. Regrettably the 2nd Doshu, who lived in Tokyo was very busy and couldn't be instructed in these new weapons techniques developed by O-sensei.

In pre-war period, the 2nd Doshu had already recognized that the Body techniques of Aikido were derived from the Weapons techniques. Regrettably however, he couldn't be systematically taught the new Weapons techniques combined with the Body techniques since he was in Tokyo and O-sensei was in Iwama.

Today the public statement of Aikikai headquarters is that Aikido doesn't involve any weapons techniques but that doing them as the auxiliary method of the body techniques is allowed. So several famous leaders in Aikido devised their own weapons techniques e.g. Nishio sensei, Saotome sensei, Chiba sensei etc. I have great respect for their intentions and efforts. However those weapons techniques are devised from their body techniques and are quite the reverse of what O-sensei did. O-sensei's weapons techniques are the starting point itself of Aikido, so if you confuse the form of some body techniques you will be able to figure it out by remembering the corresponding original weapons technique.

Well what are the excellent features of Aikikai style?

First: It emphasizes mental training. It teaches to strongly control one's self, to harmonize with your partner and circumstances mentally. This is not a problem because we can say this is ultimately the common purpose of all styles of Aikido including Iwama style.

For above mentioned good reasons, the people of Aikikai style must be believe that if they practice harder for a long time they will be able to acquire enough self-defence techniques. At the same time the feature of Aikikai style, only Ki-no-nagare and no Weapons techniques will remain unchanged in the future.

Anyway it is a fact that the 2nd Doshu's strategy impelled Aikikai style Aikido's spread rapidly all over the world with his harmony-oriented and simplified approach.