What is Aikido?

Aikido is not fighting, it is blending with an aggressor's force and then redirecting it, using balance, posture and mental awareness.

Aikido is known for graceful techniques and swift seemingly effortless movements which propel an attacker through the air. Also, by means of subtle, but often very painful pressure applied to joints, an attacker is brought into submission and is controlled. Ultimately, it is the attack that brings down the attacker.

Aikido is an excellent form of physical exercise and self defense. The study of Aikido involves learning smooth, balanced and coordinated movement in a non-competitive, cooperative atmosphere. During classes and training sessions, students work with one another to refine their movements and further their understanding of Aikido principles. The practice of Aikido combines the training of the mind, body, and spirit in a single, unified discipline.

As with any complex activity, different people find Aikido attractive for different reasons, including physical fitness, self defense, personal growth, and confidence. For many people, the most valued dimension of their study is to be found in the "Way" of Aikido - an understanding that lifts them from beyond exercise and techniques towards a life of greater clarity and equanimity.

Nihon Goshin Aikido

Nihon Goshin Aikido (Japanese Self Defense) is a system which was founded and developed by Japanese Martial Arts master named Shodo Morita. Master Morita lived on Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island where Samurai traditions of the noble warrior are still held in high regard. The island is one of the few places left in the world where one can study martial arts as they have been practiced for thousands of years - not just as a physical pastime, but as a way of life.

Master Morita was a man who made the study and practice of the martial arts his life's work. He studied under many teachers, staying with each one as long as it took to master the special techniques offered. He became well known on the island for his skill in the arts of Aiki-Jujitsu, Ju-Jitsu, Judo, Karate, Bo-Jitsu, Yawara and in many other less publicized, but equally dynamic, potent styles of combat. After many years of study, Master Morita reached a profound decision affecting not only his own future, but the future of those who would study the martial arts after him. He concluded that no one system was complete in itself even though each had many worthwhile things to offer to its practitioners. A superior system would result if the best techniques were selected from each art and combined into one complete system.

In 1946, Master Morita created Nihon Goshin Aikido, a practical system of self defense. Techniques from Aiki-Jujitsu, Ju-Jitsu, Judo, and Karate form the basis of Nihon Goshin Aikido. Every important aspect of self defense is included in this system.

Master Morita died in August of 1962. Today his system is taught by a relatively small number of specialized instructors who either studied directly under him in his Hokkaido school or studied under his Black Belt instructors. Richard A. Bowe became the first and only non-Japanese to receive the rank of Black Belt from Master Morita. Upon his return from Japan in 1963, Bowe Shihan opened the first Aikido School in North American where it is still in operation today.

The Dynamics of Nihon Goshin Aikido

Aikido employs techniques that are traditional to the samurai warrior of history. However, today's society has brought with it its own conditions that no longer resemble the broad, open spaces of the battlefield. Today we are more likely to find it necessary to defend ourselves in an elevator or subway car. In other words, there are times when you simply cannot execute a broad, sweeping technique and must strike instead. For that reason, Nihon Goshin Aikido employs an arsenal of defenses: kicks, punches, chops, elbow blows, chokes, restraining holds, with defenses against modern weapons that enhance the core of our traditional Aikido training.