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Satsujinken and Katsujinken, by Dane S. Harden
“Sometimes the movies get it right…” “Go seek balance Daniel-san”…these were the words Miyagi Sensei spoke to his pupil at a time in Daniel’s life when he needed help. All of us face challenging times...
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Historical photos: Morihei Ueshiba O-Sensei warmups, February 1969
Recently, we uploaded a rare photograph of Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba that was taken in February 1969 at the Aikikai Hombu Dojo in Tokyo. This was only a few weeks before his passing on April 26....
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Yukiyoshi Sagawa: Daito-ryu Master by Kiyokazu Maebayashi
Yukiyoshi Sagawa (1902-1998) Aiki News #84 (Spring 1990) “… I felt instinctively that I had finally encountered a true martial artist for the first and probably last time and knew immediately what I...
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Autobiographical article (2): Koichi Tohei–Training in Japan by Stanley Pranin
Koichi Tohei Sensei demonstrating at the Los Angeles Aikikai in 1965 “I felt poorly prepared for the fast pace of training and the variety of styles where the same techniques were executed in...
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Video: Koichi Tohei teaches Ki Society Seminar in Osaka, 1983 — Part 1
“What was Koichi Tohei teaching after the Aikikai?” Koichi Tohei Sensei needs no introduction. He is one of the most important figures in the postwar development of aikido, and was the first and only...
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Video: Tetsuzan Kuroda, Headmaster of Kuroda Family Bujutsu, at Aiki Expo 2003
“Martial Artist of Impossible Skills!” Tetsuzan Kuroda, the headmaster of the martial legacy of the Kuroda family, is one of the best known and respected of contemporary Japanese koryu practitioners....
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Morihei in Tanabe by Stanley Pranin
Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969) “Unlike other periods in the life of Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba, his early years in Tanabe and family circumstances are not well documented.” Introduction...
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Interview with Masatake Fujita by Stanley Pranin
“O-Sensei didn’t actually ‘write’ the Dobun himself; rather, they were based on some of the talks he gave.” by Stanley Pranin Aikido Journal #120 (2000) Masatake Fujita, 8th dan Aikikai shihan, was...
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An Overview of Aikido History, by Stanley Pranin
“Morihei immersed himself in intensive training and prayer in an effort to further perfect a martial art dedicated to achieving the peaceful resolution of conflict.” It is difficult to appreciate the...
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Historical photo: Koichi Tohei, 10th dan, escapes from bear hug of huge...
“Koichi Tohei was the only person to be officially awarded the 10th dan by Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba.” This is a rare photo of Koichi Tohei Sensei, 10th dan, teaching a group of military...
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Etiquette and the Preservation of Well-being by Stanley Pranin
“Etiquette serves to create a training environment where inherently dangerous techniques can be practiced with a predictible outcome.” Aikido Journal #113 (1998) Last month I attended a Daito-ryu...
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Interview with Michio Hikitsuchi Sensei, Aikido 10th Dan by Laurin Herr and...
Excerpts from this 2001 interview conducted in Shingu, Japan were originally published in “Remembering O-Sensei”, edited by Susan Perry (Shambhala Publications 2002) “What I learned directly from...
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PDF download: January 1964 issue of Aikido Headquarters Newspaper
“Wakasensei” Kisshomaru Ueshiba from 1964 Aikido Headquarters newspaper “Yoshimitsu Yamada Sensei boards the plane for NYC in 1964″ While going through some old boxes of documents, we recently came...
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Morihiro Saito Celebrates 50 Years in Aikido, by Stanley Pranin
“An intimate glimpse of the Ueshiba and Saito Families in Iwama when Aikido was born” Prior to ceremony honoring 9th dan promotion On May 4, 1996 a celebration was held in Iwama, Ibaragi Prefecture, to...
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One Man, One Vision by Stanley Pranin
“The Founder was the proverbial ‘driven man’ who focused his energies on his own training and ventured forth on a unique voyage of inner discovery that culminated in the birth of aikido.” Aikido...
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Looking Back at the All-Japan Aikido Demonstration by Stanley Pranin
“One of the most interesting things about the All-Japan demonstrations is that you can see an entire range of aikidoka from hobbyists to the world’s finest teachers in a single venue, in a single...
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A Common Sense Look at Aikido by Yoshio Kuroiwa
“Basics demonstrate the mechanics of how to unbalance an opponent and create an opportunity for the application of a technique” Yoshio Kuroiwa (1932-2010) Since there are no matches in Aikido we...
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Magazine: Aikido Journal Number 100, 1994
“Although almost totally unknown to aikido practitioners, one of the most fascinating related forms of the art was created by Minoru Hirai. Hirai served as General Director of Morihei Ueshiba’s old...
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Interview with Kisaburo Osawa by Katsuaki Terasawa
“O-Sensei taught mostly the nobility and people connected with the military. So, of course, someone like myself was not qualified to participate!” This interview was conducted in San Francisco in 1975...
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Historical photo: “Morihei Ueshiba captivates budo aficionados among Tokyo’s...
“Here in a single image that tells a story with many threads, we see a 43-year-old martial arts phenomenon at the outset of his illustrious career.” In 1927, Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba moved his...
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