Roots in Tanabe: The Childhood and Heritage of O Sensei

O Sensei, Morihei Ueshiba 植芝盛平, was born on December 14, 1883. His official family registry was at Nishinotani Village 西ノ谷村, Nishimuro-gun 西牟婁郡, Wakayama Prefecture 和歌山県. The village was incorporated into Tanabe Town 田辺町 in 1924, and later became part of Tanabe City 田辺市 in 1942. At the time of his birth, Tanabe was the seat of the Ando clan 安藤氏, retainers of the Tokugawa family 徳川氏 of Kishu 紀州.

O Sensei’s father was named Yoroku 与六, and his mother was Yuki ゆき. It is said that the Ueshibas had their roots in Misu 三栖, and that O Sensei’s great-grandfather was the first of the family to move to Tanabe.

Today’s Nishimuro-gun 西牟婁郡 consists of Susami Town すさみ町 and Shirahama Town 白浜町

The Ueshibas were farmers. The surname Ueshiba 植芝 is written with two kanji: 植 meaning “to plant” and 芝 meaning “lawn” or “grass.” It is a rare family name in Japan. Interestingly, both O Sensei’s great-grandfather and grandfather were adopted into the family, taking the surname through their wives’ line. Yoroku was a middling farmer — sturdy and hard-working, though not formally educated — who owned a few acres of land and served for over twenty years as a member of the local council. By contrast, Yuki came from the Itokawa 糸川 family, a prominent lineage in the area said to trace its ancestry back to Emperor Seiwa 清和天皇 850–881 AD. Yuki was ladylike, educated, and renowned for her skill in composing poetry.

Yoroku and Yuki had five children in order: Tame, Hisano, Chiyo, Morihei, and Kiku. Morihei was the only boy and was regarded as the treasure of the family. He was raised with great affection and high expectations. Since the family owned land as well as fishing rights in the area, their livelihood was stable, and Yoroku was willing to devote resources to his son’s upbringing.

As a child, Morihei was not physically strong; instead, he loved reading. He attended a local school at the nearby Jizo-ji 地蔵寺 — a Buddhist temple (Note: Jizo-ji is a very common temple name throughout Japan) — where he studied the Chinese Confucian classics, the Shisho Gokyo 四書五経, under the guidance of a priest. Shisho refers to the “Four Books,” and Gokyo to the “Five Classics.” Together they formed the core curriculum of Confucian education 儒教教育, originating in China but profoundly influential throughout East Asia, including Japan. During the Edo period, samurai and scholars were typically expected to study these texts.

Jizo status can be found everywhere in Japan

At the same time, young Morihei was introduced to Shingon Buddhism 真言宗 and developed a fascination with its esoteric chants and rituals, such as Goma 護摩 (a fire ritual to burn away obstacles and impurities); Chinkon 鎮魂 (a meditative practice for calming the soul, aligning with divine forces, and curing illness); Kaji Kito 加持祈祷 (invocations to kami seeking their protection); and other Shuho 修法 (ritual practices to invoke spiritual power). For a time, Yuki even considered making him a priest (Note: In Japan, Buddhist priests are permitted to marry), though this was not realized due to Yoroku’s opposition. Still, his early exposure to religious training planted seeds that would later blossom in his close relationship with Onisaburo Deguchi 出口王仁三郎 and the Omoto 大本 religion.

Although frail as a boy, Morihei’s father encouraged him to build physical strength. Yoroku entertained him with stories of his great-grandfather Kichiemon, remembered as an exceptionally strong samurai, and took him to the beach to wrestle in Sumo 相撲 matches with the local fishermen’s children. Sumo, Japan’s national sport, can be traced back over 1,500 years, originally performed as a Shinto ritual to pray for good harvests. While sumo may or may not be considered a martial art, it gave young Ueshiba his first taste of physical training. At this time, however, he still had little idea what “martial arts” or “budo” truly meant — much less the art he would one day create: Aikido 合気道.

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