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Morihei Ueshiba and Jigoro Kano: The Resonance of Two Great Masters
Morihei Ueshiba 植芝 盛平, the founder of Aikido, and Jigoro Kano 嘉納治五郎, the creator of Judo, were two of the most influential martial artists of the 20th century. While their approaches to martial arts differed significantly, they shared a deep mutual respect for each other and for the values of traditional Japanese Budo. Their interactions reflect an interesting dialogue between the preservation of martial tradition and the evolution of combat into a modern sport. Jigoro Kano (1860–1938) was a visionary who sought to modernize traditional Jujutsu into a structured discipline suitable for education and competition. He mastered both Kito Ryu 起倒流 and Tenjin Shinyo Ryu 天神真楊流 Jujutsu 柔術. In 1882,…
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Kenji Tomiki and his Vision of Competitive Aikido
Kenji Tomiki 富木 謙治 was a scholar and a prominent martial artist who held an 8th dan in both Judo and Aikido. He was an early student of Morihei Ueshiba and played a crucial role in the development of Aikido and the establishment of Shodokan Aikido 昭道館合気道, also known as Tomiki Aikido. Born on March 15, 1900, in Kakunodate 角館町, Akita Prefecture 秋田県, Japan, Tomiki started training in Judo when he was about 10 years old and obtained his shodan rank in 1919. He continued to practice Judo and only in 1926, he was introduced to Morihei Ueshiba by his friend Hidetaro Mishimura, and started training in Aikido (still known…
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Breaking Barriers: The Pioneering Women of Aikido
Japan has a rich history of women practicing martial arts. Women of the samurai class learned naginatajutsu as part of their education and self-defense training since the Edo period (1603-1867). There are also records of women practicing kenjutsu, ko-tachi 小太刀, kusarigama 锁镰, and other weapon arts, but taijutsu was relatively uncommon. However, the situation began to change in the early 1900s when martial arts such as Judo became a regular part of school curriculums. In 1919, Ueshiba met Onisaburo Deguchi 出口王仁三郎, the founder of the Omoto 大本教 religion in Ayabe 府綾 Kyoto. The following year, Ueshiba moved his family to Ayabe and joined Omoto. Deguchi encouraged Ueshiba to pursue budo…
