神戸大学体育会合気道部

Aikido

Development

Aikido is a martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba. Compared to other martial arts like Karate, Judo or Kendo, it is a modern, dynamic martial arts known for its smooth movements.

In 1883, Morihei Ueshiba was born in Wakayama Prefecture. At a young age, he was introduced to Sumo, Kit?-ry? jujutsu, Tenjin Shiny?-ry? and Shinkage-ry?. He acquired those martial arts of various kinds embodying basic principles that can be found in Aikido these days. In this sense, Aikido is a mixtures of various J?jutsus taught in a traditional style in Japan. The addition of spirituality, comprehensiveness and personal experience by Morihei Ueshiba brought Aikido into shape as we know it today. He himself described Aikido as "a study of humans searching for a rational mind and body refinement" (loosely translated).

It is said that a true martial art is not a competition of strength, but guided by the person's desire for personal development and completion. The goal is to bring yourself in harmony with the universe. This is what the Ki (氣) in Aikido (合気道) stands for.

Morihei Ueshiba's personal development can also be traced in the development of Aikido from pre- to post-war periods. Aikido was founded on those ancient J?jutsus, but was influenced by religious principles and elements of ancient Japanese books. It changed from a traditional battle method towards a softer and smoother style in the post-war period. Aikido is a martial art famous for using the energy of the opponent to defend yourself.

Aikido today is practiced all over the world, but Japan remains the heart of Aikido as most of the internationally recognized Dojo are located in Japan.

But in the end, it is difficult to describe Aikido in words. So please have a look at this video:

Techniques

If you join our training, we will help you find your own personal path in Aikido. For that, we teach you several techniques which can be applied in similar patterns for various attacks, you will receive. Morihei Ueshiba himself defined 5 basic techniques enumerated Ikkyo up to Gokyo; where kyo stands for "lesson" or "precept". But a lot of them have individual names, which are called by their Japanese name throughout the world.

In order to get to memorize the names, I created an Anki flashcard deck. It helps you to memorize the basic vocabulary. Practice it every day for a few minutes and you will soon remember the names.

The techniques can be watched online on video portals like Youtube, but be aware that nothing is as enlightening like experiencing the technique on your own under guidance of your senpai (先輩, senior).

Equipment

For the first time, it suffices to show up with casual sports clothes like a jogging trouser and a T-shirt. On the tatami (mat), we don't wear any footwear. If you decide to join our club and stay for a decent time, we will buy you your own d?gi (道着). A d?gi allows you to be grabbed properly without your clothes being torn apart. Beginners (with Ky? grades) wear all white clothing whereas advanced practitioners (with Dan grades) wear black belts and a Hakama.

In terms of weapons, Aikid? is usually trained with a j? (short staff), bokken (sword) and tant? (short sword). Don't worry. We provide these weapons to all our students.

F.A.Q

Freshmen event schedule

Interested?

Did you get interested? Then please contact us under the following email addresses:

(Or just show up on one of our practices, but we prefer to know in advance)