Aikido is a martial art founded by Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969).
Ueshiba developed Aikido mainly in the 20s and 30s of the last century, as a synthesis of the martial arts he had studied.
The core of Aikido comes from the Daito ryu Aiki-Jujutsu, a martial art studied by Ueshiba from the hands of Takeda Sokaku. This martial art was based on defense without weapons, using projections (shots, throws of the opponent) and control techniques on joints. Ueshiba incorporated, among other things, movements of the training of the spear (yari), the short stick (jo) and the katana (kenjutsu).
Over the years, as he was mastering the art of Daito ryu, Ueshiba was acquiring the decision to guide his martial training towards a more spiritual nuance. Distancing himself from the violent nature of Daito ryu’s techniques, Ueshiba decided to modify the underlying style of his practice, turning it into a way to neutralize his opponents with as little violence as possible.
Ueshiba determined that the final resolution of an Aikido technique should be to avoid unnecessary damage, both for the one who receives the attack and for the one who tried to cause it.
In 1942 the name of Aikido was formally established, and from the 1950s onwards, its international expansion began, when many Ueshiba students introduced this martial art to France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy and Germany.
Today Aikido is present in almost all countries, worldwide.
For us, Aikido is a way to return to the roots of a spirituality that unites human beings of any culture and religion in peace. It is a way of learning to live in the present moment through which things are seen without destructive or obsessive emotions. It is a way to polish the heart and the senses and thus be in harmony with oneself and with the world.