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Aikido

Aikido was founded by Morihei Uyeshiba (1883-1969) in 1942. Prior to this time, Ueshiba called his art "Aikibudo" or "Aikinomichi." Aikido means "ai" to meet, "ki" spirit, "do" way. Uyeshiba, also known as O­Sensei, was heavily influenced by the principles and techniques of Daito-ryu AikiJujutsu, several styles of Japanese fencing (Kenjutsu), spearfighting (Yarijutsu), and by the so-called "new religion" of Omotokyo.   Largely because of his deep interest in Omotokyo, Ueshiba came to see his Aikido as rooted less in techniques for achieving physical domination over others than in attempting to cultivate a "spirit of loving protection for all things." The extent to which Ueshiba's religious and philosophical convictions influenced the direction of technical developments and changes within the corpus of Aikido techniques is not known, but many Aikido practitioners believe that perfect mastery of Aikido would allow one to defend against an attacker without causing serious or permanent injury.

 Aikido is a "soft" Japanese martial art that emphasizes evasion and neutralizing forceful attacks by circular/spiral redirection of their force.  In some variations of Aikido, practitioners attempt to control the attacker's momentum and redirect it into a throw or takedown. In other variations, practice consists of strictly joint locks and throws. Aikido practitioners attempt to be "in tune" with their opponents so they may sense the opponent's intentions and take advantage of the opponent's actions.  Many of Aikido's movements are based upon the movements used while using a Samurai sword.

The primary strategies of Aikido are: moving into a position off the line of attack, seizing control of the attacker's balance by means of leverage and timing, and applying a throw, pin, or other sort of immobilization (such as a wrist/arm lock). Strikes are sometimes used, but they are used mostly as a distraction. A strike "atemi" is delivered to provoke a reaction from the opponent, to create an opening for the use of a throw, pin, or other immobilization.

Aikido is popular in Japan because police frequently learn it so they may subdue suspects without injuring them. Contrary to the way it is portrayed in the popular movies of film star Steven Seagal, Aikido has a reputation as a "non­violent" martial art. 

Some Aikido schools train with weapons, such as the jo (a staff between 4 or 5 feet in length), the bokken (a wooden sword), and the tanto (a wooden knife). These weapons are used to teach defenses against armed attacks, and to illustrate principles of Aikido movement, distancing, and timing.

A competitive variant of Aikido (tomiki Aikido, founded by Kenji Tomiki) holds structured competitions where opponents attempt to score points by stabbing with a rubber knife, or by executing Aikido techniques in response to attacks with the knife. However, most variants of Aikido do not hold competitions, matches, or sparring. Instead, techniques are practiced in cooperation with a partner who steadily increases the speed, power, and variety of attacks in accordance with the abilities of the participants. Participants take turns being attacker and defender, usually performing pre-arranged attacks and defenses at the lower levels, gradually working up to full-speed freestyle attacks and defenses.

There are several major variants of Aikido. The root variant is "aikikai", founded by Morihei Ueshiba, and now headed by his grandson, Moriteru Ueshiba. Several organizations in the United States are affiliated with aikikai, including the United States Aikido Federation, the Aikido Association of America, and Aikido Schools of Ueshiba. Other major variants include: the Ki Society (founded by Koichi Tohei),  Yoshinkan Aikid (founded by Gozo Shioda), and the Kokikai organization (headed by Shuji Maruyama).

Aikijutsu

Aikijutsu (harmony art) was founded during the Kamakura period (1185-1446) as an extension of Kenjitsu and was later refined by Miyamoto no Yoshimitsu. Aiki means "meeting of the ki." When opponents meet, the one with the stronger ki will prevail. Uses throwing, holding, and locking with lots of circular/redirecting techniques. Similar to Aikido but without the philosophies of Morihei Uyeshiba.

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