Interview with Kisshomaru Ueshiba, 1978: Part II

During O-Sensei’s long martial arts experience he underwent a number of changes. In the initial period he especially emphasized power and technique, later, I understand he attached greater importance to spiritual matters. How did O-Sensei’s teaching method change as changes occurred in his martial art?

During his later years, rather than teach, my father demonstrated movements which were in accord with the flow of the universe and unified with nature . Thus, it was a matter of students watching his movements, learning them by themselves, in that way understanding his technique. He wasn’t deeply concerned about teaching students… his movements were so spontaneous and natural. I think we should attain that point in the end. But since we have schools, we tend to think in worldly terms, how to get people to come, how to develop a lot of strong students… and we get these egotistical, selfish things as a matter of course. But this was not the case with the Founder. He was innocence itself in his later years expressing his movements spontaneously and having the attitude that those who wanted to learn would come to him and follow him… that’s what his techniques were like. I think that’s something to be respected. The world we live in today is a selfish one, a “give-and-take” world. It’s a world of calculation … where people think how much profit they can gain by this or that. But it’s not conducive to spiritual training as a human being… It’s becoming more and more animalistic. Under such circumstances we are strongly attracted to this kind of movement which originated from within the Founder. My father was a very powerful man in his youth even though he was short… I mean in his thirties, forties and fifties. He was wider in breadth than the ordinary person so his technique used to be awesome and powerful. But as he grew older his power and strength came to be hidden and his techniques grew to be soft and round. I think that is true technique. Aikido should be like that. It should be strong at the core rather than on the surface. Within this core tremendous energy is always burning but on the surface there is soft movement which embraces all people. Otherwise it’s not true aiki. With his great efforts in training and spiritual discipline the Founder’s aiki developed into soft, pleasant movements which hid his inner severity. I think that’s the reason aikido attracts so many people. If it is only violence people won’t follow. That’s what I think.

You mentioned earlier that O-Sensei in his later years would demonstrate his technique in front of his students and that the students learned Aikido by watching and being attracted to his movements rather than O-Sensei teaching them. Was O-Sensei’s teaching method like that from the beginning?

No. At first he taught techniques point by point although it didn’t seem that he was attached to a specific teaching goal. But he emphasized that you have to do things exactly, one by one, so you won’t make mistakes. Recently, there has been a tendency for aikido training to become too soft and flowing and some beginners lightly bypass hard training. That’s not the way it should be. If you are going to practice you must practice basics earnestly. This he told me frequently even in his later years… exactly, not changing anything… if you don’t reach the level of softness beyond technique by getting the basics down perfectly, you won’t develop true strength. If, from the beginning, you practice a “tofu-like” (bean-curd) soft style, you will be vulnerable to an attack. So it’s necessary to do solid training in the beginning. Over time, through this kind of solid training your technique will become effective. A soft effectiveness will emerge.

There is an interesting anecdote about when Sokaku Takeda Sensei returned to Ayabe he became angry upon seeing the Daito-ryu Aiki-jujutsu of the Founder who was teaching there at that time. I understand that the reason Mr. Takeda became upset was because O-Sensei who had already begun developing Aikido had changed the technique he had learned from Takeda. Is that a true story?

Well, aikido and Daito-ryu Ju-jutsu—now that aikido has become well-known, the latter is called Daito-ryu Aiki-jujutsu—are completely different. There is a slight similarity in movements in techniques. But I think the spiritual training—I mean heart and spirit—and its interpretation are completely different. The Founder went to Ayabe at the end of 1919 and settled there in 1920. He opened a small dojo named “Ueshiba Juku” in 1920. It was about a twenty-tatami mat dojo –– which I remember. It was built in 1920. It was the first time my father built a dojo. At that time it was still called Daito-ryu Jujutsu. Around 1921 Mr. Sokaku Takeda happened to turn up—this is the time you asked about—and thought that the technique had changed. As it was different from Daito-ryu Jujutsu, they discussed adding aiki to the name, and obtaining Mr. Takeda’s temporary agreement, the Founder changed the name to Daito-ryu Aikijutsu. Beginning at that time, Mr. Sokaku Takeda also began to use the name Daito-ryu Aiki Jujutsu. Then starting for the first time in 1922 until 1924 or 25 people were already calling it “Ueshiba-ryu Jujutsu” or “Aikijujutsu”– they took out the “Daito-ryu”—“Aikijujutsu” or “Aiki Budo.” Then around 1925 or 26 it was called by the name of “Ueshiba-ryu Aiki Budo.” My father came to Tokyo around 1926 or 27 and from about that period it was known as “Aiki Budo” and “Aikijujutsu.” Then, in 1930, after 5 years in 1930, a wooden dojo was built here. There was a dojo here, our house was over there (pointing to the present site of the HQ’s dojo). All of this was my house. I bought this part of the lot after the war and here was the dojo. It became “Aikido” in 1943. For various reasons he called it Aikido. After the war, he thought we should teach and make public the true Aikido. So, for that reason, the art was born in Iwama, because that’s where he was at the time. He went to Iwama in 1941 or 42. At the year end of 1942-43 he became seriously ill and after he recovered he began to grow this (O-Sensei’s beard). Then in 1945, he built the dojo at Iwama…that’s when it was completed. Mr. Saito began training around 1946. I remember it because at the very beginning I helped him out. Starting in 1948 we organized the Aikikai Foundation and began our activities. Before that, we had organized this dojo (HQ’s) as the “Kobukai” Foundation about 1941 which was then temporarily suspended after the war. But it was reestablished as the Aikikai Foundation in 1948. We grew into a nation-wide organization which continues up to the present. My father was awarded the Purple Ribbon Medal in 1960 or 61, and motivated by the receipt of this award, he began to come to Tokyo more frequently. From 1965, he was mostly in Tokyo and he passed away in 1969. That’s how it was. So, he went from Hokkaido to Ayabe in Kyoto prefecture; he trained in Ayabe; he came up to Tokyo where he was, let’s see … for about 14 or 15 years; then he went to Iwama and spent about 10 years there; and again he came to Tokyo for five or six years where he came to the end of his life. That was the situation.

The next question concerns the future of aikido. I’d like to ask your perspective on the future of aikido internationally. I understand the current goal of the International Aikido Federation is to spread a standardized teaching method to serve as a basis for what may be called true aikido. There are many splendid teachers at Hombu Dojo each of whom, however, has his own individual technique. Under these conditions, how do you think true aikido can be spread throughout the world together with a teaching method?

Well, I think that to spread a teaching method or something of the sort is secondary. The first thing is to achieve friendship through aikido. To attack someone saying, “What you’re doing is wrong!” or “You shouldn’t do that because it’s not true aikido!” or to criticize saying, “Your way is wrong!” is something we shouldn’t do. The Founder underwent hardships to develop the Aiki Path and it turns out that we are all practicing aikido. If people are practicing what is called aikido they are conscious of some link with here (HQ’s). If that’s the case, I hope above all that everyone will join hands around this center through aiki despite differences in technique and nationality and practice the art and train daily. In order to improve techniques we have to change the teaching method little by little, but I don’t think we will do something unreasonable like fixing a framework and forcing everything into it. I think we shouldn’t do that. The way aikido should be is spontaneous and naturalness itself. Aikido exists as the ordered movement of the divine principle which is nature herself. Aiki techniques are varied and multi-faceted. They seem to be separate from one another, however, there is a unity and single order about them. This is where the exquisiteness of aikido lies, I think. Therefore, we have no intention of fixing a framework whether it be political, ideological or economic, that is, to form an organizational structure and force everything into it. So, the Aikido Federation should grow to achieve friendship above all else.

Read part one here.