Josh Gold
The article below has been selected from the extensive archives of the Online Aikido Journal. We believe that an informed readership with knowledge of the history, techniques and philosophy of aikido is essential to the growth of the art and its adherence to the principles espoused by Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba.
Japan at the time was in a state of emergency leading to the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese war. When Morihei turned 21 he was eligible for military service and underwent a conscription examination which was very strict, with a minimum height requirement of five feet two-and-a-half inches (159 cm.), and proportionate bodyweight. He was heavier than average but slightly below the height requirement and although he strongly wished to serve his country at such a critical moment, he could not fool the examiners.
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…which explains the difficulty that tall people have doing some techniques on short. I love this story, however, to encourage small people. For that matter, at 5’8″ I’m no giant.
Actually, the way I heard it was that he hung from a tree to stretch himself by traction and had friends carry him to his second physical on a stretcher. Don’t know if it “snopes out”, but it is a fun story.
While studying the 1935 Asahi dojo clips of O’Sensei I tried to do some of the Hanmi Handachi moves. One move in particular was impossible because my torso was too long & when i turned my head could not end up below uke’s arms. With my head that high i could not throw uke & ended up getting tangled in his arms. Aikido is not scalable any more than metal machinery that breaks down when you just proportionately increase all the components of the machine. For example the stresses on a longer metal beam can crack it while a shorter one does just fine.