WHAT IS AIKIDO?
Aikido is a modern martial art developed in the middle of the last century by O-Sensei Morihei Ueshiba. Aikido was the result of his intensive study into the Japanese sword, stick and body arts which he rationalised and fused into a unified system of principles.

AIKIDO PRACTICE
Practice in Aikido consists of weapons training, empty handed techniques, working with multiple attackers and all of the scenarios in between. Training is vigorous but conducted in partnership with other students; there is no competition in Aikido. Daily training is structured and methodical; it begins with the basics and progresses through to a multitude of more advanced and applied techniques. To assist in understanding, the foundations or principles of Aikido are continually reinforced across the spectrum of weapons and empty handed techniques.

WHO IS AIKIDO SUITABLE FOR?
One of the key principles of Aikido is that of using your opponents force against them in order to bring them under control; for this reason Aikido is very popular with the world’s security forces and is suitable for all regardless of size, sex or age.

BENEFITS OF AIKIDO
Aside from being an effective fighting art, Aikido training will benefit you in other ways; it will:

• Strengthen the body.
• Increase flexibility.
• Improve fitness.
• Increase confidence.
• Improve concentration and focus.
• Strengthen the mind

Above all else training will achieve Aikido’s real goal of forging strength of character through hard, sincere training.

LINEAGE

Morihei UESHIBA O-Sensei (1883-1969)
O'Sensei (GREAT TEACHER), the founder of Aikido became famous as one of the strongest men in Japan in the early part of the 19th Century. He retired to the rural town of Iwama in the Ibaraki prefecture in 1942. Here he immersed himself in farming and the pursuit of martial integrity and over the next 27 years developed and perfected the art of Aikido in both its technical and philosophical areas. On his passing he bequeathed the charge of the Iwama dojo and title of guardian of the Aiki Shrine to Morihiro Saito Sensei.

Morihiro SAITO Sensei (1928-2002)
A native of Iwama, Morihiro Saito Sensei became a student of O’Sensei in 1946. Over the next 24 years he became one of the founder’s closest students. Saito Sensei became famous for his prowess as a martial artist, his clear, no-nonsense approach to Aikido and his seemingly endless mental catalogue of techniques. Saito Sensei committed his life to the preservation and dissemination of the teachings of the founder and his transmission of the weapons taught to him by O’Sensei remain the de-facto standard.

Hitohira SAITO Sensei
The only son and successor of Morihiro SAITO Sensei Hitohira Saito Sensei grew up living and working in the dojo of the Founder. He began his daily study of Aikido under O’Sensei and continued this under the tutelage of his father.

In 2004 Iwama Shinshin Aiki Shurenkai was formed in order to pursue his father's task, and so preserve the founder's Aikido.