The Ueshiba Family

Morihei Ueshiba

The Founder of modern Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba - normally referred to as Kaiso ("The Founder") or O-sensei ("The Great/Honourable Teacher") - was born on 14th December, 1883, in Tanabe, Wakayama, in Japan. From around 1897, he began studying different forms of traditional martial arts - mainly Jujutsu and Kenjutsu (classic Japanese fencing). In 1912, he was the leader of a large group of settlers emigrating to the northernmost island in Japan - Hokkaido - in order to form a kibbutz-like farming community. It was during this period that the Founder met Sokaku Takeda, the then Grand Master of Daito-ryu Aiki-jujutsu - a meeting that became the turning point of the Founder's life, since from this moment on, he focused his will and energy on acheving mastery of this most demanding and esoteric of martial arts.

In 1919, the Founder was notified that his father was seriously ill, and he made haste toward the town where he was born. On his way, he encountered Onisaburo Deguchi, the leader of what was then one of the largest Shinto sects - the Omoto-Kyo. Through his teachings and his religious views, Deguchi subsequently became a central determining factor in the Founder's interest in spiritual themes, which lasted throughout his lifetime - and which was crucial to the gentleness which slowly emerged in his understanding and practice of the martial arts.

After the passing of his father, the Founder returned to Ayabe, Kyoto, and this was where he established his first Dojo (martial arts school) - known as "Shugyo Dojo Ueshiba Juku". The Founder became more and more aware of the connection between spirituality and physical movement, and his techings were reflecting this ever clearer realization. In 1927, the Founder and his family moved to Tokyo, where he began teaching in different locations, including the Imperial Naval Academy.

In 1931, the Founder established the Dojo which to this day is situated in Wakamatsu-Cho in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo - the present-day Aikikai Hombu Dojo. In 1941, he relocated temporarily to Iwama, Ibaragi, where he built a small Dojo and continued his religious studies and the perfection of his martial art. He remained in Iwama until after the war, when he returned to Tokyo and continued refining and teaching Aikido until his passing, on 26th April, 1969. At this point in time, Aikido was known and respected throughout Japan, the Founder having received numerous decorations and citations from the Japanese government in recognition of his influence on Japan through his development of Aikido.

Kisshomaru Ueshiba

Doshu (the international head of Aikido) Kisshomaru Ueshiba, Morihei Ueshiba's third son, was born on 27th June, 1921, in Ayabe, Kyoto, Japan. Doshu Kisshomaru rose to become a central figure and instructor at the Aikido headquarters in Tokyo: the Hombu Dojo. He participated in the first public demonstration of Aikido in 1956 and authored several books on Aikido, including "The Spirit of Aikido". In 1967 he became President of Aikikai, the main Aikido organization in Japan and the rest of the world. Like his father before him, Kisshomaru Ueshiba received several distinctions from the Japanese government in recognition of his contribution to the development of Aikido, and he constituted the bedrock of Aikido from the time he succeeded his father and until his death in January, 1999.

Moriteru Ueshiba

Doshu Moriteru Ueshiba (born on 2nd April, 1951), the son of Doshu Kisshomaru Ueshiba, is the present head of Aikido on an international level and as such the President of i.a. the IAF (the International Aikido Federation). He is also the chief instructor at Hombu Dojo, where he continues to lead the morning sessions with great vigour and personal warmth every morning at 6.30 a.m.

Doshu's son, Waka-sensei ("The Young Master") Mitsuteru Ueshiba (born 1980), took office as the Dojo-cho of the Dojo in Iwama in 2010, and he is expected to succeed his father as Doshu in due course.

Hombu Dojo and Aikikai

The international Aikido headquarters, known as Hombu Dojo, is still situated in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo, Japan. Here, Aikido continues to be practised in accordance with the Founder's principles. At the same time, and at the same address - which is also the home of the international Aikido organization: the Aikikai - the work of disseminating Aikido outside Shinjuku-ku continues ceaselessly. The activities overseen by the Aikikai are: The administration of national Aikido organizations and member Dojos worldwide; the travels of Aikido Shihan to different locations within and outside Japan; the sponsoring of certain Aikido events; the scheduling of seminars and demonstrations; and the publications of magazines, books, and DVDs in regard to Aikido. In Denmark, the Aikikai and Hombu Dojo are represented by the Danish Aikido Federation (DAF).