Though the art of

aikido Aikido ( , , , ) is a gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art which is split into many different styles including Iwama Ryu, Iwama Shin Shin Aiki Shuren Kai, Shodokan Aikido, Yoshinkan, Renshinkai, Aikikai, and Ki Aikido. Aikido is now practic ...

is characteristically different from other

Japanese martial arts Japanese martial arts refers to the variety of martial arts native to the country of Japan. At least three Japanese terms (''budō'', ''bujutsu'', and ''bugei'') are used interchangeably with the English phrase Japanese martial arts. The usage ...

, it has a variety of identifiable styles within the family of organizations descending from the teachings of

Morihei Ueshiba was a Japanese martial artist and founder of the Japanese martial art, martial art of aikido. He is often referred to as "the founder" or , "Great Teacher". The son of a landowner from Tanabe, Wakayama, Tanabe, Ueshiba studied a number of ...

Pre-war aikido

In the pre-war period, aikido was still in formation and had not yet established itself as a separate art from that of Daito-ryu aiki-jujutsu. However, it was fast attaining an identity of its own. In 1942, the

Dai Nippon Butoku Kai (DNBK, , ) was the largest martial arts organization in Japan with strong ties to WWII-era Japanese government, originally established in 1895 in Kyoto and had the biggest influence on Budo in modern Japan. The first president was Imperial Prin ...

, in its efforts to standardize Japanese martial arts, came to an agreement with representatives of Ueshiba's school that the name aikido would be used to refer to the

jujitsu Jujutsu ( , or ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu (both ), is a Japanese martial art and a system of close combat that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdue one or more weaponless or armed and armored opponent ...

derived art form Ueshiba had brought to prominence. The first style derived from Ueshiba's aikido was: *

Yoseikan was the name given to Minoru Mochizuki's dojo built in November 1931 in Shizuoka, Japan. The Dojo The brother and friends of Master Minoru Mochizuki built this dojo for him while he was recovering from pleurisy and pulmonary tuberculosis. When ...

aikido, begun by

Minoru Mochizuki was a Japanese martial artist who founded the dojo Yoseikan. He was a 10th dan in Aikido, 9th dan in Jujutsu, 8th dan in Iaido, 8th dan in Judo, 8th dan in Kobudo, 5th dan in Kendo, 5th dan in Karate, and a 5th dan in Jojutsu. Mochizuki wa ...

in 1931.

Post-war aikido (first 40 years)

In the post war period, the

Aikikai Foundation The Aikikai is the original school of Aikido. It is centered on the Aikikai Foundation in Japan, and its figurehead is the Doshu (the family heir of the founder of Aikido). It is represented globally through the International Aikido Federation ...

led by the Ueshiba family has become the most successful organisation in terms of growth in numbers and prominence in the public eye. However, it was not the first to bring aikido to prominence in Japan in the immediate post-war period. Immediately after the war, due to the ban on martial arts imposed by occupying US forces, aikido was not being taught in Tokyo. A number of students including

Koichi Tohei (20 January 1920 – 19 May 2011) was a 10th Dan aikidoka and founder of the Ki Society and its style of aikido, officially Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido (literally "aikido with mind and body unified"), but commonly known as Ki-Aikido. Aikido K ...

and

Gozo Shioda was a Japanese master of aikido who founded the Yoshinkan style of aikido.Kisshomaru Ueshiba was a prominent Japanese master of aikido.Pranin, S. A. (''c.'' 2009)Encyclopedia of Aikido: Ueshiba, Kisshomaru Retrieved on March 1, 2010. He was the son of Morihei Ueshiba, founder of aikido, and became the international leader of aikido after ...

, the Founder's son, began to actively revive the Aikikai Headquarters in Tokyo. From the post-war period until the 1980s, numerous aikido organizations evolved in parallel to the main branch led by the Ueshiba family. The earliest independent styles to emerge were *

Yoshinkan Yoshinkan (養神館 ''Yōshinkan'' lit. "Hall of Spirit Cultivation") Aikido is a style of aikido that developed after World War II in the Yoshinkan Dojo of Gozo Shioda (1915–1994). Yoshinkan Aikido is often called the "hard" style of aikido b ...

aikido, founded by

Gozo Shioda was a Japanese master of aikido who founded the Yoshinkan style of aikido.Shodokan Aikido, founded by

Kenji Tomiki was a Japanese martial artist who specialized in aikido and judo family of martial arts. Habersetzer, Gabrielle; Habersetzer, Roland (2004)

000 Triple zero, Zero Zero Zero, 0-0-0 or variants may refer to: * 000 (emergency telephone number), the Australian emergency telephone number * 000, the size of several small List of screw drives, screw drives * 0-0-0, a Droid (Star Wars)#0-0-0, dro ...

(In French) Tomiki Kenji: (Jap.) 1900-1979. Expert de Judo* et d'Aikido* qui fut élève des deux ...

in 1967. *Shin'ei Taidō (親英体道) is a style closely related to aikido, founded in 1956 by

Noriaki Inoue was a Japanese martial artist, who was in his early years closely associated with the spiritual and technical development of aikido along with his uncle Morihei Ueshiba. Inoue is the founder of Shinwa Taidō, a martial art which he later renamed t ...

(井上鑑昭 ''Inoue Noriaki'', 1902–1994), a nephew and pre-war student of Morihei Ueshiba. The emergence of these styles pre-dated Ueshiba's death and did not cause any major upheavals when they were formalized. Shodokan aikido did cause some controversy as it introduced a unique rule-based competition that some felt was contrary to the spirit of aikido. After Ueshiba's death, more senior students branched out on their own to establish independent schools. *

Iwama Ryu Iwama-style Aikido is the style of aikido that was taught in Iwama by the founder of aikido, Morihei Ueshiba, and especially the lineage passed on through Morihiro Saito, a close disciple who was given responsibility over Iwama dojo by Ueshiba. ...

- This style evolved from Ueshiba's retirement in Iwama, Japan, and the teaching methodology of long-term student

Morihiro Saito Morihiro Saito (斉藤守弘 ''Saitō Morihiro'', March 31, 1928–May 13, 2002) was a teacher of the Japanese martial art of aikido, with many students around the world. Saito's practice of aikido spanned 56 years, from the age of 18, when he ...

. It is unofficially referred to as the "

Iwama style Iwama-style Aikido is the style of aikido that was taught in Iwama by the founder of aikido, Morihei Ueshiba, and especially the lineage passed on through Morihiro Saito, a close disciple who was given responsibility over Iwama dojo by Ueshiba. I ...

". Saito's students have split into two groups; one remaining with the

Aikikai The Aikikai is the original school of Aikido. It is centered on the Aikikai Foundation in Japan, and its figurehead is the Doshu (the family heir of the founder of Aikido). It is represented globally through the International Aikido Federation ...

and the other forming the independent organization in 2004 around Saito's son

Hitohiro Saito Hitohiro Saito (斎藤仁弘 ''Saitō Hitohiro'', born 12 February 1957 in Iwama) is an aikido instructor and founding headmaster of Iwama Shin-Shin Aiki Shuren-kai. Hitohiro is the son of Morihiro Saito. At age seven, he started to learn aik ...

(斎藤仁弘 ''Saitō Hitohiro'', born 1957). * Ki Society - Another event that caused significant controversy was the departure of the

Aikikai Honbu Dojo The Aikikai is the original school of Aikido. It is centered on the Aikikai Foundation in Japan, and its figurehead is the Doshu (the family heir of the founder of Aikido). It is represented globally through the International Aikido Federation ...

's chief instructor

, in 1974. Tohei left as a result of a disagreement with the son of the founder,

Kisshomaru Ueshiba was a prominent Japanese master of aikido.Pranin, S. A. (''c.'' 2009)Encyclopedia of Aikido: Ueshiba, Kisshomaru Retrieved on March 1, 2010. He was the son of Morihei Ueshiba, founder of aikido, and became the international leader of aikido after ...

(植芝吉祥丸 ''Ueshiba Kisshōmaru'', 1921–1999), who at that time headed the Aikikai Foundation. The disagreement was over the proper role of ''ki'' development in regular aikido training. After Tohei left, he formed his own style, called Shin Shin Toitsu aikido, and the organization which governs it, the Ki Society. Other important styles and organizations include: *Yamaguchi Style, referring to the highly influential

Seigo Yamaguchi was a Japanese 9th-dan aikido instructor and important teacher in the Aikikai. According to Mitsugi Saotome, before he was sent to Burma in 1958, he was the most prolific teacher at Aikikai Hombu Dojo. His personal students included Seishiro End ...

. *Manseikan Aikido, founded by

Kanshu Sunadomari Kanshū Sunadomari (Kanji: 砂泊諴秀 Hiragana: すなどまりかんしゅう 1923 – November 13, 2010) was a Japanese aikido teacher who was an uchideshi to the founder of aikido, Morihei Ueshiba. He founded the aikido style Manseika ...

. * Nishio Style, referring to the style of

Shoji Nishio was a Japanese aikido practitioner and innovator. He held the rank of 8th dan shihan from the Aikikai. He also achieved multiple high ranking honors in other martial arts from different lineages, most notably Iaido, Judo, Karate. Nishio develop ...

. *Wadokai Aikido - Suenaka-ha Tetsugaku-ho, founded by

Roy Suenaka Roy Yukio Suenaka (June 25, 1940 in Honolulu – February 8, 2020) was an American martial arts practitioner, author, and founder of the Wadokai Aikido.Suenaka, R. & Watson, C. ''Complete Aikido,'' Tuttle Publishing, 1998.Suenaka, R. & Watson, C. ...

in 1975.Suenaka, R. & Watson, C. "Spiritual Versus Martial Aikido – Explanation & Reconciliation," ''Journal of Asian Martial Arts'', Vol. 5 # 1, 1996.Suenaka, R. & Watson, C. ''Complete Aikido,'' Tuttle Publishing, 1998. *The ''Kokusai Aikidō Kenshūkai Kobayashi Hirokazu Ha'', or

Kobayashi aikido Kokusai Aikidō Kenshūkai Kobayashi Hirokazu Ha (国際合気道研修会小林裕和派) is the school of aikido propagated by Hirokazu Kobayashi (1929–1998) (not Yasuo Kobayashi) disciple of the founder of aikido Morihei Ueshiba (1883–196 ...

, founded by Hirokazu Kobayashi. *Tendoryu aikido (天道流合気道 ''Tendō-ryū Aikidō''), founded by

Kenji Shimizu , b. 1940, is an aikido teacher and founder of the aikido style Tendo-ryu Aikido (天道流). Shimizu was born in 1940 in Fukuoka, Japan. He had been training judo since childhood and held a 4th dan in this art when he changed to aikido in 1963. ...

(清水健二 ''Shimizu Kenji'', born 1940) in 1982. He founded the "Shimizu Dojo" in 1969 and renamed it the Tendokan (天道館 ''Tendōkan'') in 1975. *Shingu Style, referring to the students of

Michio Hikitsuchi was an aikido instructor and was the chief instructor of the Kumano Juku Dojo, in Shingu, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, for fifty years. Career At the age of nine, Hikitsuchi began kendo, and then later kenjutsu, jujutsu, bojutsu and karate. Hi ...

Aikido of the modern period (1980 - present)

Today, the

is an umbrella organization, home to numerous senior teachers and sub-organizations with their own teaching methods and technical characteristics. Leadership of the group has remained centered on the Ueshiba family, and is currently headed by the founder's grandson,

Moriteru Ueshiba is a Japanese master of aikido. He is a grandson of Morihei Ueshiba, founder of aikido, and son of Kisshomaru Ueshiba. Ueshiba is the third and current '' Dōshu'' (hereditary head) of the Aikikai. Biography Ueshiba was born on April 2, 1951, ...

(植芝守央 ''Ueshiba Moriteru'', born 1951). The current generation of senior teachers continue to branch out on their own, with the senior students of the senior students of the Founder (grand-students) coming to prominence in their own right. * Kokikai Aikido International, founded in 1986 by Shuji Maruyama (''Maruyama Shuji'', born 1940). *

Yoshokai The Aikido Yoshokai Association of North America (合氣道耀尚會; abbreviated as AYANA) is an American aikido organization founded in 1991 by former Yoshinkan-affiliated master Takashi Kushida.Renshinkai was previously one of the highest ranking ''shihan'' of Yoshinkan aikido, at 8th dan, and dojocho of its hombu dojo from 2002. He first became a part of Yoshinkan in 1969 but split from the organization in January 2008 following the resignation ...

and Shinwakan, founded by senior instructors from the

. * Fugakukai International Association, founded in 1982, has roots in the Shodokan style but without the competition element. *

Aikido Yuishinkai Aikido Yuishinkai (Japanese: ) is a style of aikido founded in 1996 by former Aikikai instructor and Ki no Kenkyukai president and chief instructor Koretoshi Maruyama. Aikido Yuishinkai has many dojos operating in Japan, Australia, New Zealand ...

, founded in 1996 by

Koretoshi Maruyama Koretoshi Maruyama (born 5 October 1936) is a Japanese aikido instructor and founder of Aikido Yuishinkai (合氣道唯心会), he was an uchideshi of aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba and also a student of Koichi Tohei. Aikido Koretoshi Maruyama ...

(born 1936), a former Ki Society chief instructor. * Keijutsukai Aikido (警術会合気道), established in February 1980 by Thomas H. Makiyama. *

Seidokan Aikido is a style of Aikido and organization founded in Los Angeles, California in 1981 by Roderick Kobayashi, formerly a top instructor in the Ki Society. Kobayashi brought to the new organization the strong influence of his teacher Koichi Tohei, an ...

, founded in 1981 by

Roderick Kobayashi Roderick T. Kobayashi (January 7, 1932June 17, 1995) was an American aikido teacher and founder of Seidokan Aikido. He is one of the teachers profiled in the book ''Aikido in America''. Kobayashi was born in Hawaii and raised in Japan by his gran ...

, a former top Ki Society instructor. *The independent Nippon Kan, founded by Gaku Homma with emphasis on "community support".

Martial arts that use the term "aikido" but are different

The above styles can trace their lineage through senior students back to the founder of aikido, Morihei Ueshiba. Two other prominent martial arts use the name aikido but are not directly related. They are

Korindo aikido Minoru Hirai (平井稔 March 1903 - 16 October 1998)HIRAI, MINORU 平井稔 ...

founded by

Minoru Hirai Minoru Hirai (平井稔 March 1903 - 16 October 1998)HIRAI, MINORU 平井稔 ...

(平井稔 ''Hirai Minoru'', 1903–1998) and Nihon Goshin aikido (日本護身合気道 ''Nihon Goshin Aikidō'') founded by Shodo Morita 書道森田 (Though some speculate that Shodo Morita may have known or even trained with Morihei Ueshiba, we have no evidence)(''Morita Shodo'',

fl. ''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...

c. 1930s–1962). These schools, with some historical justification, suggest that the name aikido is not the exclusive domain of arts derived from the teachings of Morihei Ueshiba.

Shoot Aikido

Shoot Aikido (シュート・アイキドウ, Shūto aikidou) is a style founded Fumio Sakurai and promoted by Aikido S.A., International Practical Aikido Federation . A descendant style of

Yoshinkan Aikido Yoshinkan (養神館 ''Yōshinkan'' lit. "Hall of Spirit Cultivation") Aikido is a style of aikido that developed after World War II in the Yoshinkan Dojo of Gozo Shioda (1915–1994). Yoshinkan Aikido is often called the "hard" style of aikido b ...

, Fumio Sakurai was a student of

Gozo Shioda was a Japanese master of aikido who founded the Yoshinkan style of aikido.Hatenkai (覇天会 or はてんかい), an aikido organization based in Yokohama which hosts the International Aikido Federation. It is characterized as a "fusion of aikido technique and full contact fighting".

Notes

References

{{Aikido styles Aikido Aikido organizations