Uyeshiba

O-Sensei, the Founder of Aikido

Uyeshiba is a misspelling... My fault. Apparently it's actually Ueshiba, and I would presume you are looking for information on Morihei Ueshiba, O-Sensei, the founder of Aikido.

Morihei Uyeshiba studied Japanese sword and spear arts in the early 1900s and became a master of Ju Jitsu as well.

By the 1920's O-Sensei had a reputation as a strong, and unbeatable, warrior. And like many Japanese of his generation, Morihei Uyeshiba spent time in military service and in China.

Some say he was a peace activist, and that's possible. He did become heavily involved in the Shinto religion and the Omoto sect of it.

By the 1950s and 1960s, Morihei Uyeshiba had re-named his art Ai Ki Do (which meant the Way or Tao of Spiritual Harmony) and was teaching his martial arts students how to subdue attackers without injuring them.

His students, who all called him O-Sensei (meaning 'Great Teacher') went on to found Aikido schools of their own. But big differences exist between schools founded by Pre-War students, and those who trained when Uyeshiba was an old man.