Aikido is a Japanese martial art codified in the twentieth century by Master Morihei Ueshiba (1883–1969), drawing on a long and systematic study of the koryu — the classical Japanese schools of combat. Ueshiba distilled their technical and philosophical principles, integrating a profound spiritual dimension rooted in Shintoism, and in doing so gave rise to an autonomous and organically complete discipline. In 1948, following the lifting of the ban imposed by the American occupation forces, the Aikikai Foundation received official recognition and the spread of the Art resumed with renewed vigour.
The Aikido practised at KenYuShinKan follows the teaching of Master Tamura Nobuyoshi (1933–2010), Aikikai Shihan 8th dan, direct student of the founder and a central figure in the spread of the Art across Europe.
The technical corpus is rooted above all in the Daito-ryu Aiki-jujutsu of Sokaku Takeda, which represents its principal source. Techniques are founded on the use of the attacker’s own force, redirected through off-balancing actions and joint leverage, along lines of non-resistance. The objective is to neutralise the aggressor — immobilising or projecting them — without necessarily causing injury. Effectiveness is paired with a characteristic fluidity of execution that makes Aikido aesthetically distinctive among the martial arts. Strikes (atemi) are also employed, integrated within the technical action.
The unarmed techniques of Aikido have their deepest roots, however, in armed practice — in particular in kenjutsu: the principles of movement, lines of action, and management of distance all derive originally from the study of the sword. The study of the traditional weapons — Ken (sword), Jo (middle staff) and Tanto (dagger) — therefore preserves an essential philological function: it allows practitioners to understand the origin and deeper meaning of unarmed movements, and to keep them alive in their authentic intention.
Aikido promotes the wellbeing of the person in the broadest sense: regular practice develops posture, joint mobility, psychomotor coordination, concentration, and awareness of oneself and others.
Traditionally non-competitive, the discipline includes individual, paired and group exercises, among which:
- respiratory and energetic training (Kokyu);
- physical conditioning, with particular attention to joint flexibility, correct posture and the development of reflexes;
- the art of falling (Ukemi);
- the study of defence techniques against grabs, strikes and attacks — including armed ones — in various conditions: standing and kneeling, from the front and from behind, against one or multiple opponents;
- the study of traditional weapons: Ken (sword), Jo (middle staff) and Tanto (dagger).
The traditional character of the Art is preserved through the observance of martial etiquette, understood both as a form of respect towards oneself and others, and as a continual invitation to presence — here and now.