# definition of Aikido



## dasgregorian (Nov 30, 2005)

I realize the "do" part of Aikido means basically 'the way of'... similar to "karate-do" being 'the way of the open hand' and "kendo" the way of the sword, "bushido" as 'the way of the warrior'.... So what is the actual definition of "aiki?"  I've been told it's something similar to 'flow.'   So Aikido could be translated as 'the way of flow?'


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## theletch1 (Nov 30, 2005)

The general translation is somewhere along the lines of "The way in harmony with universal energy."  "Ai" is harmony and "ki" is much like the chinese "chi"...that ephemeral, universal, internal energy that is in everything in the universe.


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## dasgregorian (Nov 30, 2005)

wow, I didn't know it broke down that far.  I knew 'Ki' was similar to the concept of 'chi' but, If I'm not mistaken can't "Ai" be translated as 'love' too?   I remember seeing a shirt that said I (japanese symbol for Ai) Anime... girlfriend (who speaks japanese) said it meant I love anime, and it's pronounced "Ai"... or is that a different word?

(My current Sensei refers to Aiki as meaning harmony)


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## kilo (Nov 30, 2005)

I prefer the more technical but boringly long version of "The Way of Blending with the Opponents' Energy (so that you can kick their butt)."  :supcool:


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## JAMJTX (Nov 30, 2005)

theletch1 said:
			
		

> The general translation is somewhere along the lines of "The way in harmony with universal energy." "Ai" is harmony and "ki" is much like the chinese "chi"...that ephemeral, universal, internal energy that is in everything in the universe.


 
The sums it up quite well.  My own words would have been much the same.

DO is "path" more than "way" but "way should be interpreted as "way of life" or "a path that you take in life".  This is an interpretation based on the usage as pertains to Budo, rather a translation.


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## Yari (Dec 2, 2005)

theletch1 said:
			
		

> The general translation is somewhere along the lines of "The way in harmony with universal energy." "Ai" is harmony and "ki" is much like the chinese "chi"...that ephemeral, universal, internal energy that is in everything in the universe.


 
I agree. But I also agree with the translation to "path". Many times I feel that the translation from Japanese you need to know in which context the words are used.

/Yari


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## theletch1 (Dec 3, 2005)

Agreed on the path translation as well.  I've even heard someone say that "Do" could as easily translate to the broader definition of "lifestyle" or "way of life".  As for "Ai" being harmony or love...when you're truly in love with someone you'll find that harmony so I can see where that dual translation would come in.


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## Yari (Dec 4, 2005)

theletch1 said:
			
		

> Agreed on the path translation as well. I've even heard someone say that "Do" could as easily translate to the broader definition of "lifestyle" or "way of life". As for "Ai" being harmony or love...when you're truly in love with someone you'll find that harmony so I can see where that dual translation would come in.


 
But I think a lot of people forget that harmoni isn't necessary positiv. Harmoni is a relative word. And harmoni is open for peoples own interpertation.

/yari


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## Henderson (Dec 4, 2005)

What *WE *think is the definition of Aikido is really irrelevant.  O'Sensei's definition is the one that matters.  What did he claim as the definition of Aikido?

Respects,

Frank


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## theletch1 (Dec 4, 2005)

Henderson said:
			
		

> What *WE *think is the definition of Aikido is really irrelevant. O'Sensei's definition is the one that matters. What did he claim as the definition of Aikido?
> 
> Respects,
> 
> Frank


I don't know that I agree with that completely.  As each of us evolve with in the art it we should make the art our own and as such the definition may be a little different for each of us.  To stick strictly to the definition that was given by someone else, even by O'sensei, is to hold back a little on the art and not become one with it.  The aikido that I study is not an O'sensei substyle so don't take it as being offensive if I've come off here as callous or disrespectful...that was not the intention.


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## Henderson (Dec 4, 2005)

theletch1 said:
			
		

> The aikido that I study is not an O'sensei substyle so don't take it as being offensive if I've come off here as callous or disrespectful...that was not the intention.


 
No offense taken.....I don't even study Aikido.  Just wanted to add a twist to the discussion.

Frank


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## Yari (Dec 4, 2005)

Henderson said:
			
		

> What *WE *think is the definition of Aikido is really irrelevant. O'Sensei's definition is the one that matters. What did he claim as the definition of Aikido?
> 
> Respects,
> 
> Frank


 
I don't agree at all. What we think is most rellevant. It's what we think that defines Aikido. Osensei might have some plan/thoughts/even the concept himself, but what we have is only what he expressed either by words or by techniques. And even that is up to discussion. So in the end it's a question of what YOU think about it. And I belive it's that way for all styles.

/Yari


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## Henderson (Dec 4, 2005)

Very true, very true.  But I was under the impression this thread was started requesting a definition of Aikido, and the word Aiki in particular.  It seems to have morphed into a discussion of interpretation and evolution of the art.  On these grounds, I do believe it is the current practitioners' opinion that is relevant.

Man, I love rational conversations!  Much better than the last forum in which I was involved.

Respects,

Frank


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## jujutsu_indonesia (Dec 5, 2005)

Aiki is the energy that is produced when two "swords" meet. Aiki Jutsu is the art of utilizing this energy. Aiki Jujutsu is Jujutsu with the addition of Aiki. Or so my sensei said. 

But everytime he explains Aiki stuff he is more joking than being serious I think. for example, he once explained Aikido as "the martial art for people who want to be Steven Seagal". I know he was joking, but I am sure not many people will find the joke funny.


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## Yari (Dec 5, 2005)

Henderson said:
			
		

> Very true, very true. But I was under the impression this thread was started requesting a definition of Aikido, and the word Aiki in particular. It seems to have morphed into a discussion of interpretation and evolution of the art. On these grounds, I do believe it is the current practitioners' opinion that is relevant.
> 
> Man, I love rational conversations! Much better than the last forum in which I was involved.
> 
> ...


 
Yes, I agree. I think that people forget that definitions are inventet by humans so that they can understand the world. So in a sense we are always creating our own definition of things...... But I know that is getting a bit philosphical.

/yari


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## TheBattousai (Dec 16, 2005)

To toss my two cents in, I believe the translation works like this:

Ai - Harmony, esotiricly speaking love
Ki - Spirit, energy (energy of the universe)
Do - duh!, way (I think everyone nows that)

so it can be translated the harmonious spirit way or the way of the harmony (or harmonious) spirit.

What is important is to understand the philosophy trying to that Osensai was trying to teach, which is that one should be in harmony with the spirit of the universe, for if one was in perfect spiritual harmony with the universe, one could blend and become the universe. That is also why its a good reason to think of Ai as love as well, because love is what comprises as the spirit of the universe. In the situation of being attacked, you must have love for your opponent or you will not be with the universe, but when you are, what opponent can defeat the universe.


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## Yari (Dec 19, 2005)

TheBattousai said:
			
		

> To toss my two cents in, I believe the translation works like this:
> 
> Ai - Harmony, esotiricly speaking love
> Ki - Spirit, energy (energy of the universe)
> ...


 
So what is the univers?

/yari


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## theletch1 (Dec 19, 2005)

Yari said:
			
		

> So what is the univers?
> 
> /yari


*I *am the universe...at least I think that's what O'sensei said.  As for my personal view on what the universe is, well, I'll type that out when I have a couple extra hours on my hand.


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## Yari (Dec 19, 2005)

theletch1 said:
			
		

> *I *am the universe...at least I think that's what O'sensei said. As for my personal view on what the universe is, well, I'll type that out when I have a couple extra hours on my hand.


 
 


I understand, but still the concept of using the univers as a postive reference, is something I don't understand. How can the univers be positiv?

/Yari


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## TheBattousai (Dec 20, 2005)

Positive in a loving sense and attitude. Think along simple terms for now like keeping your head cool. You don't want to do something on an impulse and in anger, like what your opponent is doing. Plus, you should never want to really hurt anyone. With the attitude part, your _positive,_ that you don't what someone hurting you either.


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## amir (Jan 1, 2006)

The standard answer for "aikido" is:
Ai - Harmony
Ki - Chi, Japanese concept of universal energy in all living matter... (borrowed from the Chinese concept)
Do - Way of life, as in Budo.

The difficulty with Japanese is that often several words are written in a different way, but pronounced the same. This is true for "Ai", another word that is pronounced the same way means love, and for "Do" another way that is pronounced the same way means path.

Amir


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## theletch1 (Jan 1, 2006)

Yari said:
			
		

> I understand, but still the concept of using the univers as a postive reference, is something I don't understand. How can the univers be positiv?
> 
> /Yari


The universe, IMHO, is neither positive nor negative.  It simply IS.  As aikido-ka we strive for balance in all things.  Light means nothing without the dark.  Good means nothing without the bad and so on.  I believe that this also explains your statement that some folks don't see harmony as a good thing?  The dark, the bad, the evil are all things that few people relish but are all as needed as the light, the good, and the just.  If the universe is to be used as an example for anything it should be used as an example of balance and not simply for good.


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## Hand Sword (Apr 18, 2006)

From my experiences with Aikidoka, I would say my definition of Aikido is the art of moving out of the way!


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## nikkunotenken (Jul 15, 2008)

I happened to come across this thread during a google search and thought I'd register and offer some clarity and the definition I know.

Amir touched on a lot of this very lightly, but I thought I'd offer a bit (well... a lot i guess...) more clarity.


amir said:


> The standard answer for "aikido" is:
> Ai - Harmony
> Ki - Chi, Japanese concept of universal energy in all living matter... (borrowed from the Chinese concept)
> Do - Way of life, as in Budo.
> ...


 
 First to clarify, the Kanji for "Ai" is a different kanji than that of the "Ai" associated with love. For those who don't know, there are two ways to read kanji in japanese. The first is reading the "onyomi" or the chinese meaning. In japanese, you read the onyomi version when you have multiple kanji together to form a word (as you would in chinese). For example, when you read "Aikido" you are reading each character's "
 "onyomi". The second method for reading kanji is the "kunyomi" or the Japanese meaning.The kunyomi is read (generally) when the kanji is being used alone (there are some special exceptions, such as japanese names...). For example the kanji "[SIZE=+1]&#24859;[/SIZE]" is read as "mederu" (love) in kunyomi, but read as "ai" (also love) in onyomi. Possibly a better example is the "Ai" used in "Aikido". The kanji "[SIZE=+1]&#21512;[/SIZE]" is read as "katsu" or "gatsu" in onyomi, but is read "au" in kunyomi (which becomes ai due to verb conjugation). I hope that explains a bit about reading kanji, and clarifies the differences in the two "ai"s...


 On to the definition of "aikido"...
 A good translation/definition of "Aikido" exists on the wiki:


> *Aikido* (&#21512;&#27671;&#36947;, _aikid&#333;_*?*) is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying (with) life energy"[1] or as "the Way of harmonious spirit."[2] Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to defend themselves while also protecting their attacker from injury.
> 
> The word "aikido" is formed of three kanji:
> 
> ...


The meaning of Aikido that I learned while training is essentially the same as "the Way of harmonious spirit" (its been a couple years since I last studied).





amir said:


> The standard answer for "aikido" is:
> Ki - Chi, Japanese concept of universal energy in all living matter... (borrowed from the Chinese concept)
> Amir


One thing I' like to mention is that the conecpt of "Chi" isn't specifically "Chinese", it's origins lie in the origins of Taoism. Also, I feel like "borrowed" isn't really the right word (I know I'm getting picky, but I can't help it). Many of these ancient concepts spread to places like Japan and Korea when the Chinese invaded said areas. This is the reason that the Japanese and Korean use the Chinese definitions of words in their own languages, and why many of the "Eastern" philosophies are very similar.



While reading a few books about Aikido (written by John Stevens Sensei, my sensei's sensei, who studied under Osensei before he passed on) I (again this is from my studying) learned that Aikido is very much a personal artform. As with many aspects of Japanese culture, Aikido revolves around Buddhism (particularly Zen Buddhism) which focuses on inward meditation. One of the classic chants used in "warmups" for Aikido is a phrase coined by Osensei "Masakatsu agatsu" which he defined as "true victory is victory over oneself". I believe that this is one of the key elements in Aikido's mental/spiritual areas. One must master oneself in order to harmonize with "ki". (As a note, I would recommend that anyone interested more in the mental/spiritual aspects of Aikido or even some of Aikido's history, look into John Stevens' books. He has a good biography on Morohei Ueshiba Osensei titled "Abundant Peace" as well as a great translation of Osensei's "The Art of Peace"


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## nikkunotenken (Jul 15, 2008)

theletch1 said:


> The universe, IMHO, is neither positive nor negative.  It simply IS.  As aikido-ka we strive for balance in all things.  Light means nothing without the dark.  Good means nothing without the bad and so on.  I believe that this also explains your statement that some folks don't see harmony as a good thing?  The dark, the bad, the evil are all things that few people relish but are all as needed as the light, the good, and the just.  If the universe is to be used as an example for anything it should be used as an example of balance and not simply for good.



This is, esentially, the definition of "Yin and Yang", the "light and dark" (so to speak) forces of "ki"/"chi" (the universal energy). This definition of "ki/chi" is a large part and link to the "harmony" in Aikido. I think it's also important to recognize that this idea of "ki/chi" is also very closely related to Zen buddhism and also "Bushido" (one of the major backin ideals of Aikido and essential to Aikido's development and creation).


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