The word AIKIDO is composed of three ideograms, AI(合), which means union or meeting, KI(気), which can be interpreted as vital energy, and DO(道), which means path.
Morihei Ueshiba was born on December 14, 1883 in Tanabe, a town in the prefecture of Wakayama, Japan. After studying numerous martial arts during his youth and making memorable encounters, Morihei Ueshiba, who his students often called O’Sensei (which means Great Teacher) because of his great expertise in martial arts, gave his training a new direction by eliminating the notion of enemy and winner of a fight. He envisioned Aikido not only as the synthesis of his martial arts training, but also as an expression of universal peace.