Aikido was developed by Morihei Ueshiba. To practitioners of Aikido he is more commonly known as O-Sensei (“Great Teacher”).
O-Sensei was born on December 14, 1883 in Tanabe City, Japan. As a young man he explored many martial arts including judo, kendo and jujitsu. In 1912, he and his wife, Hatsu, moved to Hokkaido where he began studying Daito-ryu jujitsu under the guidance of Sokaku Takeda Sensei. O-Sensei studied intensively, becoming quite technically proficient; however, his spiritual unrest mounted as his awareness of the futility of a path based on victory over others came to light.
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