8:11 as a twenty years old Aikido/BJJ fanatic the Hagakure through me into a deeeeeep depression. There had been a lot of Samurai lore in my Aikido Dojo (Isoyama American Aikido Academy) I read the book and felt so useless and that because I don't neatly trim my finger nails that I should commit Sepuku. It wasn't until I was 30 that I found GoRin No Sho by Musashi and discovered strategy and development of craft. 😅 what a relief.
What's interesting about this conclusion that Aikido is a Japanese Imperial marketing tool for foreigners to promote the bygone era of Japan's Edo period, is that it kind of lines up with how I started. hahaha. I was learning Japanese language simply for interest in the modern-day culture, and once I got into reading historical books of the "classical" era of Japan that I learned more about Samurai in the Edo period. That mindset and image was what drew me to Aikido. As you said, it's a throw back to the good ol days of Japan before the Meiji era and it's modernization goals. A "pure" Japan flavor. Now I know there are Koryu that might go a little deeper into those same interests, however they are hard to find and I think there is a lot of change and misrepresentation of the origins of these schools and martial arts if we go back even further to the Sengoku period. I might be doing injustice by saying *most* schools of martial arts in Japan were founded AFTER the warring period. What we are seeing in the Edo, Meiji, and modern age are but shadows of what they use to be in the realm of warfare. They've lost a lot of their meaning or purpose. Again, I know you're not a fan of people going back in time to connect Aikido to the modern times, but I dare say we should go back even further to the warring periods to understand the origins of these techniques and why they worked. A lot of Aikido techniques work better when a weapon is involved. But the deconstruction I think is needed to reconstruct to a modern audience. Plus I live in Texas, and I would say the reliance on weapons as the primary tool over hand to hand combat (a failure of the warrior to get to that point) appeals to more people in my area and what sets it apart from the average BJJ/Karate gym. I think there's niche there if delved a little further, but open for opinions. But I would say learning to use the best tools available to you, long range, guns, blades, war tactics and hand to hand as a last resort resonates to the gun culture of Texas. lol. Food for thought....
9:30 yes. I am still dealing with some of my senpai in Japan that fit this description to a T. Even though they have modern life's and jobs, they still portray this feudal wisdom and seek to exert dominance over me and my American students with this antiquated notion. Even to the point of using trickery or subterfuge against me.
So many of the "indestructable" warriors of the Japanese Empire were regimented under Ueshiba for Aikido. Diversity in lineage cultivates dynamic progress.
I don't really know the technical terms and what not, but what it be accurate to call daito ryu and aikido invented traditions? I've looked into a lot of Eastern spirituality stuff, so A lot of what you've said is déjà vu. Where the "ancient tradition" is some kind of nineteenth or twentieth century revitalization in response to western influence. Also, the western hippies accepting an ultra-conservative easterner as their guru, and then proceeding to throw out all the doctrines of that religion and projecting their own beliefs onto it. I'm guessing hippies just wanted a blank canvas more than an established tradition. Although I'd say they're not that different from normal people in that regard.
Invented traditions can get fickle and weird because all traditions are technically invented. I think the line gets drawn when people start claiming that actually this thing is linked back to something that happened in 500 AD. And, in that sense, most Jiujitsu does this… the Kojiki (one of Japan’s earliest texts) outlines a myth where gods like… arm wrestle or something? Divine powers are involved, it’s a strange account. But tons of styles claim that as the “start” of native Japanese martial arts. And yeah, the hippy movement comes up in the next part briefly. I think you’re dead on with your reading of it there though.
Thank you for this informative view, it reminds me of the boxer rebellion with less hogwash on spiritual armour but some common ground on building a community that would fight agaist foreign 'spiritual subversion.'
This is very interesting and all but the real question is: Does Aikido work for the streets or nah?... I'm just kidding 😅, really looking forward to episode 3 of Aikido wars, the empire strikes back by Tengu. By the way, I have always felt Jo work was always better than Bokken or Aiki-ken or whatever you might call it. Still, I haven't learned Ueshiba's fancy moves showed in this video 🥺
I think you’re totally wrong, but so might be I! I never studied the historical texts, nor have I trained in Japan. That said, my understanding of Aikido is that it is a spiritual practice. Literally a physical expression of principles to guide oneself in life. Principles that have nothing to do with conservatism or any other political ideology. It’s essentially a way to learn to be in non resistance to life’s conditions. That doesn’t mean being a pacifist, but rather to end conflict within ourselves and thus create harmony in all our life circumstances.
Your understanding of history and its relation to epistemology is the problem here. Just because a viewpoint aikido arises due to certain causes and conditions does not mean that those are the only or even the ideal conditions for that viewpoint to exist. That said I think the channel is overestimating the founding aspect of Aikido as a created thing. These techniques were in large part learned and then combined by a single individual. Most of these techniques come from masters of the past. Before the Edo period martial arts were battle field focused. The edo came and quick draw of the sword and duels were the thing. After that the sword was outlawed so martial arts were developed that focused on unarmed combat. These systems were too static and removed from combat so they evolved into MMA. Just because something was promoted by the government does not mean that they invented it. The techniques, the basic ideas the philosophy, all this was gathered from real people and history so you should have faith in them if you find they work for you.
Letting your disciples plot coups and political plans seems to me on brand with the whole throwback to the edo thing. 😅 At the end of that era, dojos seemed like hotbeds for spawning politically active people. First examples coming to mind are the hokushin itto ryus with their Sakamoto Ryomas, Kiyokama Hachiros, Ito Kashitaros, etc and of course Tennen rishi ryu with the whole Shinsengumi thing. The Yagyu schools had an obvious political dimension to them too even if in different flavor.
Could be. I personally think Aiki is just the shorthand of Judo's "maximum effect through minimum effort" principle. People will debate themselves into circles over these kinds of things, but I just default to Occam's Razor. I don't think Aiki is some profoundly esoteric ability.
@TenguMartialArts no, aiki is not some magic but very hard ability to develop, because it takes mind-body connection, proprioception, no technique, but on the other hand jū, bending is easier to develop, just look judo. Maybe aikido movements should be done with relax body and mind on opposing opponent, and movement should be more narrow, to actually be applicable?
To be fair "jū" also has a different meaning in different schools from what I gather at least. It's one of the many reasons why I would love to someday find some kind of source that goes in depth on budo/bujutsu language and its development throughout the japanese eras.
@phatfencer1746 yes, it could be useful to find explainations of jū, from different books or times. As far as I know, eastern cultures prefer more direct experience, so looks like understanding of jū, or aiki can give us westerners bit a problem, because we perceive things intellectually rather than directly. Sorry if I wrote something weird, English is not my first language
@kurohabaki4101you didn't write anything particularly weird but than again english is not my first language either 😅 You're definitely right in the sense that at least in martial arts no one seems too concerned about the terminology. Or at least not the japanese the people that I've met.
I am not sure I agree with the idea that those techniques which were included in Aikido were discarded from judo (I cannot speak for karate). The technical repertoire in nage Waza is quite similar in its foundations and while the execution often looks different (both in regards to Kata and randori/Shai, with differing reasons) and presupposes a different behaviour on the part of uke, I think the technical and physical principles behind them are really instances of the same thing physically speaking, although I do very much agree that there's a big ideological difference (manifesting itself mostly in pedagogy and etiquette of either art) as you point out with aikido being quite "reactionary" in the literal sense of the word. But if you look at the itsutsu no Kata (or to lesser degree the ju no Kata) you'll find that the aesthetic of the throws is quite similar and judo theory is also very much concerned with typically "aikidoey" Labeled ideas such as "no touch kuzushi" or "no touch throwing" even though these ideas don't usually translate explicitly into competitive training (on the other hand I do invite you to look up the "Korean tai otoshi" and the "no grip setups" that some Korean athletes are able to pull off in competition... This will give you very very aikdio like vibes.
Another interesting video, i have some questions. -you stated that aikido was meant to be edo era type martial art, but ended up being imperial, so would that mean that takeda and uesheba were against the emperor and Meiji restoration? -And from my understanding of the edo era, i could be wrong, but it seemed to be ritualistic and focused ceremony, and you stated in videos before that budo is a rebranding of bujutsu and the philosophies in the arts are not that different, them being not as practical as once thought,so my other question is, because of those points, isn't possible that aikido wasn't never ment to be practical in combat but more of teaching the philosophy of combat, and making it practical is modern idea and not what the founder wanted?
Both Takeda and Ueshiba were pro-emperor as far as I can tell (Takeda’s politics are a bit more obscure, though). Ueshiba’s own views are sort of complex and would require a deep exploration of Omoto Kyo. To be perfectly honest it isn’t clear to me where his “lines in the sand” were necessarily. Having said that, he never seemed out to overthrow the emperor, just other ultra-conservative factions. To your second point, I’d say Ueshiba cared more about Aikido as a ritual project than a martial one. However, he did clearly care about its martial effectiveness-I’ll cover the evidence for that more in part 3.
Neither the Meiji era reformers nor the Tokugawa were anti-empire. Japan itself is an imperial state, it was a fight over who would be the powers behind the throne, who controlled economic life.
It's good exercise, and that's about where it belongs, a gym activity. In Canada just using your keychain to defend yourself could bring you up on weapons charges, I think the concept of walking around downtown with a large stick would not go far.
So, when refering to conservative throw back when the living standards stagnate, are you still talking about post meiji-era aikido, or United States (and Europe for that matter) today?
You seem to share the unfortunately common misunderstanding of Japan in WW2. The imperial government of Japan was not reactionary or ultra rightest but deeply committed to modernisation and progress. You have to remember that at the time ideas like, socialism, nationalism, and imperialism, were all considered the heights of modernity. They all purported to offer “scientific” solutions to state craft. If you look at the Japanese puppet state of manchukou that they carved out of China, it was dominated by the “reform bureaucrats”, who believed that through proper planning they could overcome the social disharmony plaguing Japan and make it the greatest power in the world. Theses same men and ideas would later rebuild post war Japan and create the Japanese economic miracle (their most prominent member Kishi Nobuske would even be prime minister). In the army the more traditional Imperial way or Kodoha faction associated with things like Pan-Asianism, the black dragon society, and lead by sadao araki would be purged after the February 26th incident, by modernists like Tojo and his toseiha or control faction, under the direction of the emperor. The Japanese imperial state throughout the war was run by modernists like tojo and Prince Konoe, who believed in planning, science and technology. Their more spiritual appeals to things like bushido and Shintoism was driven by necessity as Japan lacked the resources and industry needed to compete against the major powers. The prevailing ethos among the Japanese had been born out of their experiences in the russo-Japanese war, they believe that war was inevitable and were especially concerned about the global ambitions of soviet communism. They believed that a quick decisive strike could destroy the enemies moral as had happened to tsarist Russia in 1905. This would let them secure the resources and population needed to become a global industrial power. The leaders of Showa japan saw themselves as carrying on and completing the Meji restoration, they were in dialogue with the cutting edge of European political thought and were trying to adapt and apply it to their particular situation. During WW2 Stalin relegalised the Orthodox Church and stirred up Russian patriotism in order to encourage his people to fight harder, the Japanese did the same in their war. That doesn’t make them ultra-conservatives or reactionary though. Certainly it wouldn’t have been considered so by its adherents and advocates.
Interesting assumption that aikido was developed as a tool for colonial purposes. Any of his famous students involved? Any other sources than his twilight language in Takemusu Aiki or association with shady people? Any known real actions other than sitting next to someone that support your assumption?
Given the guy tried to conquer Mongolia with the Omoto Kyo and Aikido clearly had some role to play in that, it seems self evident Ueshiba had an imperialist agenda and that Aikido was a part of it. It’s true that he didn’t force his disciples to pursue those ends, but he clearly tried to educate them through his lectures. He definitely was trying to pass that value system on. I also find Takemusu Aiki to be fairly straightforward in how Ueshiba saw his cosmology here and Japan at the center. Judo, for example, gets exported, but Judo doesn’t really come paired with this utopian ultra-nationalist ideology, either. Just because the Ueshiba was a crappy communicator and ineffectual at spreading Aikido’s ideological dimensions doesn’t mean it isn’t how he conceptualized it, though. At the very least, other martial arts at the time aren’t typically being paired with an ideology that actively places Japan as a kind of holy land. I’d also keep in mind here that it was still very much directed at Japanese people, too, and flaring up nationalist sentiments.
@@wilbertsluiter233 Taekwon-do ITF have similarities when it comes to some right wing ideology. Just look on their tul's (ITF name for poomsae, or kata)
@kurohabaki4101 that is part of the culture then or now. In Thailand the martial arts dojo have to have a picture of the emperor and of the supporting general in their kamiza. (But on the mat i found no nationalism at all)
Manchuria. I can’t help but think of Doshin So and Shorinji Kempo that has Black Dragon history and Fusen Ryu of the Takeda family also. Fusen which had a rivalry with Kodokan was known for ne waza but Doshin was a master of the Fusen stand up grappling especially wrist locks. Takamatsu of Bujinkan was a personal friend of Kano and gifted the fireman carry throw to Kodokan. Takamatsu oddly served also in Manchuria. For a Chinese perspective on Manchurian and the Kano of Chinese Martial arts , I suggest for those interested Zhang Zhijiang (1882-1966). Great video Tengu. Thanks. Last video I mentioned Danzan Ryu which made me think that that Hawaii is the third most important center after Okinawa including Aiki Jiu Jitsu as well as Okinawa Kempo.
Much like all right wing ideology, akido is based in a false narrative and doesn't hold up to the pressure of reality. Find me a single akido master who can adeptly subdue an opponent that is strong and or not completely naive.
Your story sounds as if you wrote it under a mixture of Acid and Magic Mushrooms 🤣 Ueshiba came up with the Idea of Aikido under the influence of Shinto Religion and understanding that his training was aimed at maiming and killing people and he did not have a way of dealing with the 99.9% of situations where doing so was NOT Required. This happened in the 1920's, as far as I remember, not in 1940's or 1950's, and had Nothing to do with any sort of restoration, reaction or Cultural Expansion, etc
![Aikido: Emerging Modern [Part 3/3]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YvFBrlwajDk/mqdefault.jpg)
![Aikido: Emerging Modern [Part 3/3]](/img/tr.png)
![Aikido: The Meiji Era [Part 1/3]](/img/1.gif)
8:11 as a twenty years old Aikido/BJJ fanatic the Hagakure through me into a deeeeeep depression. There had been a lot of Samurai lore in my Aikido Dojo (Isoyama American Aikido Academy) I read the book and felt so useless and that because I don't neatly trim my finger nails that I should commit Sepuku.
It wasn't until I was 30 that I found GoRin No Sho by Musashi and discovered strategy and development of craft. 😅 what a relief.
This series if awesome. Thanks.
This is a super interesting series
What's interesting about this conclusion that Aikido is a Japanese Imperial marketing tool for foreigners to promote the bygone era of Japan's Edo period, is that it kind of lines up with how I started. hahaha. I was learning Japanese language simply for interest in the modern-day culture, and once I got into reading historical books of the "classical" era of Japan that I learned more about Samurai in the Edo period. That mindset and image was what drew me to Aikido. As you said, it's a throw back to the good ol days of Japan before the Meiji era and it's modernization goals. A "pure" Japan flavor. Now I know there are Koryu that might go a little deeper into those same interests, however they are hard to find and I think there is a lot of change and misrepresentation of the origins of these schools and martial arts if we go back even further to the Sengoku period.
I might be doing injustice by saying *most* schools of martial arts in Japan were founded AFTER the warring period. What we are seeing in the Edo, Meiji, and modern age are but shadows of what they use to be in the realm of warfare. They've lost a lot of their meaning or purpose. Again, I know you're not a fan of people going back in time to connect Aikido to the modern times, but I dare say we should go back even further to the warring periods to understand the origins of these techniques and why they worked. A lot of Aikido techniques work better when a weapon is involved. But the deconstruction I think is needed to reconstruct to a modern audience.
Plus I live in Texas, and I would say the reliance on weapons as the primary tool over hand to hand combat (a failure of the warrior to get to that point) appeals to more people in my area and what sets it apart from the average BJJ/Karate gym. I think there's niche there if delved a little further, but open for opinions. But I would say learning to use the best tools available to you, long range, guns, blades, war tactics and hand to hand as a last resort resonates to the gun culture of Texas. lol. Food for thought....
That was very interesting, looking forward to part 3.
They wanted to Make Japan Great Again.
@@Currawong 😂true!
To understand what kind of man Takeda Sokaku was, it is also interesting to talk about his father, Sokichi, and its links to the Aizu clan
9:30 yes. I am still dealing with some of my senpai in Japan that fit this description to a T. Even though they have modern life's and jobs, they still portray this feudal wisdom and seek to exert dominance over me and my American students with this antiquated notion. Even to the point of using trickery or subterfuge against me.
So many of the "indestructable" warriors of the Japanese Empire were regimented under Ueshiba for Aikido. Diversity in lineage cultivates dynamic progress.
I don't really know the technical terms and what not, but what it be accurate to call daito ryu and aikido invented traditions?
I've looked into a lot of Eastern spirituality stuff, so A lot of what you've said is déjà vu. Where the "ancient tradition" is some kind of nineteenth or twentieth century revitalization in response to western influence. Also, the western hippies accepting an ultra-conservative easterner as their guru, and then proceeding to throw out all the doctrines of that religion and projecting their own beliefs onto it. I'm guessing hippies just wanted a blank canvas more than an established tradition. Although I'd say they're not that different from normal people in that regard.
Invented traditions can get fickle and weird because all traditions are technically invented. I think the line gets drawn when people start claiming that actually this thing is linked back to something that happened in 500 AD. And, in that sense, most Jiujitsu does this… the Kojiki (one of Japan’s earliest texts) outlines a myth where gods like… arm wrestle or something? Divine powers are involved, it’s a strange account. But tons of styles claim that as the “start” of native Japanese martial arts.
And yeah, the hippy movement comes up in the next part briefly. I think you’re dead on with your reading of it there though.
Thank you for this informative view, it reminds me of the boxer rebellion with less hogwash on spiritual armour but some common ground on building a community that would fight agaist foreign 'spiritual subversion.'
This is very interesting and all but the real question is: Does Aikido work for the streets or nah?... I'm just kidding 😅, really looking forward to episode 3 of Aikido wars, the empire strikes back by Tengu.
By the way, I have always felt Jo work was always better than Bokken or Aiki-ken or whatever you might call it. Still, I haven't learned Ueshiba's fancy moves showed in this video 🥺
I think you’re totally wrong, but so might be I! I never studied the historical texts, nor have I trained in Japan. That said, my understanding of Aikido is that it is a spiritual practice. Literally a physical expression of principles to guide oneself in life. Principles that have nothing to do with conservatism or any other political ideology. It’s essentially a way to learn to be in non resistance to life’s conditions. That doesn’t mean being a pacifist, but rather to end conflict within ourselves and thus create harmony in all our life circumstances.
Your understanding of history and its relation to epistemology is the problem here. Just because a viewpoint aikido arises due to certain causes and conditions does not mean that those are the only or even the ideal conditions for that viewpoint to exist.
That said I think the channel is overestimating the founding aspect of Aikido as a created thing. These techniques were in large part learned and then combined by a single individual. Most of these techniques come from masters of the past. Before the Edo period martial arts were battle field focused. The edo came and quick draw of the sword and duels were the thing. After that the sword was outlawed so martial arts were developed that focused on unarmed combat. These systems were too static and removed from combat so they evolved into MMA. Just because something was promoted by the government does not mean that they invented it. The techniques, the basic ideas the philosophy, all this was gathered from real people and history so you should have faith in them if you find they work for you.
Domo Arigato. Zenzai.
Letting your disciples plot coups and political plans seems to me on brand with the whole throwback to the edo thing. 😅
At the end of that era, dojos seemed like hotbeds for spawning politically active people. First examples coming to mind are the hokushin itto ryus with their Sakamoto Ryomas, Kiyokama Hachiros, Ito Kashitaros, etc and of course Tennen rishi ryu with the whole Shinsengumi thing.
The Yagyu schools had an obvious political dimension to them too even if in different flavor.
Is aiki part of jū?
Could be. I personally think Aiki is just the shorthand of Judo's "maximum effect through minimum effort" principle. People will debate themselves into circles over these kinds of things, but I just default to Occam's Razor. I don't think Aiki is some profoundly esoteric ability.
@TenguMartialArts no, aiki is not some magic but very hard ability to develop, because it takes mind-body connection, proprioception, no technique, but on the other hand jū, bending is easier to develop, just look judo.
Maybe aikido movements should be done with relax body and mind on opposing opponent, and movement should be more narrow, to actually be applicable?
To be fair "jū" also has a different meaning in different schools from what I gather at least.
It's one of the many reasons why I would love to someday find some kind of source that goes in depth on budo/bujutsu language and its development throughout the japanese eras.
@phatfencer1746 yes, it could be useful to find explainations of jū, from different books or times.
As far as I know, eastern cultures prefer more direct experience, so looks like understanding of jū, or aiki can give us westerners bit a problem, because we perceive things intellectually rather than directly.
Sorry if I wrote something weird, English is not my first language
@kurohabaki4101you didn't write anything particularly weird but than again english is not my first language either 😅
You're definitely right in the sense that at least in martial arts no one seems too concerned about the terminology. Or at least not the japanese the people that I've met.
I am not sure I agree with the idea that those techniques which were included in Aikido were discarded from judo (I cannot speak for karate). The technical repertoire in nage Waza is quite similar in its foundations and while the execution often looks different (both in regards to Kata and randori/Shai, with differing reasons) and presupposes a different behaviour on the part of uke, I think the technical and physical principles behind them are really instances of the same thing physically speaking, although I do very much agree that there's a big ideological difference (manifesting itself mostly in pedagogy and etiquette of either art) as you point out with aikido being quite "reactionary" in the literal sense of the word. But if you look at the itsutsu no Kata (or to lesser degree the ju no Kata) you'll find that the aesthetic of the throws is quite similar and judo theory is also very much concerned with typically "aikidoey" Labeled ideas such as "no touch kuzushi" or "no touch throwing" even though these ideas don't usually translate explicitly into competitive training (on the other hand I do invite you to look up the "Korean tai otoshi" and the "no grip setups" that some Korean athletes are able to pull off in competition... This will give you very very aikdio like vibes.
Another interesting video, i have some questions.
-you stated that aikido was meant to be edo era type martial art, but ended up being imperial, so would that mean that takeda and uesheba were against the emperor and Meiji restoration?
-And from my understanding of the edo era, i could be wrong, but it seemed to be ritualistic and focused ceremony, and you stated in videos before that budo is a rebranding of bujutsu and the philosophies in the arts are not that different, them being not as practical as once thought,so my other question is, because of those points, isn't possible that aikido wasn't never ment to be practical in combat but more of teaching the philosophy of combat, and making it practical is modern idea and not what the founder wanted?
Both Takeda and Ueshiba were pro-emperor as far as I can tell (Takeda’s politics are a bit more obscure, though). Ueshiba’s own views are sort of complex and would require a deep exploration of Omoto Kyo. To be perfectly honest it isn’t clear to me where his “lines in the sand” were necessarily. Having said that, he never seemed out to overthrow the emperor, just other ultra-conservative factions.
To your second point, I’d say Ueshiba cared more about Aikido as a ritual project than a martial one. However, he did clearly care about its martial effectiveness-I’ll cover the evidence for that more in part 3.
Neither the Meiji era reformers nor the Tokugawa were anti-empire. Japan itself is an imperial state, it was a fight over who would be the powers behind the throne, who controlled economic life.
The sword work is bad but what about the Jo work?
It's good exercise, and that's about where it belongs, a gym activity. In Canada just using your keychain to defend yourself could bring you up on weapons charges, I think the concept of walking around downtown with a large stick would not go far.
So, when refering to conservative throw back when the living standards stagnate, are you still talking about post meiji-era aikido, or United States (and Europe for that matter) today?
You seem to share the unfortunately common misunderstanding of Japan in WW2. The imperial government of Japan was not reactionary or ultra rightest but deeply committed to modernisation and progress. You have to remember that at the time ideas like, socialism, nationalism, and imperialism, were all considered the heights of modernity. They all purported to offer “scientific” solutions to state craft. If you look at the Japanese puppet state of manchukou that they carved out of China, it was dominated by the “reform bureaucrats”, who believed that through proper planning they could overcome the social disharmony plaguing Japan and make it the greatest power in the world. Theses same men and ideas would later rebuild post war Japan and create the Japanese economic miracle (their most prominent member Kishi Nobuske would even be prime minister).
In the army the more traditional Imperial way or Kodoha faction associated with things like Pan-Asianism, the black dragon society, and lead by sadao araki would be purged after the February 26th incident, by modernists like Tojo and his toseiha or control faction, under the direction of the emperor. The Japanese imperial state throughout the war was run by modernists like tojo and Prince Konoe, who believed in planning, science and technology. Their more spiritual appeals to things like bushido and Shintoism was driven by necessity as Japan lacked the resources and industry needed to compete against the major powers.
The prevailing ethos among the Japanese had been born out of their experiences in the russo-Japanese war, they believe that war was inevitable and were especially concerned about the global ambitions of soviet communism. They believed that a quick decisive strike could destroy the enemies moral as had happened to tsarist Russia in 1905. This would let them secure the resources and population needed to become a global industrial power.
The leaders of Showa japan saw themselves as carrying on and completing the Meji restoration, they were in dialogue with the cutting edge of European political thought and were trying to adapt and apply it to their particular situation. During WW2 Stalin relegalised the Orthodox Church and stirred up Russian patriotism in order to encourage his people to fight harder, the Japanese did the same in their war. That doesn’t make them ultra-conservatives or reactionary though. Certainly it wouldn’t have been considered so by its adherents and advocates.
Interesting assumption that aikido was developed as a tool for colonial purposes. Any of his famous students involved? Any other sources than his twilight language in Takemusu Aiki or association with shady people? Any known real actions other than sitting next to someone that support your assumption?
Given the guy tried to conquer Mongolia with the Omoto Kyo and Aikido clearly had some role to play in that, it seems self evident Ueshiba had an imperialist agenda and that Aikido was a part of it.
It’s true that he didn’t force his disciples to pursue those ends, but he clearly tried to educate them through his lectures. He definitely was trying to pass that value system on. I also find Takemusu Aiki to be fairly straightforward in how Ueshiba saw his cosmology here and Japan at the center. Judo, for example, gets exported, but Judo doesn’t really come paired with this utopian ultra-nationalist ideology, either.
Just because the Ueshiba was a crappy communicator and ineffectual at spreading Aikido’s ideological dimensions doesn’t mean it isn’t how he conceptualized it, though. At the very least, other martial arts at the time aren’t typically being paired with an ideology that actively places Japan as a kind of holy land.
I’d also keep in mind here that it was still very much directed at Japanese people, too, and flaring up nationalist sentiments.
@@wilbertsluiter233 Taekwon-do ITF have similarities when it comes to some right wing ideology. Just look on their tul's (ITF name for poomsae, or kata)
@kurohabaki4101 that is part of the culture then or now. In Thailand the martial arts dojo have to have a picture of the emperor and of the supporting general in their kamiza. (But on the mat i found no nationalism at all)
@@wilbertsluiter233 Good to know, looks like that's a part of a culture, like Tengu mentioned once as far as I remember
Manchuria. I can’t help but think of Doshin So and Shorinji Kempo that has Black Dragon history and Fusen Ryu of the Takeda family also. Fusen which had a rivalry with Kodokan was known for ne waza but Doshin was a master of the Fusen stand up grappling especially wrist locks. Takamatsu of Bujinkan was a personal friend of Kano and gifted the fireman carry throw to Kodokan. Takamatsu oddly served also in Manchuria. For a Chinese perspective on Manchurian and the Kano of Chinese Martial arts , I suggest for those interested Zhang Zhijiang (1882-1966). Great video Tengu. Thanks. Last video I mentioned Danzan Ryu which made me think that that Hawaii is the third most important center after Okinawa including Aiki Jiu Jitsu as well as Okinawa Kempo.
Much like all right wing ideology, akido is based in a false narrative and doesn't hold up to the pressure of reality. Find me a single akido master who can adeptly subdue an opponent that is strong and or not completely naive.
Your story sounds as if you wrote it under a mixture of Acid and Magic Mushrooms 🤣
Ueshiba came up with the Idea of Aikido under the influence of Shinto Religion and understanding that his training was aimed at maiming and killing people and he did not have a way of dealing with the 99.9% of situations where doing so was NOT Required.
This happened in the 1920's, as far as I remember, not in 1940's or 1950's, and had Nothing to do with any sort of restoration, reaction or Cultural Expansion, etc