I got to thinking. If aikido is a derivative of Aiki-Jujutsu, why was the 'ju' gotten rid of. Shouldn't it be Aiki-Judo? Sorry if this is a stupid question. I'm bored and this popped into my head.
ai = harmony ki = spirit, breath, concentration (varies with the context) do = way of living, a lifestyle ju, jiu = flexible, yielding, gentle (varies with the context) jutsu, jitsu = learned and practiced skill OSensei used different names for his martial art at different stages of his life. The different names reflected the essence of what he was doing at that time, and yes, he was doing different things. He changed as a person over time, and his martial art practice changed too. In about 1942 he consciously chose the name "aikido" for the name of what he was then doing, to distinguish what he was doing from other martial arts (and it was, at that stage, a recognizeably new martial art). The name also reflected the essence of what he was trying to teach. ai + ki + do = harmony + spirit + way of life, or way of harmonious spirit, or lifestyle of harmony, or more simply, "The Art of Peace." By 1942 peace and love was OSensei's focus in life. He spoke a lot about it from that point on in his life. There are plenty of books with his quotes. The name for his martial art reflects that new focus.
Yes, you're right that it went through several names. In the 30s I believe it was Aiki-Budo. But did Ueshiba himself actually decide on the name Aikido? One version I have heard is that the name was decided upon by some commitee in Ueshiba's absence.
Never heard that before. The book I read said that OSensei picked the name and registered it with the Japanese government.
An interesting discussion on this is here: http://www.aikidojournal.com/article.php?articleID=87&highlight=hirai
Kenji Tomiki formulated his system of Aikido by applying the same educational principles as Kano did when he formed Judo. The Tomiki system is broken down into a logical curriculum using various kata. These Kata are in theory easier to learn as they are grouped together in a logical way. Tomiki also introduced various forms of Randori these being Kakarigeiko, Hikitategeiko using both tanto and toshu. Although the principles of judo are used the techniques are still Aikido. Sadly the various koryu no kata are now being negleted even in Japan. IMHO Associations should look at what has happened to Judo if these kata are lost they are very hard to revive. http://judoinfo.com/tomiki.htm#7 http://judoinfo.com/tomiki2.htm I have included a couple of links that may be of interest
