“In Aikido, too, we train the body but also use the body as a vehicle to train the mind, calm the spirit, and find goodness and beauty…”

 

“I have spent my life developing Aikido, and I still have a long way to go, but I know that it is a Way to promote love and goodness among humankind.

While we should do nothing to sully the memory of the great masters of the past and we must be grateful for their legacy, we must build on their example to create a new Budo that follows the dictates of heaven, is free of shame, and continually manifests freshness and vitality.

The world will continue to change dramatically, but fighting and war can destroy us utterly. What we need are techniques of harmony, not contention. The Art of Peace is required, not the Art of War.”

“Aikido is the true martial art because it emerged from the truth of the universe. Since universal unity is at its center, Aikido sees everything in the cosmos as part of a single family, and it is an expression of ultimate harmony and absolute peace.

Based on its universal vision, Aikido should be perceived as none other than the martial art of love. It can never be violent. Aikido is the embodiment of the Divine Creator, a truly august presence.

Aikido is practiced at the junction of heaven and earth, in a peaceful manner. The purpose of Aikido is to teach people how not to be violent, and lead them to a higher path. It is a means of establishing universal peace.

If we harmonize all nations together, there will be no need for atomic weapons, and this world will be a good and pleasant place to live.

There are no contests or organized competitions in Aikido because it is not a sport. Practitioners take turns being the “winner” and “loser” and try to cross the finish line hand in hand: Sports are widely practiced nowadays, and they are good for physical exercise.

In Aikido, too, we train the body but also use the body as a vehicle to train the mind, calm the spirit, and find goodness and beauty, dimensions that sports lack.

Training in Aikido fosters valor, sincerity, fidelity, magnanimity, and beauty, as well as making the body strong and healthy. In Aikido, we train not to learn how to win; we train to learn to emerge victorious in any situation.”

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