03/02/2026
Light reading...but critical thinking. The difference between making shapes and cultivating an aiki body.
Yin and Yang, Heaven-Earth-Man, in this imagery from Dan Harden.
In his lecture to the Byakko Shinkokai in the 1960's, Morihei Ueshiba specifically defined Aikido for the audience.
He did not define Aikido as love.
He did not define Aikido as peace.
He did not define Aikido as conflict resolution.
He did not define Aikido as personal development.
He did define Aikido as a way of dedication to the Japanese Imperial family, and as a method of creating a worldwide utopia under the aegis of Japan and the Japanese Imperial family.
He also defined Aikido technically, as Takemusu Aiki and Heaven-Earth-Man.
For the first, Morihei Ueshiba defined "Takemusu" as the training of attractive force between opposing forces within oneself - Yin and Yang, In and Yo...Heaven and Earth - which is the most basic expression of opposing forces, gravity and the ground.
For the second, Heaven-Earth-Man was the basic, and primary, model by which Morihei Ueshiba described his training methodology, as discussed in "Aikido and the Structure of the Universe":
https://www.aikidosangenkai.org/blog/aikido-structure-universe/
As defined in the lecture above:
合気道は天地人和合の道と理なり。
“Aikido is the Way and Principle of harmonizing Heaven, Earth and Man.”
Who's the man? Well... it's Morihei Ueshiba himself - oneself, in other words:
"In Aiki, Yin and Yang move... within...this old man's body" - Morihei Ueshiba
