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ABOUT  SENSEI

AikiAitken 合気八剣

Matt Aitken – AikiKai 6th dan
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@AikiAitken 合気八剣 is the experiential brand of my journey studying, teaching and following the Japanese martial art of Aikido…..  Along with other interesting and cool stuff I’m into😎

It represents a journey and an expression into the Art. 

After more than 30 years of training in Aikido, I continue to be inspired by its grace, depth and timeless principles. It has helped shape my life through self-discipline, balance, resilience, physical fitness and adaptability.

2027  –  Aikido Fleurieu Instructor Travel

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JAN   |   Summer School Melbourne   |   Aiki Kai Australia

FEB   |   Dubai AikiKai Aikido UAE      |   M. Aitken

JUN   |   Makoto Aikido Singapore       |   M. Ito

JUL    |   Kuala Lumpa Malaysia          |   M. Ito

NOV   |   Dubai AikiKai Aikido UAE      |   M. Ito

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*Note*: Schedule subject to change. Contact Us for more information.
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Coorong Rainbow Magic

About Sensei Matt Aitken

He currently holds the rank of 6th Dan (degree black belt) in Aikido, certified by the Aikikai Foundation—Aikido World Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan.

His Aikido journey began in the early 1990s in South Australia, following prior experience in other martial arts, including Japanese swordsmanship. Training commenced at the South Australian Aikido Association, within the lineage of the late Seiichi Sugano Shihan and Aiki Kai Australia (AKA).

In 2007, he relocated to Dubai, United Arab Emirates for business. At the time, Aikido in the Gulf region was still emerging. Motivated to continue his practice, he joined forces with fellow regional Aikidoka to co-found the Dubai AikiKai Aikido Association DAAA (UAE AikiKai Aikido). The organisation earned official recognition from the Aikido World Headquarters (AikiKai Hombu Dojo), also becoming a member of the International Aikido Federation (IAF). DAAA is the first and earliest Aikido club to be licensed and registered as a non-profit organisation under the Dubai Government, with additional recognition and support from the Dubai Sports Council.

Based in Dubai—an international hub—he expanded his Aikido community involvement, regularly traveling for seminars and intensive training with senior instructors (Shihan and Sensei) across South & Central Asia, Japan, Europe and the Middle East.

More recently he relocated returning home to South Australia founding Aikido Fleurieu… and the journey continues.

As a teacher, he balances technical proficiency with personal development, fostering a positive inclusive community. He remains actively engaged in shaping the future of Aikido in Dubai and South Australia, travelling regularly.

What is Aikido?

 

AIKIDO 合気道 is a traditional Japanese martial art, steeped in Samurai tradition. Considered both a cultural treasure and a national heritage of Japan, translated – Aikido means “The Way of Harmony.” It was developed by the late O-Sensei, Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969), as a synthesis of his lifelong study of martial arts, philosophy and spiritual beliefs. One of his core goals was to create a martial discipline that enabled practitioners to defend themselves while also protecting their attackers from injury. In keeping with Samurai culture, the wooden weapons of sword (bokken), staff (jo) and knife (tanto) also form part of training as an extension to body movement. Aikido training can be intense and austere.

Aikido emphasises circular motion, redirection and precise timing to neutralise force without aggression or brute strength. Whilst the art has self defence components and strikes (atemi waza), practitioners generally learn to blend with incoming energy—guiding it safely to resolution, using throwing and joint manipulation techniques. This approach fosters adaptability, calm under pressure and a deepening sensitivity to movement and intent.

Beyond technique, Aikido serves as a vehicle for personal growth. Regular practice sharpens awareness, cultivates centeredness and encourages a mindset of respect and non-contention. Whether in physical confrontation or daily life, the principles of Aikido offer tools for navigating conflict with clarity and compassion.

The Dojo – The Place of Practice

In Japanese, the word “Dojo” translates to “place of the way”. Traditionally, it refers to a hall or space dedicated to the disciplined practice of martial arts. In the context of Aikido, the dojo is more than just a physical space—it is where the journey of self-improvement, harmony and disciplined training begins.

At the dojo, we focus on the physical and mental practice of Aikido. Training involves: body preparations, partner forms (kata), self-defense techniques, weapon systems, stillness of mind and personal development. The aim is not only to learn techniques but also to cultivate balance, awareness and resilience through consistent and mindful practice.

Whether you are new to Aikido or a seasoned practitioner, our classes provide a supportive and inclusive environment. Students are encouraged to grow at their own pace, deepen their understanding of the art and connect with others on the same path.

Associated organisations follow the official guidelines set by the AikiKai Hombu Dojo – Aikido World Headquarters located in Tokyo, Japan. Black-belts (yudansha) are issued and certified via the AikiKai Hombu.

Osensei Aiki
OSensei
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Morihei Ueshiba

December 14, 1883 – April 26, 1969

Founder of Aikido, often referred to as

“O-Sensei” (Great Teacher)

The Life of O'Sensei – The Founder of Aikido

Morihei Ueshiba (植芝 盛平 Ueshiba Morihei, December 14, 1883–April 26, 1969) was a famous martial artist and founder of the Japanese martial art of Aikido. He is often referred to as Kaiso (開祖), meaning “founder”, or Ōsensei, “Great Teacher”.

Morihei Ueshiba was born in Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan on December 14, 1883.

The only son of Yoroku and Yuki Ueshiba’s five children, Morihei was raised in a somewhat privileged setting. His father was a wealthy landowner who also traded in lumber and fishing and was politically active. Ueshiba was a rather weak, sickly child and bookish in his inclinations. At a young age his father encouraged him to take up sumo wrestling and swimming and entertained him with stories of his great-grandfather Kichiemon who was considered a very strong samurai in his era. The need for such strength was further emphasized when the young Ueshiba witnessed his father being attacked by followers of a competing politician.

“The Way of the Warrior has been misunderstood. It is not a means to kill and destroy others. Those who seek to compete and better one another are making a terrible mistake. To smash, injure, or destroy is the worst thing a human being can do. The real Way of a Warrior is to prevent such slaughter – it is the Art of Peace, the power of love.”

— O’Sensei Morihei Ueshiba

Ueshiba is known to have studied several martial arts in his youth but he did not train extensively in most and even his training in Yagyū Shingan-ryū was sporadic due to his military service in those years. Records show that he trained in Tenjin Shin’yō-ryū jujutsu under Tozawa Tokusaburō for a short period in 1901 in Tokyo; Gotō-ha Yagyū Shingan-ryū under Nakai Masakatsu from 1903 to 1908 in Sakai, and judo under Kiyoichi Takagi 1911 in Tanabe. However, it was only after moving to the northern island of Hokkaidō in 1912 with his wife, as part of a settlement effort, that his martial art training took on real depth. For it was here that he began his study of Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu under its reviver Takeda Sokaku. He characterized his early training thus:

“At about the age of 14 or 15. First I learned Tenjin Shin’yō-ryū Jujutsu from Tokusaburo Tozawa Sensei, then Kito-ryu, Yagyu-ryu, Aioi-ryu, Shinkage-ryu, all of them jujutsu forms. However, I thought there might be a true form of budo elsewhere. I tried Hozoin-ryu sojitsu and kendo. But all of these arts are concerned with one-to-one combat forms and they could not satisfy me. So I visited many parts of the country seeking the Way and training, but all in vain. … I went to many places seeking the true budo. Then, when I was about 30 years old, I settled in Hokkaido. On one occasion, while staying at Hisada Inn in Engaru, Kitami Province, I met a certain Sokaku Takeda Sensei of the Aizu clan. He taught Daito-ryu jujutsu. During the 30 days in which I learned from him I felt something like an inspiration. Later, I invited this teacher to my home and together with 15 or 16 of my employees became a student seeking the essence of budo.

“Did you discover Aikido while you were learning Daito-ryu under Sokaku Takeda?“

“No. It would be more accurate to say that Takeda Sensei opened my eyes to Budo.“

The technical curriculum of Aikido was undoubtedly most greatly influenced by the teachings of Takeda Sokaku and his system of Aiki-jūjutsu called Daitō-ryū. Although disputed by some, the ledger books of Takeda clearly show that Ueshiba spent a great deal of time training in Daitō-ryū between 1915 and 1937. He received the majority of the important scrolls awarded by Takeda at this time including the Hiden Mokuroko, the Hiden Ogi and the Goshin’yo te. Ueshiba received his kyoju dairi certificate, or teaching license, for the system from Takeda in 1922. Takeda had not yet implemented a menkyo license, or highest level of achievement license, into his system at this time. He also received a Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage-ryū sword transmission scroll from Takeda in 1922 in Ayabe. Ueshiba then became a representative of Daitō-ryū, toured with Takeda as a teaching assistant and taught the system to others under the Daitō-ryū name.

The basic techniques of Aikido seem to have their basis in teachings from various points in the Daitō-ryū curriculum. A source of confusion is the different names used for these techniques in Aikido and in the Daitō-ryū system. In part this is because Takeda Tokimune added much of the nomenclature after the period in which Ueshiba studied. In addition the names ikkajo, nikkajo, sankajo used in both Daitō-ryū and the early years of aikido, latter supplanted by terms such as ikkyo, nikkyo, sankyo, were really generic names translating to “first teaching”, “second teaching”, and so on. In Daitō-ryū these usually refer to groupings of techniques while in aikido they usually refer to specific techniques and joint manipulations.

In the earlier years of his teaching, from the 1920s to the mid 1930s, Ueshiba taught the Aiki-jūjutsu system he had earned a license in from Takeda Sokaku. His early students’ documents bear the term aiki-jūjutsu. Indeed, Ueshiba trained one of the future highest grade earners in Daitō-ryū, Takuma Hisa, in the art before Takeda took charge of Hisa’s training.

The early form of training under Ueshiba was characterized by the ample use of strikes to vital points (atemi), a larger total curriculum, a greater use of weapons, and a more linear approach to technique than would be found in later forms of Aikido. These methods are preserved in the teachings of his early students Kenji Tomiki (who founded the Shodokan Aikido sometimes called Tomiki-ryū), Noriaki Inoue (who founded Shin’ei Taido), Minoru Mochizuki (who founded Yoseikan Budo), Gozo Shioda (who founded Yoshinkan Aikido) and Morihiro Saito (who preserved his early form of aikido under the Aikikai umbrella sometimes referred to as Iwama-ryū). Many of these styles are considered “pre-war styles”, although some of the teachers continued to have contact and influence from Ueshiba in the years after the Second World War.

Later, as Ueshiba seemed to slowly grow away from Takeda, he began to implement more changes into the art. These changes are reflected in the differing names with which he referred to his art, first as Aiki-jūjutsu,then Ueshiba-ryū,Asahi-ryū, Aiki budō, and finally Aikido.

As Ueshiba grew older, more skilled, and more spiritual in his outlook, his art also changed and became softer and more circular. Striking techniques became less important and the formal curriculum became simpler. In his own expression of the art there was a greater emphasis on what is referred to as kokyū-nage, or “breath throws” which are soft and blending, utilizing the opponent’s movement in order to throw them. Many of these techniques are rooted in the Aiki-no-jutsu portions of the Daitō-ryū curriculum rather than the more direct jujutsu style joint-locking techniques.

After Ueshiba left Hokkaidō he came under the influence of Onisaburo Deguchi, the spiritual leader of the Ōmoto-kyō religion in Ayabe. In addition to the effect on his spiritual growth, this connection was to have a major effect in introducing Ueshiba to various elite political circles as a martial artist. The Ueshiba Dojo in Ayabe was used to train members of the Ōmoto-kyō sect. He was involved in the first Ōmoto-kyō Incident, an ill-fated attempt to found a utopian colony in Mongolia. Although Ueshiba eventually distanced himself from both these teachers, their effect on him and his art cannot be overstated.

The real birth of Aikido came as the result of three instances of spiritual awakening that Ueshiba experienced. The first happened in 1925, after Ueshiba had defeated a naval officer’s bokken (wooden katana) attacks unarmed and without hurting the officer. Ueshiba then walked to his garden and had a spiritual awakening.

“…I felt the universe suddenly quake, and that a golden spirit sprang up from the ground, veiled my body, and changed my body into a golden one. At the same time my body became light. I was able to understand the whispering of the birds, and was clearly aware of the mind of God, the creator of the universe.

At that moment I was enlightened: the source of budo is God’s love – the spirit of loving protection for all beings… Budo is not the felling of an opponent by force; nor is it a tool to lead the world to destruction with arms. True Budo is to accept the spirit of the universe, keep the peace of the world, correctly produce, protect and cultivate all beings in nature.”

His second experience occurred in 1940 when,

“Around 2am as I was performing misogi, I suddenly forgot all the martial techniques I had ever learned. The techniques of my teachers appeared completely new. Now they were vehicles for the cultivation of life, knowledge, and virtue, not devices to throw people with.“

His third experience was in 1942 during the worst fighting of WWII, Ueshiba had a vision of the “Great Spirit of Peace”.

“The Way of the Warrior has been misunderstood. It is not a means to kill and destroy others. Those who seek to compete and better one another are making a terrible mistake. To smash, injure, or destroy is the worst thing a human being can do. The real Way of a Warrior is to prevent such slaughter – it is the Art of Peace, the power of love.“

In 1927, Ueshiba moved to Tokyo where he founded his first dojo, which still exists today under the name Aikikai Hombu Dojo. Between 1940 and 1942 he made several visits to Manchukuo (Japanese occupied Manchuria) to instruct his martial art. In 1942 he left Tokyo and moved to Iwama in the Ibaraki Prefecture where the term “Aikido” was first used as a name for his art. Here he founded the Aiki Shuren Dojo, also known as the Iwama dojo. During all this time he traveled extensively in Japan, particularly in the Kansai region teaching his aikido.

Morihei Ueshiba died on April 26, 1969.

O’Sensei is remembered by his students as a master of the martial arts whose studies transcended technical matters to include a moral and philosophical view of the world based around harmony in the face of aggression. The many branches of Aikido in existence today virtually all trace their lineage back to him.
Many stories exist about Ueshiba’s martial skill. It is said for example that he was able to escape a tight ring of students that surrounded him with swords and attacked simultaneously. Many of these students would later say they had not even seen him go by them. Another story is that he was able to knock someone off their feet with the force of his kiai.

There is debate in the Aikido world over some of these sensational stories; some dismiss them as myth generated around a genuinely brilliant but human martial artist, whereas others believe that Morihei Ueshiba truly achieved such feats.

To this day, Ōmoto-kyō priests oversee a ceremony in Ueshiba’s honor every April 29th at the Aiki Shrine in Iwama.

Over the years, Ueshiba O’Sensei trained a large number of students, many of whom have grown into great teachers in their own right. Some of them were uchideshi or live-in students. There are roughly four generations of students.