takemusu a1k

TAKEMUSU A1K/
Lectures of
Morihei Ueshiba,
Founder of Aikido
transcribed & edited
by Hideo Takahashi
------<D---Aikido Journal is pleased to publish the first of a series of lectures of Morillei Ueshiba, the
founderofailddo. These talks were transcribed and edited by Hideo Takahashi of the Byakko
Shinkokai (see interview in AJ 115) and originally published as Takemusu Aiki in 1976. The
importance of these lectures as the pl'imary soui·ce of reliable material on tl1e spiritual views of
!tforiJ1ei Ueshiba cannot be overstated.
Readers wishing to plumlJ the deptl1s of the pJ1ilosophy of the founder will face a cl1allenge
wlicn exploring these texts. The symbology and metaphors employed by 0-Sensei originate
from SJ1into texts such as the Kojiki and are, moreover, influenced by the Omoto religion and
its co-founder Onisaburo Degucl1i. Also abundant are references to the kotodama, another
Shinto belief incorporated into the Omoto religion that holds that primordial vibrations before
letters and sounds have an intrinsic value capable ofi.nfluencing physical reality. The meanings
ofmany passages are obscure and therefore we have often resorted to the use offootnotes in an
effort to assist t11e motivated reader in navigating the difficult text.
I would like to sincerely thank Sonoko Tanaka for her diligent efforts in rendering tlreJapanese
into comprehensible English and for researching tlre material used in the footnotes. · Ed.
28
/likido Joumal #116
I
tisagreatpleasureforallofuswho havebcenstudyingaikido
day after day to know that TakemusuAikiwill be reprinted ina
new and better binding.
Takemusu Aiki is a collection of talks by the founder of aikldo. Morihei
Ueshiba. and I express my appreciation to Mr. Hklro Takahashi for his
wonderfulwork.limagineitmus1ha1·ebeenanexceedinglyarduoustask
totranscribeandeditsofaithfullysuch difficuh(o/ltent
As you know, the signficance of the Path 0-Sensei illuminated has
Wemustaccomplishourmissionsas human beings and become guideposts for the Great Union and Hannony of the Universal Family. Therefore.
wemuscunderstandUnlversalTruth.thetruestateofthings.andattain
oneness v.ith the mind of God. We must learn from the manifestations
and works of God in this Grear Universe. and assist in His administration
servingasasword(tsurugi).
!n aikido. it is absolutely indispensable that we stand on the Floating
attractedattentioninvariousfieldssincehetaughtabouttherelationship
be unified with God. who is the spiritual source. the Ori~ Parent.
And we must stand on the Floating Bridb'(' even if we can fmd nothing
else. Before God we must give up our ego. freeing our mind of aU thoughts
andendeavortobeabletoexecutedivinedeedsbycalmingourspirit(kon)'
and returning to God.
The primary dMne work is attaining oneness with God. the Creator,
returning to and unifying 11ith God in hamJOny. We can realii.e chis work
by caJT)ing out our God-given missions and unifying ourselves 11ith the
Dil'ine Spirit, that is. becoming one 11ith the Great Unil'erse.
Therefore.we must put our spirit and body in order. but independently of each other. We prepare our spirit and body in order to
advanceintotheworldofki.iyu.ju,andgo.!
When we correctly establish the boundaries between ki. ryu,ju. and go and clearly
~!~ :
master them. this is called shikishin. the ability of the mind co see thlngs as they are.
j
Now aikido is the name gi\'E'n to our practke ofthe Wayto anainonenes.s 11ith the spirit
9i:,
andbodyoftheUniverse,andtheWayofunification with the light of harmony.
IJ
Forexample.ifthereissomethingdirty
j!I\
on earth. insects come and clean it up. Insects. fish, birds and allotheranimalshal'e
their ownwayoftakingcareofimpuritiesin
chis way.
bet~·een body and spirit. especially at a time when mental disorders are
oonsidereduni\'ersallytobeagreatsodalproblemandthisfacthascontributedtothegrowthofaikido.
Of the numerous books on aikido. Takemusu Aiki is the work
mostrepresentativeofO-Sensei'sthinkingandstronglyspeakstous
about fundamental truths. 1t is. therefore, a book we should always
keep at hand
•
Moreover. 0-Sensei commented. "lhere is no one other than Goi
Sensei who knows my mind." Coi Sensei was my father·s intimate friend
and. Mr. Takahashi, a student of Goi Sen.sei. dedicated himself wholeheartedlyto recording 0-Sensefs talks and the
compilationofTakemusuAiki. It can be said
that it is high rime ro publish this new edition
and that chis book will be considered as a
preciousrecordtobereadwidelybypeople
from diverse fields.
Pleaseacceptmysincerecongratulations
ontheneweditionofTakemusuAiki
~=
~
....,..
1J [J
Kisshomaru Ueshiba
Aikido Doshu
Octoberi986
ill
Today,asrequested,lwillauempt todescribeforyouwhataikidois
Aikidoistheprincipleofetemalcorninuation throughout all ages of 1he one and same
systen1oftheUniverse
Aikido is Heaven-sent truth and the
marvelousworkofTakemusu Aiki
AikidoistheWayofunionandharrnonyof
Heaven. Eanh and humanity.
Aikidois,mQfOO\-er,the\\'aytotakecare
of the entire creation.
Aikido is the supreme work of kofOOama'
and the Great Way of Universal Purification
BridgeofHeaven(Ameno~. 3 lllisisessentialforustorecurntoand
lli
'!'
'I'
A~
p
present-future."and -Administrationisthe
manifestation of science."
3
Ame no Ukihashi literally means the
FloatingBridgeofHeaven. ltisthebridgethat
jg
connects HeavenandEarth.Therefore.standing on Ame no Ukihashi means standing between Heaven and Earth. In 1he Kojiki. the
anciemJapanescchronicle.itisrecordedthat
Japanese edition of TakemusuAiki
twodeitiesstoodonthisbridgeandstarted
pthlistiedbytheByakkoShinkollai
theirfirstworkofcreatingoountries(fa,lands).
• Kon: Goi Senseisaid, "Reiisthe manifestation of the Divine Spirit workingfreelywithoutanyhindrance. while
(misog~.
ThosewhodeeplybelieveinthisWaymuscserveintheadrninistratio!T kon is the manifestation of spiritual wa\·es that, from the Divine World.
dthefoundingof a Universa!Nation
areworkingoverotherworlds(spiritualwor!d.subconsciousworldand
physical world)." Rei refersrnspirit. whilekon refersrnthoughtsthat
have accumulated in the subsconscious body and subconscious world
1 0-Sensei said. ·Kotodama is different from voice. Kotodarna is
When 11'e say reikon we refer to the spirit accompanied by its accumuthe red blood boiling in the abdomen.· Goi Sensei explained. "Kotodama lated thought waves which can be translated as either "spirit" or "soul.·
isthevibrationbeforeideasandsensesariscinlettersandsounds. Thus. both "spirit" or ·sour are commonly used to translate either tem1.
that is. the vibration of Light itself- God. When it is manifested in
s u ierally. ki:air. mind.and spirit: ryu: fluid.flow: ju: softness.
lettersandsounds.itisthcexpressionaftertheworkofkotodarnahas flexibility: go: solidity. hardness. 0 -Sensei explains elsewhere. "Ryu,
been accomplished."
ju,andgoworkthroughki.Ryuisthetruenatureofanimals.Juisthe
1 0-Sensei also said. "Administration means history, pastcharacteristicofvegetation.andgothatofminerals."
1999 Volume 26 - No. 1
Iii
"'r.'
!!fl
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As human beings we must purify ourselves from all sin<> and impurities
and each acoomplish our O\\TI God-given missions. This is what aikido
offers, and ii is for this pwi:nse !hat you (addressing the Byakko Shinko Kai
audience) offer "Tile World Peace Prayer" which Goi Sensei advocates
However, if you pr.iyin words only. It does not work. You must actually live
uptothepra)-Cr,othemiseitwill beofnoa\'ail
(2)
Ai kido is the manial art {bu) of truth; ii is the work of love
ltisthewaytoprotectalllivingthingsofthiswocld.thatis,rukidoisa
compass thatgil'es life to all things.
It is the manifestation of takemusif that has given birth to <ill martial
techniques that have so far been created.
The martial arts born therefrom are the law 10 protecl the growth of
cveiything existing in the world in accordance with the law of life and
growth of all nature.
lt will take too long if! go into the details. so l will explain briefly
Vbuya' (houses for childbirth) are where we cultivate and ~ect: the
Aikidorevealsthewayofmisogi.guidingpeopletotheWorldPeace
Prayer and serving as a harmonious compa55 of the complett'd unity of aU
purifiedkiinnature.
Now we should not fail to acwmplish the divine work given 10 us and
Slilu.J9 perform our part as children of God being Mercy and Light. We must
rer'iler seJVi.ce to the work for the creation of a Universal Nation and for the
perfec1ion of mankind. Embracing the three worlds-the world of appearance-thesuboonsciousworld-theDivineworld- wemustgiveourlivesto
in harmony and to advance administration works. This is the way to
completeourselvesandisthepractkeofaikklo
lwouldliketosaythistoaUdyouasonememberr:Jthe Uni>.m.a!Family.
SU=U-A (Ueshiba Sensei emits kowdama) From these , A-0-U-E-I come
nto be!n(A-O-U-E-1are the manifestation of the eight powers VJachirilo}.9
The Universe was created through the working of the kotodama.
The Universe is the manifestation of the divine \\ill of the six spirits of
TA-KA-A-MA-HA-RA, A-0-U-E-1. the li\ing manifestation of the three elenlents and eight p::iwers (sangenhachirikO. and the 75 kotodama.
~n~it.. three origins) refers to ki, ryu,ju. and go. They are also .o.
::~nssrfn~tin~,~~~ua that plainly pro1eas principles t~~~.bi~;=~~u~u~~~t=~=11~~'.i::y1:u~~~t:1~:.
Therefore.aikidoabidesonthewayofMasakatsu-Agatsu-KatsUhayabi'
and i~ the wonderful work of kowdama!hat clarifies the tM'Jneaning of~
(3)
the unity of religion and states. that is. the happiest form ofGrea( De
Aikili ls the work of Ame no Murakumo Kuki ~uhara_Ryuou. 11
racy and Great Freedom.
An~ no Murakumo is the work of Universal K1, the k1 of Onogoro
12, andthekithatbreathesandpiercesthroughaUthekiofevery- - -gexisPngintheUniversc.
6
Takemusu is the ultimate Japanese martial art. It is the Divine Work
Kuki is a double-£dgo:l sword which cuts through and unites the
that freely produces infinite-ever-changing techniques.
appearances of the Great Spirit of the Earth and Heaven. That is, it is a
1
Ame no Ubuya: Jn the Kojikl, ii is recorded that. after the creation of two-£dged sword of Heaven and Earth
countries (14 islands). the two deities, 17.anagi no Mikoto (male) and WiiWni
Samuhara is a word to praise the highest virtue and mertts of the world
no Mikoto (female) gave birth to many deities. However, when 17.anami no .JRyuou means literally "Dragon King1
Mikoto gave binh to the deity of fire. she was bunied and passed away to
Thus. aikido advances toward the perfection of the entire world in
YominoKtuli(Hadesorthesubconscious world).
orOertoestabUshaHeavenonEarth.
Izanagi no Mikoto wanted to see her again and visited her in HadeS,
Aikido is the Great Way to completely purify the entire world. It
but was shocked at the sight of her tenible appearance and rah away, ~rtlles Mid clears away sins, malice and evil thoughts of the Universe
17.anami no Mikoto became furious upon learning thLs and sent:amugly
feWedeviltochasehim.IzanaginoMJkotothrewhLsfiairomarrient'8nd
his comb and they were transformed into grapes and bamboo S~) The
• Hachiriki means literaUy "eight powers" 10 wit: movement/ stillness/
devil stopped rurming after him and sat to eat the food. Then Jrariarrii no ooagulation/ dissolution/tension/ looscness/ combination/ separation.
10 triangle. circle and square become ~andthen become a circle. I (Mr
Mikoto sent a miliatry force after him and Izanagi no Mikoto cominUed co
flee while swinging his sword backward. The military force foUowed him to Takahashi) heard from Ueshiba Sensei that this Ls the practice of aikido.
the border between the subconscious world and the real world. Izanagi no L'.lter. Goi Sensei showed me a book of kotodama in which I happened to
~=:~~~~n!::/ieaches and threw them against the enemy and all "" ~same symbols published as a drawing of the breathing of the
It......
In the end, Izanami no Mikoto herself went after him, so he moved
u Ame no Murakumo Kuki Samuhara Ryuou: The name of a deity
large rock to block the way. Then the two Mikoto faced e~~t'c:a?<!PJeOf purifying any karma ina moment. Aguess at a literal translation
:~l~~';un;:~~=-a::::~=~ ·::::.l~illyo~~*·:t~:~~~rm~~~~::~~;~ ~t~~~=k, ~r~~~~:e:~~~
1
sand people, I wiU build one thousand five hundred u~
childbinh).·
(hOusep
~ Mr
'.:!~-~'r!s .tli>ught.
1
It refers to d1sharmomous vibrations that have
f"'.f'' '}'lated in the subconscious body and sulxonscious world through
Taka~h~s~~ :~~gt:tn~e ~i~l;:1~g::~~?s~~o;v~1 t: o= ~s:~~:ez~~.whenil.anaginoMikotoandl7.anamino
0
these three peaches that drove away the military force from Yomi no Kwli
(theSubconcious\Vocld)areaikido
'Masakatsu-Agatsu-Katsuyhayabi: literally means "True Victory-SelfVictoiy-Victory-Swift-Day. Its origin is the Kojikiwhere reference is made to
a deity named "Masakatsu-Agatsu-Katsuhayabi Ame no Oshihornimi no
Mikoto."
30
1
~likoto started the creation of (l)llntries while standing on Ame no Ukihashi,
theyputahalberd(hoko:similartoaspear.butv.ithadouble-edgedblade
on the tip) into the ocean and stilTed. When they raised the halberd. salt
from the sea water dripped from it and accumulated forming an island
This is Onogoro Island. Then the two deities went down on the island and
ga\-ebirthtornanyotherLslands.
Aikido )011rnal #115
andtakescareofthem.
Titis is accomplished through kouxlankl.
The Way of aiki is the way to protect kl'le. Without Jove. no1hing in the
ll'orldcanberealiied.Thererore,lbelie\'Cthisworkl"illbedestroyedif the
tn1e work ofaikiisnot carriedout.
We must protect this world by making our way through the three
worlds- appearance-subco11scious-Divi ne. This is the manifestation of
Buddha ($aisho Myo ~yorai)
Aiki is a Way whose mission is the reconstn1etionofthis floating world
hy standing in the centerdche Unt.l!l'SI'.
We purify ourseh·es-people, nations and the whole world-and
advance in the name of God.
Finally. the true work of aikido "iU commence. I do noc knew.· another
wayotherthanaikidocapableolrcbuildingthisworld.
We haw! to em er the main gate through budo. prnlect humanity from
destructlon.anddedicateoursclvesinordertobringpeaceto huma nkind
Tillsworkls pmtoft he workoftheG reatGod
llletimchascome.Thework reallybcglns thlsyear.
Aikidoisthe wayofsincerityandsinccdtyis the Wayofloyalty.Loyalty
means rendering sen'ire 10 the achie11ement o( 1he construction of 1he
Unil'ersal Heawn. and de\uting ourselves lO the spirit of construction d a
1998 Vo/,,,,,e 25 - No. J
Hea\'CllonEarth.
lnorder toadvance along1his Way. firstofa llwemust perfect
ourselves. We have to improl'e and perfect nations. and reform and
perfect humanity so that Eart hwillhetransforrned forthebetter
Aikklo is also the working of the fil'e \'Oices- A-0 -U-E-I. This is closely
related to the combination ofnigen (twooriginsl. water and fire . In
Shimo. they are the two deities. Takami Musubi and Kami Musubi. ' 3 Tiie
world was built through(heactionsof1heflowofthesetwodeities.
lliese two origins return to the Original Source (ldligel~. the Original
SourceofSU O.
lliese tw!l'are the sources ol spirit and material things. lliey were
born from the kotodani..1 "lf and the kowdama U was born through the
de>.'clopmentofthekotixtama·su:
Tiie11"0ritingsofthese 1'0ic:es,SU ruxl U,are tliesourcesofspiritsand
material things.thesoun:esofel'erythlngintlieUniwrse
Then whe re does the SU voice come from? It was born from the
13 Takmni ~ lusubi and Kami Musubi: they are. togcther with Ame no
MimkaNushl. thefirstthreedeiticscreatedoneafter tlieotlierfollo11ing
tlwbinhoftheUnil'ersc.
31