The University of Tasmania Aikido Club

One of the oldest martial-arts clubs in Australia, with a history going back to 1954. It was originally the University Judo Club, but with the introduction of aikido in 1971, a separate club was formed for the specific teaching and practice of aikido. With Nakajima Sensei  as the principel  instructor and representative of Fuji Ryu Aikido in Japan, the club was directly involved in the establishment of the Fuji Ryu  Aikido Federation in 1978.  The club was for some years the Federation's headquarters in Australia. 

In 2006 the club established a relationship with Kobayashi Dojo in Tokyo/Japan and members of the club were accepted as uchi deshi into Kobayashi dojo.

Since 2008 the club is affiliated with the Aikido Kenkyukai International which has about 20 dojos in Australia. Aikido Kenkyukai International (AKI) is an affiliation of aikido clubs inspired by the teachings of Sensei Yoshinobu Takeda 8th dan AIKIKAI of Kamakura Japan. Takeda sensei was in turn, a longterm student of Yamaguchi sensei, a Hombu shihan and student of O-sensei. AKI dojos are directly linked to Aikikai Honbu Dojo (Aikido World Headquarters) in Tokyo through Takeda Sensei.

About Aikido

Aikido is a modern, non-violent Japanese martial art that was developed in the earlier part of the 20th century by the late master, Morihei Ueshiba. The Founder passed away in 1969 at the age of eighty-six.

Effective as Aikido is as a martial art, its essence goes beyond the resolution of physical conflicts. Based on his background of rigorous training in several traditional Japanese jujutsu, the Founder spent the years from the middle of his life developing his art as a means of refining and uplifting the human sprit. The Founder succeeded in creating what he then named “Aikido”, “The Way of Harmony with the Forces and Principles of Nature.” Aikido is a true “budo”, a path in which the keen edge of martial training is utilized as a “Way” to spiritual growth.

Despite its growing popularity, Aikido remains true to the goals of “budo”. Its methods are based on the Founder’s deep faith in “austere training for the sake of improving the human spirit through tireless polishing and perfection of the mind and body.” In accordance with the Founder’s ideals, the art has been kept separate from sports, in which one person competes with another. Aikido is rather, a path of personal development for people who sincerely desire to perfect their own human nature. As such, Aikido places great importance on the Oriental conception of the universal principle, “Ki”—the life-force or breath. Aikido seeks to achieve the total unification of this universal “ki” with the “ki” of the individual human “self”. Aikido is a budo to harmonize the individual with the universal principle, and to establish concord among all peoples. Out of the ancient traditions of Japanese martial arts, Aikido thrives today as a source of harmony to counter the disharmonious forces that exist in the world today.
Ultimately Aikido places great importance on continuous, physical practice as way of achieving a better understanding of one's self.    

What does it all mean?

Aikido, as Ueshiba conceived it in his mature years, is not primarily a system of combat, but rather a means of self-cultivation and improvement. Aikido has no tournaments, competitions, contests, or "sparring." Instead, all aikido techniques are learned cooperatively at a pace commensurate with the abilities of each trainee. According to the founder, the goal of aikido is not the defeat of others, but the defeat of the negative characteristics which inhabit one's own mind and inhibit its functioning.

At the same time, the potential of aikido as a means of self-defence should not be ignored. One reason for the prohibition of competition in aikido is that many aikido techniques would have to be excluded because of their potential to cause serious injury. By training cooperatively, even potentially dangerous techniques can be practiced without substantial risk.

It must be emphasized that there are no shortcuts to proficiency in aikido (or in anything else, for that matter). Consequently, attaining proficiency in aikido is simply a matter of sustained and dedicated training. No one becomes an expert in just a few months or years.