Morihei Ueshiba is one of the legendary figures of Japan who founded the Japanese martial art of aikido. A famous martial artist instructor, he spent much of life gaining and imparting knowledge of the fine art. Interestingly, Ueshiba was once a frail child who was weak and feeble. However, he soon changed himself by getting into the military. Relieved from his duties, he moved to Hokkaido where he joined hands with Takeda Sokaku, the founder of Daito-ryu aiki-jujutsu. Later on, he joined Omoto-kyo movement in Ayabe, serving as a martial arts instructor and opening his first dojo. Though he was known for his skills and art, it was after the spiritual enlightenment in the 1925 that his skills were supremely enhanced. His later spiritual experiences in 1940 and 1941 shaped much of what his future teachings comprised of. Interestingly, the more spiritual Ueshiba turned in his outlook, the more changes he brought about in his art which became softer and more circular. He altered the formal curriculum to make it simpler concentrating more on ‘breath throws’, which used opponent’s movement to defeat them.
