What is Aikido?

Aikido is a relatively new martial art, developed in Japan in the early 20th century. Translated, aikido means "The Way of Harmony" (aiki - harmony, do - principle, or Way of life). The founder of this "gentle" martial art was a man named Morihei Ueshiba. To understand why one would study aikido for self defense, one must understand Ueshiba's history and philosophy. Ueshiba studied many martial arts, not only empty-hand styles such as sumo wrestling and jujutsu, but also weapons training including kenjutsu (sword), bojutsu (staff) and the sojutsu (spear). Ueshiba was a very spiritual man. His quest for enlightenment led him to create his own self defense style- Aikido, based on the principles of non-violence and yielding to conflict.
Aikido is typified by graceful movements which seem to flow with the opponents attack, either redirecting the attack or avoiding it entirely. Aikido defense techniques gently break the opponents balance, turning the momentum of their attack against them with spectacular results. Though aikido consists of only a few throws, jointlocks, and pressure point techniques, the art of aikido lies in the countless applications and variations of these techniques that are taught.
Allegedly, the inception of aikido was from such an incident. Ueshiba fell into an argument with a fencing instructor. The enraged instructor attacked Ueshiba with his bokken, a wooden practice sword. This was not a humorous encounter, bokken are typically made from hardwood, and are capable of fracturing bone when wielded with enough force. Fortunately for Ueshiba, he successfully and effortlessly evaded the instructor's attacks, slipping past every strike until the fencing master collapsed from exhaustion. This nonviolent triumph over an armed attacker was Ueshiba's moment of enlightenment and of aikido's inception.