Emphasising self-defence rather than victory, Japan's youngest martial art brings both new and veteran practitioners from across the globe to Tanabe, the town where it was born. Two men stood opposite ...

Seiji Gomita doesn’t look particularly fierce. A short, 75-year-old Japanese chiropractor of medium build, he appears to be armed with little more than a warm smile and friendly eyes. But woe betide ...

“Heaven is right where you are standing, and that is the place to train.” — Morihei Ueshiba, founder of Aikido Grief is one of the deepest kinds of spiritual work we will ever do because it arises ...

"Aikido practice is purification of the body and mind on all levels." "If people do not understand the principle of 'takemusu aiki' [valorous, unlimited creativity], they will only think about winning ...

Her black curly hair pulled back in a tight bun, Neilu Naini kneels, then bows deeply before a small vase of flowers and a framed picture of an elderly Japanese man. The moment of silence in the small ...

He slams into the practice mat for the eighty-ninth time. An integral part of Aikido training is ukemi, learning how to receive a blow and take a fall. So Jason Austad gets up for the eighty-ninth ...

Seiji Gomita doesn’t look particularly fierce. A short, 75-year-old Japanese chiropractor of medium build, he appears to be armed with little more than a warm smile and friendly eyes. But woe betide ...