Aikikai
| Also known as | Aikikai; Aikikai Honbu |
|---|---|
| Date founded | c.1940 |
| Country of origin |
 Japan
|
| Founder |
Morihei Ueshiba (植芝 盛平 Ueshiba Morihei, December 14, 1883–April 26, 1969) |
| Current head |
Moriteru Ueshiba (植芝 守央 Ueshiba Moriteru, born April 2, 1951) |
| Arts taught | Aikido |
| Ancestor schools | Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu • Tenjin Shin'yō-ryū • Yagyū Shingan-ryū |
| Descendant schools | Ki Society |
| Practitioners | Steven Seagal, Kisaburo Osawa, Seiseki Abe, Yoshimitsu Yamada, Mitsunari Kanai, Nobuyoshi Tamura, Isamu Takeshita, Christian Tissier, Seiichi Sugano |
| Official website | http://www.aikikai.or.jp |
The Aikikai is the original school of Aikido. It is centered on the Aikikai Foundation in Japan, and its figurehead is the Doshu (the family heir of the founder of Aikido). It is represented globally through the International Aikido Federation.
The Aikikai Foundation (財団法人合気会 Zaidan Hōjin Aikikai?) is the original aikido organization. It has been an incorporated entity in Japan since 1940. It is headed by the doshu, the living successor of the founder of aikido. In its name, Kai (会) simply means assembly or club.
The Aikikai Foundation operates Hombu dojo, which is also named Aikido World Headquarters. It is sometimes called the Aikikai Hombu to distinguish it from the headquarters of later aikido organisations. It is located in Tokyo. The term "Hombu" may sometimes be used loosely to refer to the upper echelons of instructors at Hombu dojo, or to the Aikikai Foundation itself.
The Aikikai Foundation also currently manages one satellite dojo, the historical Iwama dojo in Ibaraki (about 100 km northeast of Tokyo).
The Aikikai Foundation sends instructors around Japan on a continual basis. It also issues certificates of grading and instructor titles legitimated by the Doshu throughout the world.
Doshu (道主 / どうしゅ / Dōshu) literally translates as 'Master of the Way'. It is the title denoting the head of the Aikikai. Although the same term could be used as a title within other disciplines, in Japanese its most common meaning is specific to the Aikikai Foundation.
The system of having the heir of a martial arts school be the previous headmaster's son (either natural or adopted for the sake of succession) was common in koryū (traditional schools) and such heirs often are referred to as iemoto. Other arts commonly use the title Sōke for the headmaster.
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