The founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba, respectfully referred to as O-Sensei, was born in 1883. He was a sickly child and was more interested in academic and religious pursuits than in physical activity. Eventually, Master Ueshiba began sumo wrestling and swimming and - by his late teens - had begun studying jujitsu and kenjitsu, the Japanese sword art. In his early adulthood, O-Sensei studied many martial arts including sword, spear, the short staff, jujitsu, and principally Daito-ryu aiki-jujitsu. The distillation of these disciplines led to the ultimate formation of Aikido.

From 1927, when O-Sensei was encouraged to formulate his own “Way” until his death in 1969, he carefully guided and continually refined his art. Aikido is circular, spherical, and spiraling in nature. This use of circle to deflect aggression allows one to blend with an attack and neutralize it rather than overpower the attacker using strength. The attacker is drawn into this circular movement, then harmlessly redirected. The technique can culminate in a pin, used to immobilize, or a throw that can allow one the opportunity for escape. Drawing heavily from Oriental philosophy, Aikido imposes very high moral and ethical standards on its practitioners. In O-Sensei's own words, "Aikido is not for correcting others, but for correcting one's own mind." It was his fondest wish that Aikido be used to awaken mankind to the realization that the world is one family.