“It is my opinion that there is only one published text that faithfully preserves the content and flavor of O-Sensei’s actual speech. The book is titled “Takemusu Aiki,” edited by Hideo Takahashi of the Byakko Shin Kokai.”
“O-Sensei’s Spiritual Writings: Where did they actually come from?“, by Stanley Pranin
One day while walking through Ala Moana Beach Park with John Stevens, we fell into a discussion about the upcoming publication of his translation of “Takemusu Aiki” (武産合気), which he had titled “The Heart of Aikido: The Philosophy of Takemusu Aiki“.
At the time, he himself called the translation, “Takemusu Aiki-lite” – a diluted version of the original text made for consumption by a general audience.
Of course, he also states something similar in the introduction to the work itself:
“The contents have been edited, condensed, and rearranged for a smoother flow of the English translation. Almost all of the Shinto/Omoto-kyo terminology and references have been eliminated since that aspect of O’Sensei’s teaching is detailed and discussed in the publications The Secret Teachings of Aikido and The Essence of Aikido.”
Of course , there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, in principle. Translations are often edited and abridged for their target audience, in order to make them accessible to that audience.
However, as I’ve mentioned in other places, no matter how much a translation is edited, abridged, and rearranged…accuracy counts – one must be careful not to alter the original meaning so much that it is unrecognizable.
This is one of those.
Some of the issues in translating “Takemusu Aiki”, with some comments the original transcriber Hideo Takahashi (高橋英雄) about his experiences with Morihei Ueshiba, were discussed in “Drinking wine with O-Sensei“.
There are also more discussions of issues with translation in modern Aikido here:
“War and Peace – Morihei Ueshiba, Lost in Translation”
“Morihei Ueshiba, Budo and Kamae: Why we don’t know how to stand up and walk.“
“Arms and Elbows: Morihei Ueshiba, Lost in Translation“
“Morihei Ueshiba: Untranslatable Words“
“Emperor Jimmu’s Eastern Expedition”
(神武天皇東征之図)
Utagawa Nobukazu (歌川延一)
The first chapter of “Takemusu Aiki” begins with a definition of Aikido, presented directly by Morihei Ueshiba.
This section is particularly important given the fact that there is often so little general agreement over exactly what the definition of Aikido is, and what Morihei Ueshiba’s intentions were.
The definition begins with a list of 5 “precepts”, sometimes called the Aikido “Goka-jo” (合気道五箇条), somewhat similar to the “Dojo-kun” (道場訓) one sees posted on the wall in some arts.
For the purposes of this article, we will limit the discussion to the first of these precepts, which appears in “The Heart of Aikido” as:
“Aikido is the eternal principle of the universe.”
To be fair, this sentence appears in a similar translation by Sonoko Tanaka on the Aikido Journal website, in “Takemusu Aiki–Lectures of Morihei Ueshiba, Founder of Aikido (1)“:
“Aikido is the principle of eternal continuation throughout all ages of the one and same system of the Universe.”
So let’s take a look at the original Japanese:
合気道は宇宙万世一系の大いなる道なり。
The above, translated directly, becomes:
“Aikido is the Great Way of the Universal Bansei Ikkei.”
The problematic phrase here, which has been eliminated from both translations is “Bansei Ikkei” (万世一系).
If we look at the literal meaning of the Kanji themselves, then this becomes “a single unbroken line spanning ten thousand generations”, so we can see how this was rephrased in the two translations above.
The difficulty here is that translating the individual components of a compound word literally often results in a meaning that is very different from the meaning of that word in actual use – butter doesn’t actually fly, but butterflies do, and a nightmare isn’t a horse.
Which is how we get to the Emperor Jimmu above, in case you were wondering…”Bansei Ikkei” is a common phrase that refers to the “unbroken Imperial line”, reaching back 2,686 years (as of 2026) to the legendary first Emperor of Japan.
This phrase appears in Article 1 of the pre-war Constitution of the Empire of Japan:
“The Empire of Japan shall be reigned over and governed by a line of Emperors unbroken for ages eternal.”
大日本帝国は、万世一系の天皇がこれを統治する。
This concept of “Bansei Ikkei” formed the basis for the pre-war ideology of the Emperor’s divinity.
Along with the concept of “Hakko Ichiu” (八紘一宇), it was one of the twin pillars at the absolute core of pre-World War II Japanese ultra-nationalism.
2600th Anniversary of the Empire, 1940
Dedication of the Hakko Ichiu Tower
In 1940 Japan celebrated 2,600 years since the ascention of the Emperor Jimmu to the throne of Japan. At that time the Emperor Jimmu declared:
“I shall cover the eight directions and make them my abode”
八紘を掩うて宇と為さん
The “eight directions” in the quote above were written as “Eight Cords” – “Hakko” (八紘), as in the “Hakko Ichiu” (八紘一宇)Tower above. This was the source for the wartime slogan “Eight Cords under one roof” – meaning the divine right of the Emperor to unite the world under the Japanese Empire.
Konoe Fumimaro reads an Imperial Rescript
The Imperial throne in the background
This phrase “Hakko Ichiu” was popularized in 1940 by Prime Minister Konoe Fumimaro, a student and patron of Morihei Ueshiba, and a member of the board of directors of Morihei Ueshiba’s Kobukai organization (the predecessor to the post-war Aikikai).
This phrase was also alluded to by Morihei Ueshiba in this post-war Doka (“Poem of the Way”):
惟神光と熱の合気道, 世をば清めん八紘の玉
Aikido, The Light and Heat of Kannagara, Jewel of the Eight Cords, Purifies the World.
In other words , Aikido is represented here as a process through which one works to purify the world – a purified world meaning one that is united under the Japanese empire.
Remember that this Doka is from after the war.
Morihei Ueshiba would state this again later on in “Takemusu Aiki”:
世界は一つであります。国の大小を問わず日本の国につどい寄ってこなければならなくなっているのです。それには条理がキチンと整わなければいけません。人類は地球の一番中心の中津国を忘れています。最初の中心の中心の国は日本なのです。
これは皇祖皇宗のご遺訓に出ていることでみなさんもよく知っていることです。
The world is one. Regardless of size, all nations must inevitably gather around Japan. For this to happen a logical order must be firmly established. Humanity has forgotten the Middle Land (Nakatsukuni), the very center of the Earth. The original country at the ultimate center of centers is Japan.
This appears in the testaments of our Imperial Ancestors, as you all know well.
Once again, please note that the above passage is from a lecture given in the late 1950’s or early 1960’s, and here we see the consistency and continuity of Morihei Ueshiba’s basic ideology from the pre-war period to the post-war period.
Morihei Ueshiba’s “Aiki-jujutsu” seal from the 1930’s above features the kanji for “imperial” (皇) at the center – jist as his dojo was the “Imperial Hall of the Martial Arts” (皇武館), his association was the “Imperial Martial Arts Association” (皇武会), and as he was a follower of “Kodo Omoto” (皇道大本) – the “Imperial Way” Omoto.
After the war, in the 1960’s, he declared that same ideal – “Aikido is the Great Way of the Universal Bansei Ikkei.”.
Morihei Ueshiba often spoke, both before and after the war, of Aikido as a method for creating “paradise on Earth”.
この合気をもって地上天国を作ろう
Let us use this Aiki to create a paradise on Earth
The key issue here is really what Morihei Ueshiba’s vision of this “paradise” would look like, and with his declaration of “Bansei Ikkei” this becomes clear – a right wing ultra-nationalist utopia in which the world lives in peace…under the aegis of the Japanese empire and the Japanese Imperial family.
Not something that most people today would advocate for, I think that it’s fair to say, and quite different from what most people conceive of as the ideals and goals of modern Aikido.
Now, at the same time that Morihei Ueshiba was discussing “Bansei Ikkei”, after the war, it was thought to be such an important phrase in pre-war ultra-nationalist ideology that it was removed from post-war textbooks, first by blacking out with ink in existing textbooks during the occupation (墨塗り), and then by complete removal from revised textbooks produced after the occupation, where the Imperial origin legend came treated as myth rather than fact.
Controversies over textbook content, for what it’s worth, continue to this day, with major political groups such as the Nippon Kaigi (日本会議), a major right wing nationalist political action group advocating for revisionist historical narratives.
Eriko Yamatani – Aikikai Aikido Shimbun
June 10th, 2026
Japanese politician Eriko Yamatani is affiliated with the Nippon Kaigi, and has been involved in a number of controversies, including one revolving around connections to an anti-Korean hate group, the Zaitokukai, whose members have labelled ethnic Korean residents of Japan “cockroaches” and called for them to be killed, and opposition to LGBT and gender rights.
More recently , she has attempted to assert the pre-war position that “Bansei Ikkei” is a matter of historical fact, rather than myth:
And on July 15 in an Upper House special committee deliberating the same measure, the LDP’s Eriko Yamatani said, “The imperial line unique to our nation has continued unbroken for more than 2,600 years. The tradition of the imperial family that has been protected by our predecessors is weighty and beautiful, so those of us living in the present must be humble.”
The Asahi Shimbun, July 17th 2026
For many years she has also been, and is presently, a member of the Aikikai’s board of directors.
That is not to say that the Aikikai, at present, shares these political views.
However, given the fact of Morihei Ueshiba’s right wing ultra-nationalist ideology and activity in the past, I’ll simply state the opinion that it may be in the best interest of all involved to elminate all political involvement, from right to left, from conservative to liberal, as really having no connection to the mission of today’s Aikikai.
Some of these issues have been discussed in “Morihei Ueshiba, the Black Dragon Society & Pre-War Japan – What Aikido’s History Doesn’t Tell You“, where you may find a more general overall picture.
