THE SWORD IN AIKIDO (AIKIKEN)

Many martial arts, in which various weapons were used, have been developed since the ancient times until today. The martial art in which a sword is being used is different than the rest. The sword is much more than a mere killing object. It represents a symbol of honor and chivalry in completely different cultures, without significant differences. Is there anyone who hasn't heard about the Excalibur - the sword of King Arthur? Sadly, with the appearance of the fire arms, the art of using the sword and the battle with steel weapons falls into oblivion, and the sword becomes an ornament on the parade uniforms or an exhibit on the shelves at the military museums.

In the east, in Japan, two swords, one long and one short (katana and wikizashi) which hang on the belt with the blade up, are the greatest treasury of the samurai: they show his status and are symbol of honor of the warrior. The cult about the sword takes a high place it the Japanese history. As the most efficient cutting blade (there is no place in the world where the blades can be made as good as in Japan), as a piece of art, as a talisman or even as just a collector’s item, the sword of the samurai is causing extraordinary respect.
In the hands of cruel person and a person without self-control the sword can become a raging weapon, but it is believed that in the hands of a master who nurtured bushi-no-nasake i.e. warrior's feeling for mercy and mildness, the sword can be benevolent, and can save somebody's life.
Somewhere in the middle of the last century, when the feudal conflicts in Japan ceased, the martial arts which were used in the war (and taught how the opponent can be more skillfully killed, and to avoid being hurt by him) started to be transformed into martial arts who taught the opposite of that i.e. how to live a better and more fulfilled life. And how can a fight with an enemy become transformed into a more difficult struggle - the struggle with your own self with your fears and weaknesses. That is how the martial arts of today - aikido, karate-do, judo and kendo were created. The significance of the swords as weapons became smaller.
From the above mentioned martial arts, the techniques of the fight with a sword are being taught only in aikido, kendo and iaido. The founder of aikido, Morihei Ueshiba, in his youth finished the Yagyu sword school, and his master was Masakatsu Nakayema. This sword school, its attitude and the way of fight had great influence on Ueshiba when he was completing his martial system which he called aikido. That is why the art of using the sword which is studied within aikido, and called AIKIKEN, is a necessity. Although it may seem to someone less complicated than the techniques without weapons, it doesn't only have the goal to complete the aikido training course and make it more attractive, but it contains much more than that.

During the trainings dedicated to the techniques with bokken (wooden sword) the basic exercises are being learned (in pairs or individually), which are consisted of basic cuts, movements and strategies of fights with swords. These basic exercises represent "agreed on" fights in pair (there are six of them and they are called tachi) and have within them elements from the Yagyu sword school. All of those who practice aikido in the schools where those techniques are neglected or not taught to them at all, are deprived of the fundamental principles which are learned through the sword and represent the very essence of aikido.