Kent County, MD

on Maryland’s eastern shore

Aikido was founded by Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969).  He was born in the castle town of Tanabe, Japan.  The village was by the ocean and the villagers fished and farmed.  He trained first in Sumo, winning many of the competitions he entered.  Later he went to Tokyo and practiced Tenshin Shin’yo Jujutsu.   During his time in the Japanese army, he learned Goto-ha Yagyu Ryu Jujitsu.  His teacher, Masakatsu Nakai, taught him the sword, spear and jo.  He became a master and news of his martial exploits spread.  He had many challengers and gained more experience and renown.  One day after defeating his attacker in an encounter, he realized he had not really won. How could a defeat for one person be a win for another?  It is easy to defeat an opponent. To have a situation where the attacker comes out better for it, that is the true goal. Later as he developed Aikido,  he integrated this principle into the art.  He called his martial art system “the way of harmony and love”.  His vision is that Aikido is for the world.

Churn Creek Aikido (CCA) started holding classes in May of 2010.  The school has the mission of disseminating O’Sensei message and vision through his art of Aikido.  With training and integration into daily life, students can realize their potential and they become1 the art. The goal of CCA is to bring Aikido to Kent and the surrounding counties.

A basic description of Aikido is that it is a martial art from Japan that is based on samurai sword techniques.  The techniques often use the attackers own energy against them self.  This, along with proper use of one owns body, allows a relatively small person to defeat a much larger person.  The best way to understand it is to come to class and figure out the art form for yourself.