Kanji-the Japanese characters

Kanji says "Aiki jinja" and was brushed by Abe-sensei, the great and still-living calligrapher who taught Osensei, among others, the Way of the Brush.

What is "Kanji"?

Practically, it is how Japanese is written. Aesthetically, it is the expressive and often lovely ink-brushed abstract looking designs you'll inevitably find in any aikido dojo, webpage, poster, advertisement and other places such as on aikido clothing, t-shirts, and bags. In Japan it is used in every day ways such as writing your name on your gi, which is a politeness that keeps you from accidently bringing home someone else's gi top from the changing room. Outside of Japan, kanji is used primarily for decoration.

How many kanji should I recognize?

Fortunately, there are just a few that you will see often. Let's look at them and find out what they mean.

Common Aikido Kanji

"Aikido" by Osensei		Ai = harmony, Ki = energy, spirit Do = the way, path, road, philosophy of...
"Takemusu Aiki by Saito Sensei"		Takemusu Aiki means "spontaneous creation of divine techniques". A more down-to-earth translation is "spontaneously aikido occuring naturally, without thought or force because it is inherently part of the universe.
"Takemusu Aiki" by Osensei"		This is our UCAR aikido scroll which features a reproduction of Osensei's shodo (brush painting) of "Takemusu Aiki".
"Bu Jin"		Bu Jin means "People of the Samurai Spirit." You'll see this kanji, brushed by Hiroshi Ikeda-sensei, on labels for great aikido bags, gi and other items. Bu Jin Design is located right here in Boulder, Colorado. I still have my first Bu Jin weapons bag from 1979.