AIKIDO OF MISSOULA - Key Persons
Aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969), referred to as O Sensei or "great teacher," was an extraordinary martial artist who studied and mastered many styles of jiu-jitsu, sword and spear fighting as a young man. He was also a deeply spiritual person, engaged in a lifelong search for true understanding. Although Ueshiba came to be regarded as invincible, he remained dissatisfied with his achievement, feeling that the questions at the heart of budo remained unresolved. He probed with great intensity into the nature of the fighting arts and their role in human life, undertaking fiercely demanding physical and spiritual training.