He was the best at everything, yet he was not satisfied. He didn't want to fight to be strong. There had to be more to life. So he thought about it and realised that if you want to be good at martial arts, body and mind in harmony should be. Because when your body and mind are in harmony, you feel the attack coming on better. Morihei Ueshiba was shaped not only by martial arts, but politics, religion and war also influenced him greatly. His native region was a centre of very ancient tradition. As a child, he already showed a keen interest in the alternative and Shinto way of thinking which he later incorporated into Aikido.

When Morihei was 19, he married Hatsu. They later had three sons, Kisshomaru being the most famous. Kisshomaru made Aikido accessible to everyone. (Meanwhile, he too has sadly passed away.) During his military service, he kept himself intensively engaged in martial arts.

After the war, Morihei Ueshiba continued to develop as a budo grandmaster. He developed to the point where, as a 'little man' no taller than 1m50, he could overthrow a strong man with ease. Morihei Ueshiba could handle another person's energy and his own very well.

For instance, there is a story that the famous box champion Horiguchi, "The piston" dropped by the grandmaster's dojo. He wanted a match with Morihei Ueshiba. In doing so, the grandmaster invited him to attack him with all his strength and ability. From full power and violence, the boxer tried to hit the grandmaster on the chest. Punches and blistering puffs came towards the grandmaster. Until suddenly the boxer's arms were hit from the outside with the grandmaster's hands. It was a flexible almost invisible movement. Horiguchi fell to the ground with two broken arms and spent two months in hospital afterwards.

Morihei Ueshiba is a great example for people who practise Aikido, he has achieved a lot in his life and there is great respect for that. Because Morihei Ueshiba is so respected, they also call him O'Sensei, which stands for 'great teacher' in Japanese.

On the day Morihei Ueshiba died, the Japanese government offered him the 'order of sacred treasure', this was the highest honour he received for realising Aikido