Morihei Ueshiba in 1942
Equally certain is the fact that Morihei’s was profoundly affected by the disastrous consequences of Japan’s defeat in World War II. He turned his focus inward even as the war was in full progress with his retirement to Iwama in 1942 to enter a period of deep reflection. This phase of Morihei’s life has a great deal to do with significant changes in the Founder’s thinking, and the evolution of the philosophy underpinning modern aikido.
The writings of Japanese authors–especially Morihei’s son, Kisshomaru Ueshiba–and those who have based themselves on their published works, have treaded very lightly in treating the subject of Morihei’s wartime involvement. While calling attention to Morihei’s abundant associations with Japan’s power elite, there is no hint of his being complicit in any way in any of the irreproachable actions committed during this tumultuous period. As if to counterbalance his involvement in such activities, there is only a brief reference to Morihei’s participation in an unsuccessful, secret peace initiative instigated by Prince Fumimaro Konoe, who had been Japan’s Prime Minister twice during the period of 1937-1941.
Morihei is said to have traveled to the continent–meaning China–together with Tsutomu Yukawa, one of his students, at some unspecified time shortly after Japan invaded Pearl Harbor in December 1941. The purpose of this trip was to enter secret peace negotiations with Chinese authorities. Unfortunately, the brief description of Morihei’s trip, though tantalizing, is very vague. Konoe had already resigned in October 1941 and his political clout was greatly diminished due to his inability to rein in the Japanese military.
Morihei is known to have made a trip to Manchukuo-the Japanese puppet government of Manchuria–in the summer of 1942, accompanied by Tsutomu Yukawa. Whether this is the occasion referred to is uncertain, but Konoe’s influence is, at that point, questionable. Without additional research, it is difficult to make any conclusive statement about Morihei’s supposed part in this peace tentative.
With this brief introduction as a backdrop, I would be very interested in getting the reaction of the aikido community concerning Morihei’s military-related activities in the prewar period. Would knowledge of an extensive involvement on his part affect your current view of his philosophy of aikido? I know we have some very smart, articulate people in our readership, and I would love to hear your opinions on this sensitive issue.
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War and religion are emotive and irrational subjects. They are usually symbiotic, co-dependant pathologies. Everyone responds differently in accordance to what they believe to be right, slaves to their own predictable irrationality.
Ueshiba would not be Robinson Crusoe in this regard. When the propaganda is “protect your nation” everyone tends to rally and miss the salient point that real protectors do so at the border. Not by travelling a long way to invade the homes of the defenceless!
Nearly everyone’s means of livelihood is somehow tied in to the predation of weaker more defenceless “others,” and so, in denial, we make a choice of staying blind in case conscience should rear its head and keep us materially poor. We opt for spiritual poverty instead. We sell our souls in effect.
Although I do recall historical quotations of him complaining bitterly about “madmen who seek aggression as a means…”. Everyone tends to swallow elitist “them and us” propaganda when madmen are at the helm of any nation. Madmen often lie credibly. Who has already forgotten the WMD’s? Although they did not exist, they were soon carried there by the people who used them with rhetoric that their WMDs and torture were somehow good and came with “god’s blessing! ” Of course!
I would say the disgust at the abuse of power served to reinforce Morihei’s philosophical awakening to that, to get best results as a humanity, armies and military are intended as protectors from invasion by the mad and not by the criminally invasive lackeys acting blindly for the mad.
Murder en masse of an imagined “enemy” has always been with us as a species. And sadly will no doubt continue to be each time mental aberration, fear and greed for other people’s property reaches a peak. These combined with lack of skill tend to give rise to violence as a means, be it a common street thug, or the “highest authorities,” and all betwixt expediently behaving criminally.
Then all the dummies will again line up to go get themselves killed while committing “righteous” atrocities on the way before being carried back in a body bag. That grown men could be so dumb belies belief, but they keep doing it because of skilled sales spiels rendered by the afflicted.
Like the rest of us, Ueshiba at some stage woke up to the fact he was being duped and that’s why he feigned illness and retreated to become hermit. This would indicate that he saw through the “madmen who seek destruction” as he called them and did not want to be complicit.
Hence, his evolving philosophical concerns of, “nurture, care and protect all life in one family,” etc. Now all we’ve got to do is to get these nice rhetoric about “love each other instead of harm each other,” be it from Ueshiba or Buddha or Jesus or whomever, and take them from the realm of hot air, and put them into practice.
It takes more than one to lose the plot so that violence can arise. Heal that disease, respond differently rather than insanely, and we are on the way to the harmonising of intention, which is followed by harmonised action which tends to get less harmful results.
We may become human yet! Who knows?
Excellent observations! Thank you!
From Facebook…
Tim Haffner: “Since these experiences shaped his perspective and led him to deeper contemplation of a higher order Budo, all I can express is gratitude for this phase of his life.”
Niko Huffman: “I’m more of the opinion that it just is what it is. Clearly those experiences affected him greatly (as they do, in one way or another, most everyone who directly experiences war). If he had not had those experiences, or had reacted to them differently, his philosophy would likely have been different, but it’s impossible to say how. As far as acceptance of aikido philosophy being affected by whether or not he was complicit in wartime activities…?
I’m not generally a strong proponent of war and violence, but I certainly have more respect for peace and harmony preached by someone who has experienced or participated in war and violence personally than by those whose abhorrence of it is based solely on principles and arbitrary opinion they’ve inherited from parents, or religion, or wherever. “I believe violence is bad because that’s what I was taught by [insert entity here].” is a lot different from “I believe violence is bad because I’ve seen it first-hand.”
Narcissistic tendencies, whether physical or psycho-spiritual or at an individual or national level, are something that is almost always at the root of self-delusion; they also prompt humanity to wake up, sometimes in the most painful way.
It seems to me that this is part of the maturation process, both of individuals and nations. The lot of most of us is a modicum of narcissism – we learn by our mistakes – but in extreme cases it results in great suffering and destruction.
It is a tendency that is commonly found in many performance related arts, sports, professions, martial arts, religious sects and political activism. Given the associations that Morihei Ueshiba had in his early career, it is very likely that he would have been profoundly affected by narcissism in a most detrimental way.
His retirement to Iwama was probably a necessary corrective and self-imposed cleansing shugyo: “Aikido is for correcting one’s self, and not for correcting others.”
In Hagakure there is a vignette in which a group is choosing someone for an important task. There was one individual who was particularly suited to the task, but in disgrace. An influential member of the group said, “I favor him BECAUSE he has made a mistake…”
We weren’t there. Any resemblance we may have to the products of Japanese culture and education ca. 1940 is purely superficial if not accidental. Isn’t there a saying to the effect that we need teachers because we couldn’t live long enough to make all those mistakes?
This is not to say either that fighting for your country (beliefs and religion) is a mistake. Plants fight. They just do it in slow motion. Conflict is an essential part of our poor world. O Sensei was an exceptional martial artist and evolved a practical and teachable system for dealing with internal and external conflicts. Our challenge is to maintain its validity.