Aikido: A Japanese martial art practiced by millions

This sense of aikido as a community, rather than an individual pursuit, was also apparent in Yukiko’s words. “What I like about this practice are the bonds that form between people on and off stage,” she told me. “At first, it could seem like it’s all about making your opponent fall, but real aikido is about taking care of and connecting to others.”

Ueshiba’s son encouraged him to start demonstrating his creation in front of others, and in 1956, aikido’s founder invited people, including from abroad, to witness the first demonstration to be held after World War Two. The discipline thus spread not only throughout Japan but overseas, and today, millions of people practise this martial art in more than 100 countries.

Perhaps nowhere though is it more ubiquitous than in Tanabe. Martials arts are taught in Japanese schools as part of the physical education curriculum, and in this town “11 out of 14 middle schoolers take aikido classes”, Gomita said. “I know because I teach most of them,” he added with a chuckle.

Furthermore, Gomita mentioned that aikido practitioners from around the globe flock to Tanabe, including to his dojo, which also has 20 regular students, all adults, including six women. “Beginners are welcome too, but if they don’t speak Japanese, they might struggle,” Gomita pointed out. “So, we recommend that people book the tour offered by Tanabe Tourism Bureau that includes a private aikido experience with interpretation.”

During the aikido session, Gomita taught me to move with grace, self-awareness and intention – in contrast to how I usually go about life, which is frantically and often without a real purpose. “It also felt meaningful to spend time in Tanabe, rather than just pass through, like many people do when they’re walking the Kumano Kodo [a Unesco-inscribed pilgrimage route that is this region’s main attraction],” said Kanae Watari, who had come from another part of Wakayama to join the session.