Hello all,
My understanding of how Aikido relates to the samurai is limited I admit, but here's my two cents.
We as Aikidoka are given to learn haragei without the sword. At the highest level of Aikido stands a man (O-sensei himself) who faught a duel with a kenjutsu practitioner and won without ever having touched him. There is the connection I see. We learn to sense other people on a level that was previously unknown to any but the greatest samurai who learned out of necessity. Simplified I admit. Reactions please? I'm just a whippersnapper after all.