Words and Deeds
Whether or not there is an application of techniques appearing simular, or being directly taken in context, Ueshiba Morehei was shown most of what he acquired and restructured into Aikido.
Just as he was dedicated to forming it into a Japanese Budo, much of what we take as words from other cultures/languages and integrate them into our own, their final applications may show the same results, but the way they are applied changes slightly.
How many different ways are there to walk?
How many different roads/paths can lead to the same place?
Hence from examining history, the origin no longer matters as results are the primary goal, even if achieved along simular paths?
So,as much as all human beings have simular physiologys, so too can simular aspects be seen in martial arts because of its dependance upon the human structure and its strengths or weaknesses.
But ... so too does the development and application end with the teaching of it withing the structure of its society and cultural aspects.
So, as much as Aikdo was developed from other arts, traces its history to other arts, its new application changes the design of use to non-combative use with general population friendly teaching methods that allow for participation at any level of practice.
In a comparison to electronics of the the 1920s to electronics of the 1990s, we might trace history but its changes and developement preclude making comparisons. The same comparison applies to Aikido.
Yeah, Aikido is simular, and Yeah, it can be traced or compared to many chinese disciplines, but NO, the application and teaching methods do make it a different art within its own rights.
Connection from simularity and history do not make two different arts the same.
There are only so many ways to activate the points of the body to make them respond. Traveling the same path of angle and direction will cause the viewer to see simularity, but watch the highway some time and tell me how many different types of vehicles you see traveling that highway?
Don't get all head up about Aikido being simular to Chinese arts, there are only so many ways to travel on the same road.
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