A couple of weeks ago I have had the honour of participating in the 50th All Japan Aikido Demonstration. As far as I know, this is the largest and most significant Aikido event, held once a year. Dojos from all over Japan and overseas come to share their devotion and talent in the friendly atmosphere that Aikido, a martial art with no competition, proposes.
Aikido is written in Japanese "合気道", literally "unify/energy/(the)way". It could be translated many different ways, but I would say it is something like the Art of becoming one with oneself and one's surroundings. Unlike other martial arts, Aikido does not teach how to challenge and overcome an incoming force by meeting it head-to-head with one's own, but rather how to accept the attack, redirect it, and make it fade away to successfully gain control of your environment.
Here is a video of Aikido's top man, Moriteru Ueshiba, the grandchild of Aikido's founder Morihei Ueshiba. His demonstration was the last one of the event.
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