A dōjō (道場; Japanese pronunciation: [doꜜː(d)ʑoː]) is a hall or place for immersive learning, experiential learning, or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts. The term literally means "place of the Way" in Japanese.
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⭐ Core Definition: Dojo
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👉 Dojo in the context of Morihei Ueshiba
Morihei Ueshiba (植芝 盛平, Ueshiba Morihei; December 14, 1883 – April 26, 1969) was a Japanese martial artist and founder of the martial art of aikido. He is often referred to as "the founder" Kaiso (開祖) or Ōsensei (大先生/翁先生), "Great Teacher".
The son of a landowner from Tanabe, Ueshiba studied a number of martial arts in his youth, and served in the Japanese Army during the Russo-Japanese War. After being discharged in 1907, he moved to Hokkaido as the head of a pioneer settlement; here he met and studied with Takeda Sōkaku, the headmaster of Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu. On leaving Hokkaido in 1919, Ueshiba joined the Ōmoto-kyō movement, a Shinto sect, in Ayabe, where he served as a martial arts instructor and opened his first dojo. He accompanied the head of the Ōmoto-kyō group, Onisaburo Deguchi, on an expedition to Mongolia in 1924, where they were captured by Chinese troops and returned to Japan. The following year, he had a profound spiritual experience, stating that, "a golden spirit sprang up from the ground, veiled my body, and changed my body into a golden one." After this experience, his martial arts technique became gentler, with a greater emphasis on the control of ki.
In this Dossier
Dojo in the context of Shodokan Aikido
Shodokan Aikido (昭道館合気道, Shōdōkan Aikidō) is the style of Aikido founded by Kenji Tomiki. Shodokan Aikido is sometimes referred to as 合気道競技 (Aikido Kyogi) meaning "Competitive Aikido" or "Sport Aikido" because of its use of regular competitions.
The style itself could arguably have been founded with the formation of the Waseda University Aikido Club in 1958, although Tomiki didn't actually name his style Shodokan until 1976. It was in 1967 when Kenji Tomiki established the Shodokan hombu dojo in Osaka, Japan, to teach, train and promote his style. In 1974, Kenji Tomiki founded the Japan Aikido Association (NPO Japan Aikido Association). Since it was certified as a specified non-profit organization (NPO corporation) by the Cabinet Office in 2005, the official name was changed to "Specified Non-Profit Organization Japan Aikido Association". As of 2018, Masako Tomiki is the current chairman of JAA.
Dojo in the context of Renshinkai
Tsutomu Chida (千田 務, Chida Tsutomu; born 4 October 1950 in Tokyo) was previously one of the highest ranking shihan of Yoshinkan aikido, at 8th dan, and dojocho of its hombu dojo from 2002. He first became a part of Yoshinkan in 1969 but split from the organization in January 2008 following the resignation of kanchou Kyoichi Inoue. Chida was an uchideshi of Yoshinkan founder Gozo Shioda for 23 years—the longest term among Shioda's uchideshi-- and directed the senshusei course. He is "a living legend of Yoshinkan aikido" and current "highest shihan" (最高師範) of his Yoshinkan offshoot school, Aikido Renshinkai (合気道錬身会).
Dojo in the context of Tatami
Tatami (畳) are soft mats used as flooring material in traditional Japanese-style rooms. They are made in standard sizes, twice as long as wide, about 0.9 by 1.8 metres (3 by 6 ft), depending on the region. In martial arts, tatami are used for training in a dojo and for competition.
Tatami are covered with a weft-faced weave of soft rush (藺草, igusa) on a warp of hemp or weaker cotton. There are four warps per weft shed, two at each end (or sometimes two per shed, one at each end, to reduce cost). The doko (core) is traditionally made from sewn-together rice straw, but contemporary tatami sometimes have compressed wood chip boards or extruded polystyrene foam in their cores instead or as well. The long sides are usually edged (縁, heri) with brocade or plain cloth, although some tatami have no edging.