Association Culturelle Nationale d'AIKIDO (ACNA) was founded in 1981 under the direction of Michel BÉCART. It is a member of the French Federation of Aikido and Budo (FFAB) of which TAMURA Nobuyoshi Sensei is the technical head.
Its mission is to further the development of the technical values and the moral philosophy of Aikido by offering interested persons daily opportunity to practice seriously and profoundly these aspects of the art.
Aikido has its origins in the martial arts practiced by the SAMOURAI of ancient Japan. Many movements of Aikido have evolved from JUJITSU, and from the sword and the lance which the founder of Aikido, Morihei UESHIBA (1883-1969) studied.
O Sensei, or great teacher, as Morihei UESHIBA is known, added a new element to the more physical traditions of the martial arts by concentrating on dissuading the adversary and neutralizing his aggressive intention rather than on fighting it.
This principle of "non-violence", the mental base of aikido, consists of creating a "vide" in the practicant so that he or she can better understand and get closer to all around him/herself, whether it be calm or violent, peaceful or destructive, in a way that puts him/her (body and spirit) in harmony with the universe.
Definition : AI = Harmony, KI = Sprit, DO = Way
Perhaps the symbol which best expresses the idea of Aikido is the sphere--no beginning and no end. Aikido is an art one should be able to practice all one's life. O Sensei was still practicing until shortly before his death at 85.
Someone who practices Aikido desires to defend himself without hurting anyone. There are no attacks (except for practicing the techniques) in Aikido. By its principles of harmony and blending together, there can be no competition.
The development of Aikido in France
It was only after World War II that the teaching of Aikido spread beyond the shores of Japan. Before that, the study of Aikido was limited pretty much to the Japanese elite, and even among them, only to those accepted as students by O Sensei.
After the war, in recognition of the fact that the world needed lessons of harmony and peaceful co-existence which could by shown through the example of Aikido, O Sensei sent some of his advanced students to spread his teaching to many countries in America and Europe.
France was very honored by O Sensei and received the following Aikido Masters :
1953 MOCHIZUKI
1955 TADASHI ABE
1959 NAKAZANO
1963 MASAMICHI NORO
1965 NOBUYOSHI TAMURA
