He had several near death experiences, and spent most of his life traveling on a “musha shugyo” [warrior training pilgrimage], through out the most wild, lawless, and remote parts of Northern Japan.
Meanwhile his fame as a swordsman and martial arts instructor grew.

In several cases he was in actual sword battles, one with over 150 assailants.

In another famous story, he was sent into a remote town in Hokkaido to clean out the outlaw gangs terrorizing the local authorities (Very similar and may have served as a basis for the famous Kirasawa movie Yoyimbo.)

With the encouragement of Tanomo Saigo, he began teaching the clan art as Daito Ryu aikijujutsu around the turn of the century, primarily to prominent members of Japan’s elite ruling class, including military and police officers, judges and government officials.

Although Sokaku was illiterate, and could barely draw his own name, he scrupulously required his students to write their names in his ledger, so his students’ participation was well recorded.

He was mainly based in Hokkaido, in remote northern Japan, but made occasional trips to Tokyo and western Japan and continued his austerity training as a vagabond martial arts instructor well into his 80’s.

Over thirty thousand students received instruction from Sokaku firsthand. His reputation as a highly accomplished martial artist soon spread throughout the country. Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969) soon became Sokaku Takeda’s most famous student.

The Early Years of Morihei Ueshiba

Now let us turn to discuss the early years of Morihei Ueshiba.
Ueshiba was born the son of a prominent Tanabe, (in present Wakayama Prefecture) “country samurai” farmer and politician.

As a youth, Ueshiba was a weak and sickly child. His father, Yoroku, in an effort to increase his son’s stamina and health, had a dojo built on their property so Ueshiba could train in the martial arts.
At age seven Ueshiba was sent to study classic Chinese texts. Bored by the dry material, the youth instead implored the priest to teach him about the esoteric Shingon Buddhist rites, meditation practices, and secret chants.

Although having an insatiable curiosity about science and mathematics, he took little interest in formal education and instead became fascinated with the two principle areas of study that were to form the most important influences on aikido, Japanese religious mysticism and martial arts.
From an early age he concentrated his efforts on sumo wrestling, and developing him self physically and spiritually.

He went to the Tanabe Middle School at the age of thirteen but left a year later, eventually returning to formal study at a local abacus academy. He excelled at the program, graduated and took a position at the local tax office.

He later resigned from the job over a dispute between the local poor fisherman and wealthy businessmen. Ueshiba came out to defend the underdogs, much to his town councilman father’s consternation.

His father subsequently proposed financing his son in a business of his choice to get him started in the world and Ueshiba decided to move to Tokyo, opening a small stationary store there in 1901.
But Ueshiba’s heart was not in the business, and after a bout of illness, he closed the store and returned to Tanabe.

However, during his stay in Tokyo, he had spent much of his time sharpening his bujutsu skills, studying Tenjin Shin’yo Ryu in 1898 and Yagyu Shinkage Ryu in 1902.