Aikido of Cincinnati was founded in 1972 and is now located in the Kennedy Heights neighborhood of Cincinnati. Prior to this location, the dojo was located on Redbank Rd and River Rd.

In 2017, AOC purchased the middle section of a vacant Kroger building that was housed by the Kennedy Heights Arts Center to the east and a Montessori School to the west. Design and construction began in 2017.

 Aikido: the Way of Harmony

Aikido, the ‘Way of Harmony with the life force’ is a modern form of budō and has its origins in the ‘Way of Sword’.  Aikido is an intuitive study of human life.  The purpose of training in aikido is the development of spiritual power to bring forth our true nature.

Aikido is a Japanese martial art with its spiritual origins in Shinto.  Shinto is an indigenous religion in Japan and is the foundation and the heart of bu, the underlying code for the samurai way of life.   Aikido is based on ancient jujutsu techniques that are effective in hand to hand combat. 

I have been training in Aikido and have been a member since 1999. Currently, I am a 3rd degree black belt with prior black belts in Jujutsu; 2nd degree and Judo; 1st degree. AOC went on a search to buy a space instead of renting. I visited the space in Kennedy Heights… does our current mat fit in this space? It did, perfectly. And the sky is so big here. This must be the place that we are calling home. Collectively, we designed and constructed the new dojo and opened the doors in 2018.

MA was used extensively in this design. We enhanced the warehouse/ industrial aesthetics of metal and concrete with touches of warm wood without making it Japanese-y.

MA is a space-time that stands as a middle gap or pause between two objects in space or two events in time.  Occupying this intermediate space and time it acts as intermediary.  It simultaneously separates and joins two things.  It divides and yet provides continuation.  This is conveyed in aesthetic kire-tsuzuki; cut-continuance.  This term is applied to describe an element that simultaneously interrupts events in space or time, but also acts as a bridge to continuing events.  An example, frequently cited in the Japanese literature, is the kire-ji; the cut-syllable in haiku which creates a pause but also leads into what follows.

Aikido of Cincinnati is a thriving member of the arts community in the diverse and growing community of Kennedy Heights, Cincinnati; Ohio.

Charles Ellis RA