Anthropologizing Aikido

The modern Japanese martial aikido has become a world-wide phenomenon. Western practitioners of the ‘way of unity’ partake of a system of intricate body practices and philosophical ideals, the manifestations of which vary greatly according to locale, sytle, teacher and individual perspectives. Within this diversity the common element remains incorporation of a disciplined usage of bodies and how they relate to the world. Aikido practice exemplifies that bodies are good to think with. The role of the body is playing an increasingly important role in anthropological understandings of meaning-making. I examine participation in a dojo (martial arts school) in Auckland, New Zealand and clarify the complexities of conducting anthropological research in a complex participant-observation setting