was a small

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

located in Nishiibaraki District,

Ibaraki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,828,086 (1 July 2023) and has a geographic area of . Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. On March 19, 2006, Iwama, along with the town of Tomobe (also from Nishiibaraki District), was merged into the expanded city of Kasama.

Geography

The former town of Iwama is located about 100 km northeast of

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

and near the city of Mito. Iwama is at the base of Mt. Atago (愛宕山 Atago-San). Mt. Atago is part of a larger Prefectural Park that extends up towards Kasama. On top of Mt. Atago is a kids' play area with a giant slide (about 150m in length) as well as the Atago shrine (愛宕神社 "Atago Jinja").

Demographics

As of 2003, the town had an estimated

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

of 16,588 and a

density Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the ratio of a substance's mass to its volume. The symbol most often used for density is ''ρ'' (the lower case Greek letter rho), although the Latin letter ''D'' (or ''d'') can also be u ...

of 332.23 persons per km². The total area was 49.93 km².

Notable residents

Iwama is known for having been the residence of

Morihei Ueshiba was a Japanese martial artist and founder of the Japanese martial art, martial art of aikido. He is often referred to as "the founder" or , "Great Teacher". The son of a landowner from Tanabe, Wakayama, Tanabe, Ueshiba studied a number of ...

, founder of

Aikido Aikido ( , , , ) is a gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art which is split into many different styles including Iwama Ryu, Iwama Shin Shin Aiki Shuren Kai, Shodokan Aikido, Yoshinkan, Renshinkai, Aikikai, and Ki Aikido. Aikido is now practic ...

, from 1942 until his death. It was during this period that the term "Aikido" came into use. The world's only shrine to Aikido was built here by the founder along with a small

dojo A 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 Tao, Way" in Japanese language, Japanese. History The word ''d� ...

. Practitioners from around the world come to Iwama to train as uchideshi (内弟子) or “live-in students”. There are two famous Aikido dojos in the town including the original Iwama dojo (now called the Aikikai Foundation Ibaraki Branch Dojo) and the Shin-Shin Aiki-Juku. The latter is operated by Hitohiro Saito (the son of one of Ueshiba's most famous disciples Morihiro Saito) who formed his own organisation (the Aiki Shuren-Kai) in 2003. Ueshiba’s

continues to operate within the Aikikai under his original students, including Chief Instructor Hiroshi Isoyama, Shigemi Inagaki and others. The Aiki Jinja, or

Shrine A shrine ( "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred space">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...: ''escri ...

, is situated opposite the Iwama Dojo and near the Aiki Shuren-Kai Shin-Shin Aiki-juku.

Festivals

The town's official

matsuri Japanese festivals, or , are traditional festive occasions often celebrated with dance and music in Japan. The origin of the word ''matsuri'' is related to the ; there are theories that the word ''matsuri'' is derived from meaning "to wait (for ...

is held in the last week of September, but throughout the year it also observes the usual Japanese holidays. The Aiki Jinja Rei Taisai (Aiki-Shrine Grand Festival) is held every April on the 29th (Showa holiday) and features a "hono embu" (demonstration offering) by the Aikido Doshu. More than a thousand people usually come for the celebration which also features a

Shinto , also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as ...

ceremony carried out by Ōmoto-kyō priests.

References

Ibaraki branch
Aikikai Foundation (official website).

External links

Official website
in Japanese
Blog of American Aikido student living in Iwama 2004-2006
* Homepage of the Aikikai Foundation Ibaraki Branch Doj

Ueshiba Moriteru)

(Hitohiro Saito) {{Authority control Dissolved municipalities of Ibaraki Prefecture Kasama, Ibaraki