正勝吾勝 masakatsu agatsu True Victory is Victory Over Oneself

正勝吾勝 sets two victories side by side and makes them one: the right kind of victory is the one you win over yourself. In aikido, to win is to defeat the contending mind in your own heart, and an art that contends with nothing is never defeated. What you win over is yours to name.

The English title is John Stevens's, from his The Secrets of Aikido of 1995.

The phrase is composed of the kanji 正 (read masa) meaning "correct; true", 勝 (read katsu) meaning "victory", 吾 (read a) meaning "self" and 勝 (read gatsu) meaning "victory".

The first four characters of the name of the eldest of the five sons born in the oath-contest between Amaterasu and Susanoo in the 古事記 of 712, where they preserve Susanoo's cry that he has won; Ueshiba Morihei 植芝盛平, the founder of aikido, made them the motto of his art and read into them that true victory is victory over oneself.

We want you to be as happy with the meaning as you are with Master Takase's art. To learn more, visit Philology of 正勝吾勝.

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