Onisaburo Deguchi was the leader and co-founder of the Omoto religion.  He was born in Anao, not far from Kyoto, the Imperial capital in an area that was still ruled by the governor of the area while it was a part of the Tokugawa Shogunate (military government).In the year Onisaburo was born, 1871, the area was transferred to control of the Imperial government and the old feudal samurai system came to an end.

As a young boy Onisaburo lived with his grandmother for some time. From around the age of four until the age of nine she educated him and guided him in religion and poetry. Her father had studied and published a book on Kototama, the study of vocal sounds and the effects on nature. It is not too far fetched to assume that Onisaburo's grandmother taught him about Kototama. (often translated as Kotodama) Perhaps she may have passed on the book to Onisaburo. It is then not too far fetched to assume that Onisaburo later taught Morihei Ueshiba about Kototama and the effects of sounds and usage in religion and life.

The Omoto religion was started in 1892 by an illiterate farm woman, Nao Deguchi, who, while spiritually possessed, wrote volumes of scriptures called "Ofudesaki". Ofudesaki translated means "from the tip of the brush".She healed the sick and made predictions.One of the predictions was that a man would come from the east who would spread the Omoto religion worldwide.Both Nao and Onisaburo were originally farmers and connected with the land.  As a result, the religion of Omoto took on the similarity in ceremony and trappings of Shinto as opposed to Buddhism, which was more the religion of the aristocracy of Japan.

This is a website that tells more about Mr. Deguchi.  The Moon of Onisaburo Deguchi:     http://www2.plala.or.jp/wani-san/rm/index.html

Summary by Tom Huffman

Shinto believes there are many gods and that they live in all things. Oomoto believes the many gods are all part of a single Supreme God of the Universe, so in effect there is just one God. The Christianity that I know believes that one God is everywhere, but I think many who say this don't think deeply about this. The Japanese do.

The Japanese believe spirits live in everything and that you must respect those spirits.   This is why when you do weapons take-aways, you slide the weapon back to your partner, don't throw it.   I witnessed a test by an American in Japan where he threw the boken down after taking it.  The whole crowd watching seem to suck in their breath as one.  This was sacreligious to them.  He did not respect the spirit in the boken. I don't know if he passed or failed. If he failed, it may have been for just that disrespect.

Another incident indicating this thought happened one night during cutting practice at the Battoh dojo.   After I had made a few cuts, the pieces were in the way and I pushed them aside with my foot. Wow! I was verbally assaulted, and the others were around me speaking hashly to me and showing me how to move the pieces aside by hand. I didn't have to know what the words meant that they were saying. The meaning was very clear. Respect the spirits in the pieces even if it would all end up as trash at the end of the night.

Oomoto believes that most religions believe in one ultimate God and that the many cultures of the world can believe in essentially the same thing, but because of isolated development they came to different conclusions on how to worship. Oomoto accepts this and believes all religions can coexist and respect each other's ways of worshiping the same God.

This is my thought about God. I believe God is everywhere, in everything, from the smallest atomic particle to the giant red star that dwarfs our sun and has a diameter about the size of the orbit of Jupiter. The next question is; "How can that be?" I have not read any scientific articles in some years, but the last time I was reading them the atom had been broken down to subatomic particles that could be held together or repelled away by some as yet unknown force. My thought is that this is the "God Element". It's in every atom.  It is in all types of matter. It is not constrained by time or space. It is extremely powerful and seems to defy known physics. Hence it is everywhere, in everything. I think that describes God.

We have God within us. There are unknown, misunderstood forces within us that could be harnessed by us if we believe extremely deeply. It takes a lot of practice to harness these unbelievable powers. And when you can harness these powers, nobody will believe you! Yet you will be able to amaze people by doing things that they cannot believe.
Does that describe O'Sensei?    In my opinion, Yes!!!

This is the Oomoto religion website in English: http://www.oomoto.or.jp/English/enKyos/seisi-en.html

Beliefs of the Oomoto religion:

In order to "reconstruct" the world, we need to return to our divine spiritual origins, hence the name of Oomoto, meaning "The Great Origin". In Japan, returning to the origin means a return to the roots of Shinto, the ancient animistic faith which preceded Buddhism and is the indigenous faith of Japan. Thus Oomoto takes its ritual and fundamental doctrine from Shinto and is known officially as a form of "Sectarian Shinto".

Roots of the Oomoto religion:

From Shinto, with its passion for poetry and court ritual, came the love for and dedication to traditional arts which has come to typify Oomoto. At the same time, Onisaburo went beyond Shinto and brought teachings from Buddhism, Christianity, and other religions into Oomoto.

More seriously, Shinto as taught at Oomoto was a "return to the origins", going back in time to the pure spirituality of ancient ages, before the rise of political insitutions such as the Imperial House. Shinto for Onisaburo transcended the Imperial system, and even Japan itself. Onisaburo saw Shinto as part of a universal religious revival destined to bring in the new age predicted by Nao.

Aizenkai:

Founded by Onisaburo in 1925, the Aizenkai (Universal Love and Brotherhood Association) serves as Oomoto's secular arm, with nearly twenty branches throughout Asia, as well as in Brazil, Africa, and Micronesia. With the exception of Brazil, member-ship outside of Japan is wholly made up of local non-Oomoto followers. While the Aizenkai participates in interfaith activities, its main focus is on humanitarian work, ranging from the building of free health clinics in India and Nepal, to organic farming programs in Sri Lanka.

The Aizen website: http://www.aizenen.info/en/

These questions and explanations below are from the Oomoto website.
http://www.oomoto.or.jp/English/enKyos/seisi-en.html

What is Oomoto?

Oomoto is a Sectarian Shinto sect and one of Japan’s “New Religions.” (Sometimes it is spelled Omoto and also referred to as Omotokyo.)

What are Japan’s New Religions?

Since the middle of the nineteenth century, hundreds of religious sects, many based on Shinto and some on Buddhism, were founded. Several dozen still exist, a few of them large and thriving. Although Oomoto is not the largest, it is often cited as one of the more influential New Religions for many reasons: it gave birth to several other sects, which spun off from it amicably in most cases; it was an early proponent of interfaith cooperation, which today is widely practiced by Japanese religions; and it had a highly public and sometimes tragic history in its first fifty years.

What is Shinto?

Shinto is the original folk religion of Japan.

Sometime after Buddhism arrived from China and Korea around 600 AD, the name “Shinto” was coined to describe the indigenous beliefs practiced since before recorded history. Shinto means “the way of the gods,” to distinguish it from “the way of Buddha.”

How is Oomoto different from Shinto?

Shinto is polytheistic, believing there are many gods – or kami. Oomoto teaches that many kami do exist, but they all come from the same Supreme God of the Universe, so in effect there is just one God. When Oomoto followers pray to a particular kami by name they understand this is just one manifestation of the single God. Even the name “Oomoto” emphasizes this point. It translates as “Great Source” or “Great Origin.”

Is this different from Biblical monotheism?

Oomoto is monotheistic but not exactly like Judaism, Christianity or Islam. Religion scholars often describe the Biblical religions as “exclusive monotheism,” meaning the religions believe there is only one God and all others are false. Scholars describe other religions, like Oomoto, as “inclusive monotheism,” meaning the religions believe many gods may exist but all are essentially the same and come from one source; therefore it doesn’t matter under which name or ritual God is worshipped. Oomoto teaches that all gods, religions, prophets and messengers throughout time came from the same source – the Supreme God of the Universe. This teaching is one reason Oomoto is active in interfaith efforts and partly explains why it does not have a strong missionary goal to win converts.

What is Oomoto’s basic doctrine?

What is the essence of Oomoto beliefs?

God, with the help of humans, is working to purify and reconstruct the world. When this task is accomplished, God, humans, and all of nature will exist peacefully on earth and in the spiritual world.

What are the principles?

They are: 1) Purity through purification of mind and body. 2) Optimism, specifically believing in the goodness of the Divine Will. 3) Progressivism as a way to social improvement. 4) Unification or reconciliation of all dichotomies (good and evil; rich and poor; humans and nature; humans and God, etc.) The four can be thought of as a code for right living. By practicing them, humans can live in harmony with the universe and lead a heavenly life in spirit and flesh.

What are some of the things Oomoto followers do to live by this code?

They try their best to live a spiritual life on a daily basis. This means taking the broadest view in any situation and trying to understand its essence; turning the heart toward the Divine Light, or Wisdom; trying to understand the will of God; exerting their utmost in all things and all moments; ultimately trusting their lives to God. More concretely, Oomoto followers pray twice a day and conduct a monthly service in their home shrines; usually attend a monthly service at their local branches; read a bit of scripture each day; and try to participate as much as possible in Oomoto’s many activities—pilgrimages, arts, and special rituals.

A culturally neutral international language created by Dr. L.L. Zamenhof (1859-1917), a Polish Jew and ophthalmologist. When Onisaburo first heard about Esperanto, he declared it to be the language of heaven. Oomoto adopted Esperanto as its universal language in 1923. Many followers study it, and Oomoto promotes Esperanto through conferences, publications, and workshops. A portion of the web site is in Esperanto.

Why is there an emphasis on a universal language?

In the reconstructed world there will be no political or religious strife or competition, all will work for the same goals of peace, harmony and prosperity for the planet and all its inhabitants. A neutral universal language in addition to each person’s native tongue is essential to achieving this goal.

You alluded to interfaith work. What is that?

Oomoto promoted interfaith activities long before most religions acknowledged the importance of interfaith dialogue and prayer. Onisaburo interpreted the Ofudesaki as instructing Oomoto to do this. He called this Bankyo Dokon – which loosely translates as “all religions spring from the same root.” In the past fifty years, many religions have adopted interfaith policies. Interfaith activity has always been a part of Oomoto’s doctrine and one of its missions from the beginning. Onisaburo organized what is believed to have been the first interfaith meeting of Asian religions -- in Beijing in 1923. Today, Oomoto has interfaith relations with many religions in Japan and abroad.

Aikido of Gainesville

The location for practices is in the Unified Training Center : 809 W. University Ave., Gainesville, FL. 32601. The building is at the corner of SW 8th Street and W. University Ave.

To Contact Sensei Huffman:

New Practice Times (1.5hr. classes)

Sundays..............................Weapons.......................................................2:00-3:30pm
Sundays .............................Empty Hand...................................................4:00-5:30pm
Sundays .............................Advanced Empty Hand...................................6:00-7:30pm
 ................. (Must pass 3rd proficiency test to participate in advanced class)
Mondays & Fridays............ Aikido After Noon.........................................1:00-2:30pm
Mondays............................Empty Hand....................................................7:30-9:00pm
Tuesdays & Thursdays....... Aikido for Kids................................................4:00-5:30pm
Wednesdays .....................Empty Hand......................................................7:30-9:00pm Thursdays.........................Open(Weapons Take-aways, test practice, etc.)..7:30-9:00pm
Mondays & Wednesdays ...Iaido (Japanese Sword $10 per class)................6:15-7:15pm 

When I started in Aikido the quality of what I found in Florida did not compare with what I practiced in California. I made a decision to get stationed in Japan while in the Navy and learn as much as possible from top masters and bring top quality Aikido back to Florida. In Japan, I studied with the #2 (Morihiro Saito Sensei) and #3 (Shoji Nishio Sensei) masters (at that time) in the Aikikai Aikido System.  I focused my studies on the two styles which I felt were the most effective.