Value Creation in Aikido from a Service Perspective

Abstract

Aikido is a modern Japanese martial art of self-defense style. Though there are no tournaments, practitioners of all ages and genders around the world train their technique and discipline their body and mind. People train through embodied knowledge; after observing an Aikido master’s demonstration, each practitioner pair up with a training partner and practice mimicking the observed technique. Despite the lack of personalized coaching, there are many enthusiastic, long-term practitioners of Aikido around the world. To clarify their motivations, this study focused on value creation in Aikido from the perspective of a service. We conducted a qualitative analysis by interviewing several advanced practitioners and found that rich emotional value was created both physically and mentally rather than functional value, and the created value has resulted in many enthusiastic practitioners.