Rusudesu Tatso Aikido was created in 2011 by Shihan Rosario C. Margaglio and is based on Aikido and Karate techniques with other styles & concepts added. In 1999 I started developing my own style of martial arts. I would sit in the library for hours reading books on the different systems that I have trained in and wrote down the techniques that I thought were the easiest to learn. In all the years that I have studied the martial arts the instructors I studied under have started their classes in a traditional manor. I knew that I wanted to maintain tradition when teaching my classes as my Instructors did and as the Masters still do in Japan. It was only recently that the style that I created was given a name. The name of this new style of martial arts is Rusudesu Tatso Aikido which in English means Russ’ Dragon Way of Harmony.    

Aikido in Japan was begun when Morihei Ueshiba, called O'Sensei ("great teacher"), the founder of modern Aikido, was born on December 14, 1883 in the Wakayama Prefecture of Japan. Several incidents in his life served to shape his vision and beliefs, and influenced his design of a martial art that is, in many ways, unlike any other practiced today.

He studied under masters in several traditional forms of the martial arts. He became an expert in the styles of jujitsu (unarmed combat), kenjitsu (sword fighting), and sojitsu (spear fighting). O'Sensei would later incorporate elements of these styles into modern Aikido. Despite his physical prowess, he found himself dispirited. He turned to studying various religions and philosophies in the hope of finding a deeper meaning and significance to life. In his search, he discovered and became a devotee of the religion called Omotokyo - a blend of neo-shintoism and socio-political idealism - where the unification of all humanity is one goal. He reached the conclusion that it was important to train people’s minds and spirits as well as their bodies.  O’Sensei credited an incident with a naval officer as the beginning of his enlightenment. The officer, who was a fencing instructor, challenged him to a match. During the match, an unarmed O’Sensei repeatedly evaded the officer’s strikes with a wooden sword, eventually defeating him when the officer dropped from exhaustion. In his retelling of the incident, O'Sensei stated he was aware that could "see" the officer’s moves before he made them. He also realized that he had defeated an armed attacker without ever harming or even laying a hand on him.  

Originally called aikibudo by its founder, this art that expressed O'Sensei's philosophy of harmony, protection and love, had a large number of followers by the early 1920's. In 1927 O'Sensei built a dojo in Tokyo. A few years later he founded the Budo Enhancement Society and became its chief instructor.  In the early 1940’s his creation was being called Aikido, but it was still only practiced by carefully chosen individuals in Japan. After WWII, Aikido was introduced to the world, and gradually spread, reaching the United States in the late 1950’s.  O’Sensei was a man of peace who followed his spiritual and philosophical vision. He taught that the martial arts should be used as a means to live in harmony with oneself, the earth, and its inhabitants. Throughout his life he continued to refine his system to the less violent and gently flowing techniques practiced today. O’Sensei died at the age of 86 on April 26, 1969.  Kissomaru Ueshiba, O’Sensei’s son, took over the task of spreading the vision of Aikido - The Art of Peace - after his father’s death. His grandson, Moriteru Ueshiba continues this tradition today.

      *History of Karate* Funakoshi must be considered the father of Japanese karate-do, as it is he who was responsible for making many important innovations to akrate-jutsu and who brought this Okinawan art to the Japanese, and later, the western world. In 1933, Funakoshi changed the concept of ‘kara’, which was originally written with the Chinese character meaning ‘China hand’, buy substituting another character for ‘kara’ signifying ‘void’ or ‘empty. Therefore, the new karate-jutsu developed by Funakoshi meant ‘empty’.

     Two years later, Funakoshi discarded the word ‘jutsu’ in favor of the word ‘do’ (‘the way of’). Thus karate-do (along the lines of ju-do and aiki-do) was born in Japan. The literal meaning is ‘empty hand way’, emphasizing the lack of conventional weapons in this fighting art.