When he was three years old, he began studying Konshin-ryu Juhojutsu (Jujutsu) at Kiyotada Kahei Matsubara's academy in Akō, Hyōgo.

When he was nine years old, he started the study of the karate katas Channan and Kūshankū from Sugaya Ueshima, an Akō police officer who was originally from Okinawa.

In 1932, Ueshima founded the Kushin-ryu karate-do style, developed from Konshin-ryu and Gōjū-ryū karate.

[citation needed] In 1933, the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai conferred the title of professor (kyoshi) of judo to Ueshima.

In 1946, after the end of World War II, the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai was dissolved.