Chinkon Kishin

"A practice intended to aid one in joining with the universal spirit and to help one understand the devine mission that is one's life goal to fulfill."

Chinkon is defined as... to settle down and calm the spirit ; Kishin is defined as... returning to the divine or kami, which refers to achieving a profound contemplative state where one is grounded to the divine universe.  Chinkon and kishin are generally practiced together where the first part, chinkon, involves revitalization of the senses and the gathering of spirit, while the second part, kishin, involves an alert meditative state.  It's been said that chinkon and kishin together form a method of achieving unity with the divine, although each has it's own function.  Chinkon is said, by some, to gather the spirits or souls wandering the ether into ones tanden (abdominal center) while kishin activates those spirits.
Chinkon-kishin has ancient roots that are referenced in the old Shinto texts such as the Kojiki.  The shamanistic practice of mystical breathing and meditation of uniting the divine and human spirits was often used in old times in the preparation of waterfall misogi, an ascetic practice of standing under a freezing waterfall for long periods of meditation with the objective of cleansing the mind, body, and spirit.  O-Sensei often practiced this kind of misogi (spiritual cleansing), but to O-Sensei, aikido was his daily misogi practice.  For this reason the founder would prepare for the misogi of his aikido training by performing chinkon-kishin techniques in his warm-ups..
The ancient tradition of chinkon-kishin , historically, had largely fallen out of practice in the Shinto tradition until Onisaburo Deguchi revived the practice, within the Omoto-kyo Shinto religious sect, in the early 1900's.  When O-Sensei met Deguchi and embraced the Omoto religion he also embraced the practice of chinkon-kishin as taught and practiced by the shaman priest.  O-Sensei had embraced the rich traditional Shinto culture and mythology since his childhood.  Omoto-kyo, as a new form of an ancient religion and its charismatic leader, Onisaburo, had a profound impact on O-Sensei's spiritual path.  The founder and another Omoto believer are show here practicing kishin meditation with their hands folded into esoteric mudra or kuji-in; meditative hand postures.
According to Yasuaki Deguchi, grandson of the Omoto leader Onisaburo Deguchi, Onisaburo received his knowledge of chinkon-kishin from a revelation he had while engaging in ascetic practices on Mt. Takakuma.  He also referred to a method of kishin mentioned in the section of the Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters) regarding Emporor Chuai, and in the Nihon Shoki (Chronicle of Japan) in the record of Empress Jinko .  Chinkon-kishin was practiced for many years in Omoto-kyo which attracted large numbers of new followers who had heard of the reported benefits of chinkon-kishin to cultivate and channel power.  However, in later years the practice of chinkon-kishin was abandoned by the Omoto-kyo because of the profound and often surprising effects it had on its practitioners.  The practice was never abandoned by O-Sensei and is found blended into aikido warm-ups in dojo everywhere today.
There are several forms of chinkon-kishin that O-Sensei integrated into the warm-ups of aikido training.  These exercises, although generally not well understood (even by many of O-Sensei's uchideshi) are still practiced in many aikido dojo around the world.  They are practiced for their obvious physical benefits as well as for their historical significance.  But generally the exercises are practiced because they are considered integral and inseparable from aikido.  The founder's students who retained the practice often differed significantly in the details as well as the level of importance they placed on this practice, and many professed not to understand it.  One student of O-Sensei said... "We practice it because it is very important... Sensei said that we would discover the meaning of these techniques for ourselves."