Morihei Ueshiba, or O-Sensei, as he is respectfully known, created Aikido out of his own understanding from years of practice in many martial arts. He brought together several existing forms of jujitsu, most notably Daito-Ryu, Japanese swordsmanship, as well as his own experiential religious and philosophical ideologies. In 1942, O-Sensei began calling his new martial art Aikido.

In 1982, Wolfgang Baumgartner, who had studied in Iwama, Japan
under Saito Sensei, was studying at the Oakland Aikido Institute when
he first met Douglas Dale. Douglas was operating Wolfdale's Restaurant in Tahoe City and encouraged Wolfgang to move to Lake Tahoe to teach Aikido, which he did in 1985, making Lake Tahoe Aikido the original dojo of the Tahoe area. After establishing the Lake Tahoe Aikido and Reno Aikido dojos, Wolfgang Sensei returned to his native Germany to open a dojo in Berlin. Wolfgang now teaches and lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with his wife Tammy and three boys.

Since 1992, Douglas Dale, a fourth degree black belt, has maintained the Lake Tahoe Aikido Dojo. Douglas Dale is a member of the Takemusu Aikido Association. Lake Tahoe Aikido is the host dojo for the annual Gasshuku held every memorial day weekend.