[viae]

O'Sensei's thought and style evolved throughout his life. In his younger days, pre-WWII, yes, he was rough and tumble. Movements were sharper and more direct. Break bones, crush your enemy. He did this frequently while in the Japanese military while serving in China as a bodyguard.

As he grew older, post-WWII, his philosophy and style became much softer and more spiritual than the styles he studied in his younger days. This was due, in part, to his age (changing perspective and physical decline) and the influence of the Omoto-kyo. In these later days, the purpose of training with weapons were twofold: help students learn body dynamics and learn to defend oneself against an armed attacker. The purpose wasn't to be armed and gut your enemies, the purpose was to understand the mindset of an armed aggressor, know their movements, and meet their movements without being gutted yourself.

[neilk]

Softer in the sense of not attacking directly as much, but still dangerous.

I've heard (second-hand) a story about a high-level practitioner who got to spar with O-Sensei and at times he felt like he might not survive.