Mitsugi Saotome trained with the Founder of Aikido for 15 years. He is one of the great Aikido practitioners. But there is another side to this complex man and that is his artistic and creative aspect. Saotome Sensei creates art, builds furniture, designs and hand sews his own clothes. He is easily one of the most creative and talented people I have met and this book shows this well.

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Product Description

One of America's foremost martial artists, Mitsugi Saotome, shares his work and thoughts on the arts, including sculpture, textile art, calligraphy, gardening, and cooking. An over-sized, full-color book, Aikido Living by Design combines photos of Saotome's own artwork with his philosophical reflections on values in art and life. Included, among other media in this beautifully-photographed compendium, are many photos of Saotome's

* hand-sewn, wearable art clothing combining traditional Japanese kasuri fabric with denim and leather

* works combining wood with stone and other materials,

* works of Shodo, Japanese calligraphy

Throughout, he offers his views on how Aikido's philosophy, which he learned as a disciple of the art's founder, applies to the basic questions of life.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1504337 in Books
• Published on: 2004-04
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 109 pages

Ronald Rubin, Prof of History of Ideas at Pitzer College, the Claremont Colleges
Unbelievable!

About the Author
Mitsugi Saotome was born in Japan and, as a young man, trained with the founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba O-sensei, until the founder's death in 1969. He then came to the US to spread the art of Aikido, founding an international Aikido organization, Aikido Schools of Ueshiba, headquartered in Washington DC.