Product Description

Morihei Ueshiba is rightly known as one of the world's greatest martial artists for his creation of aikido, the synthesis of his superb technique and his profound spiritual insight into the nature of the universe. Aikido is much more than just another fighting style, it is a holistic approach
to life that Morihei described as "a divine path inspired by the gods that leads to truth, goodness, and beauty." Sadly, Morihei left few writings to explain his martial arts philosophy, preferring to teach his disciples by direct example.

Aikido students will be familiar with photographs and film footage of Morihei as an old man, effortlessly defeating his much younger opponents, but very little has been published about Morihei's prewar years, when he was perfecting aiki-budo, as aikido was then known. In 1938 Morihei wrote Budo
(Martial Way) as an instruction manual and a statement of the aims and spirit of his martial arts philosophy. Budo, however, was never made available to the general public, and it even contains the injunction that "these techniques ... should not be disclosed indiscriminately to the public."

Now with the worldwide popularity of aikido rivaling that of judo and karate-do, the Aikikai Foundation and the Ueshiba family have decided that it is time for this historic treatise of the martial arts to be translated into English, and made available to general readers and students of aikido all
over the world. Reproduced faithfully from the original, this seminal work contains one of the founder's few personal statements of his basic principles, expressed both in prose and mystical poetry. The text is accompanied by photographs of Morihei illustrating the aikido techniques he describes.

This martial arts classic is preceded by an introductory biographical essay on Morihei by his son Kisshomaru Ueshiba, the present chairman of the Aikikai Foundation. This enlightening work recounts the founder's early life, his inspirational 'encounter with the religious mystic Onisaburo Deguchi,
and the spiritual revelations that led him to develop the art of aikido.

The volume concludes with a series of action photographs of the founder demonstrating aikido techniques, taken at a private dojo in Tokyo in 1936. This section also includes selected photographs of Morihei in action in 1951. The more than 400 historic photographs shown here provide an unequalled
opportunity to observe the lifelong devotion to aikido and the continuity of performance that characterized Morihei's approach to his art.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #244030 in Books
• Published on: 1996-07-15
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 132 pages

Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Japanese

About the Author

MORIHEI UESHIBA was born in Western Japan in 1883. After mastering classical styles of judo, kendo, and jujutsu, he created aikido, an entirely original martial art, based on the spiritual teachings of the Omoto-kyo religion. After the Second World War, Morihei established the Aikikai Foundation in
Tokyo to promote the dissemination of aikido throughout the world. Morihei died in 1969.

KISSHOMARU UESHIBA is chairman of the Aikikai Foundation, the largest aikido organization in the world. He has written several books on aikido in Japanese and English, including the classic Spirit of Aikido.

The translator, JOHN STEVENS, is a professor of Buddhist studies and aikido instructor at the Tohoku Fukushi University in Sendai, Japan. He is a prolific writer on aikido and Buddhism, and has written a biography of Morihei Ueshiba entitled Abundant Peace.

Customer Reviews

Budo
It's got some interesting takes on Aikido, and some really good photos of O Sensei, but I felt that it wasn't put together cogently, or at least enough to keep my attention. If you like Aikido, I would recommend getting 'the art of peace' before I would recommend this work.

Budo
Books to do with Morihei Ueshiba are a must for the Aikido student, this book is loaded with great text and photos. Also recommend "The Art of Peace".

Budo: Teachings of the Founder of Aikido
This is a fascinating book about the life of O'Sensei, arguably the best martial artist of his time, and the founder of the Art of Peace--Aikido. I believe every serious aikido student should read this book. The photographs and stories help to humanize the reality of this man. Far from diminishing his legend, the book reveals just how impressive in reality this man was both physically and spiritually, especially in light of the personal tragedies and hardships he faced and overcame.