Product Description

Morihei Ueshiba wrote this treatise on the martial arts for his advanced students in 1938, outlining the spirit and aims of aikido. The book includes rare photographs.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #129532 in Books
• Published on: 1996-05
• Original language: Japanese
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 131 pages

From the Publisher
The first book all practitioners of the martial arts should have in their collection no matter what style is practised. An invaluable guide to the spiritual depths of the traditional martial arts. This book is the best selling title amongst all Kodansha International's martial arts titles.

Customer Reviews

hard to rate
Aikido has moved on from the day when this was written. Even when you see Ueshiba move in his 50's you can see he has developed far more fluidity than this text book of his suggests. It is a useful reference to understand how aikido developed from aikijitsu, which I feel this book is closer to. It covers a moderate amount of techniques with phrases like 'and then down your opponent' and 'srike him in the face'. The photos of Ueshiba later in the book are excellent, though it is always a joy to see him in real action.

Don't buy this book if you are a beginner looking to improve technique; not because it is complicated but because it is too brief to be of much help and is unlikely to help directly with your training. However do buy this if you are interested in what Ueshiba was likely taught and for historical interest (the brief historical chapter is concise but extremely well written).

Aikido's Founder in his own words and pictures!
Another important book for anyone interested in understanding O-Sensei's Aikido. Often we find people who express deeply held opinions on what the Founder said or believed based entirely on second and third hand information. This book contains the words of O-Sensei himself along with copious pictures of the founder doing technique. Dating from the 1930's these words and pictures come from a time in which O-Sensei's Enlightenment experience had reshaped his vision of Budo. At the same time at the age of around fifty years old he was still at the peak of his physical powers so the Aikido of this time illustrates the balance between the martial and the spiritual elements of Aikido more than at any other time in its history.

Interesting
The founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba preferred teaching his students directly and left few writings regarding his martial arts philosophy. Budo is an interesting book which in the introduction describes the life of Morihei Ueshiba-written by his son-that led him to develop the art of aikido. The rest of the book is the reproduction of Budo, written in 1938 by Morihei Ueshiba,which contains an istruction manual and personal statements of his basic principles.
The book is also packed with photographs of the founder illustrating different tecniques. This book is NOT an instruction manual of aikido and if that is what sought it is better to look elsewhere.