The Spirit of Aikido

Kisshomaru Ueshiba (1921-1999), is regarded as a man who embodied the spirit of aikido, as inherited from his father, Morihei Ueshiba, akido’s founder. The Spirit of Aikido is his masterpiece, and regarded as a seminal work on the discipline, and on martial arts in general. In this classic discourse, Ueshiba concisly explains the essence of aikido’s philosophy and techniques.

Long available in paperback, The Spirit of Aikido will now be published in a hardcover edition, with new photos and a preface by Moriteru Ueshiba, the third and present Aikido Doshu (headmaster) and the author’s son.

Aikido — a modern Japanese martial art unique in its synthesis of classic forms with a well-defined spiritual base — offers a key to the art of living naturally and unselfishly in a complicated world. This book explains it in reference to the founder's philosophy of mind — and action. In addition, the history of aikido's prewar development as a noncompetitive new martial art is described in the context of its international role.