THE ART OF AIKIDO

Principles and Essential Techniques

Aikido is a modern Budo founded by Morihei Ueshiba after he had mastered many traditional Japanese martial arts and engaged in profound spiritual training. Morihei maintained, "In true Budo, there is no enemy. True Budo is the function of love. A martial art solely concerned with winning and losing is not true Budo. Victory is to thoroughly rid the mind of contention and conflict within ourselves."
This book was composed by Kisshomaru Ueshiba, Morihei's son and successor as the Second Aikido Doshu ( the person who embodies the spirit of Aikido as inherited from the founder and is its living symbol ). Morihei himself taught Aikido in archaic, esoteric language, and limited his instruction to a select few. In order to introduce Aikido to the rest of the world, his son simplified its philosophy and arranged the techniques so that it would be possible for any serious trainee to practice this martial art. Aikido is now practiced in eighty-five foreign countries—a testament to Kisshomaru's achievement. The Aikido ideal of "refining one's mind and body to foster a spirit of harmony" has obviously struck a common chord among the peoples of the world.