CompleteMartialArts.com - Training with the Master: Lessons with Morihei Ueshiba, Founder of Aikido
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Manufacturer: Shambhala
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Binding: Paperback Dewey Decimal Number: 796 EAN: 9781570625688 ISBN: 1570625689 Label: Shambhala Manufacturer: Shambhala Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 176 Publication Date: 2004-09-07 Publisher: Shambhala Release Date: 2004-09-07 Studio: Shambhala
"The Purpose of Aikido is to remind us that we are always in the state of grace," said Morihei Ueshiba (O-Sensei). If anyone embodied that state of grace, it was O-Sensei himself, the founder of Aikido and perhaps the greatest martial artist who ever lived. But who was the man who created this martial art known as the "Art of Peace"? What were the principles?always more spiritual than physical?that this "warrior for peace" espoused? And how did O-Sensei's own movements embody the high standards he set for himself and others? Training with the Master addresses all these questions, centering around 157 photographs of unrivaled quality, shot when O-Sensei was eighty-four years old and at the peak of his career as a teacher, martial artist, and spiritual seeker. Here, frozen forever in time, is a day in the life of the Founder, on and off the mat. We see him in training, from his initial bow before the dojo shrine and warm-up movements, through a series of exercises, postures, pins, and throws, to the concluding "seated breath-power training" and mutual back-stretching. We see him demonstrating his immobilizing wrist grip; explaining the mysteries of Ki, the vital life force, and how to control it; speaking to his students; taking refreshments?and flashing the smile that itself drew many to the practice of Aikido. Framing the photographs are a biography of O-Sensei by John Stevens; a compilation of quotations from the Founder's talks, sayings, and poems; and examples of his calligraphy.
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: No lessons in the book Comment: The book is described as "Lessons with......". I really didn't find any AiKiDo lessons. A lot of (good) photos of the Master - yes, but not a single lesson explained. Not even close to what I expected. Planned to return the book, only to find that it cost more in postage (international) than the cost of the book itself....
Customer Rating: Summary: What an inspiration. Comment: As a new student to Aikido I espically enjoyed the many pictures of the master. Since I cannot meet the master, this is a beautiful collection of photos of which to know him by. One can't help but love his warm and genuine smile. There are many inspirational sayings at the end of this book, which lead the reader to aspire to leading a peaceful and constructive life. Customer Rating: Summary: Lots of pictures of O'Sensei! Comment: .... ...to tell the truth - when I picked it up, that's what I thoughtit was [just another book on him.] The pictures in this book make it much more than that. After reading it, I can say that the pictures are wonderful, and the text compliments them well. It is not a heavy-reading book - more of a coffee-table book, but wonderful none the less. Anyone who has visited an Aikido dojo has probably seen pictures of a serious O'Sensei staring out at them from the shrine. This book has wonderful pictures of O'Sensei late in his life, "at the summit of his career as a spiritual seeker." as the book describes him. The pictures showed me a side of O'Sensei's spirit that I hadn't experienced before in other books. In these pictures, O'Sensei seems to glow, looking at time like a Taoist sage, and at other times like a playful imp (this written with the utmost respect for O'Sensei). The pictures of him smiling are a delight to see. I would encourage anyone interested in Aikido to look at this book. Customer Rating: Summary: This book is THE one to have! Comment: Straight from the master. It doesn't get better than this. An outstanding book that gives you the background for learning Aikido. This book can save you many hours of dojo time in your advancement through Aikido. Customer Rating: Summary: A very nice coffeetable book to describe Aikido and O Sensei Comment: The book is basically a big collection of photos taken by Walther V. Krenner with John Stevens' "Art of Peace" included at the end. Unlike other collection of photos of O Sensei, these are connected and are telling a story. Kinda like 'A day in the life of O sensei'. The only thing I didn't like about it was John Stevens' way of describing O Sensei though Indian mysticism and Yoga. I regard it as a very nice coffee table book and a very nice way to describe Aikido and O sensei to people.
