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Hidden in Plain Sight: Tracing the Roots of Ueshiba Morihei's Power
Ellis Amdur's writing on martial arts has been groundbreaking. In this volume, Amdur has radically reworked his iconoclastic essays first published on the website of Aikido Journal. Here, he attempts to establish the existence of something all but lost in Japanese martial arts -- a sophisticated type of training, encompassing mental imagery, breath-work, and a variety of physical techniques that offered the practitioner the potential to develop skills sometimes viewed as nearly superhuman. Commonly referred to as "internal training," and usually believed to be the provenance of Chinese martial arts, Amdur asserts that not only was it once common among many Japanese martial traditions, but elements of such training still remain, passed down in a few martial arts -- literally "hidden in plain sight." As always, Amdur reminds us that this is a human endeavor and he provides vivid, even heartbreaking portrayals of some of the great practitioners of these skills, men who devoted their lives to an obsessive pursuit of power.
- GenresMartial Arts
252 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
6 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
About the author
Ellis Amdur
65 books46 followersEllis Amdur balances two careers, that as a crisis intervention specialist, through his company, Edgework and as a 50+ year practitioner of traditional Japanese martial arts. His writing meets right in the middle.
Among his non-fiction works are thirteen profession-specific books on verbal de-escalation of aggression, two books for hostage negotiators, two on the art of tactical communication with hostile individuals, one on the art of psychotherapy, and has edited a book by Evelyn & Shelley Amdur on the former's career as a hospice social worker.
He has written and published three books on martial arts, the iconoclastic Dueling with Osensei: Old School, a work on classical martial traditions and Hidden in Plain Sight, on esoteric knowledge within various martial traditions.
In fiction, he is a co-author of the graphic novel, Cimmaronin, and the author of two novels, The Girl with the Face of the Moon, and Lost Boy. His third novel, Little Bird & the Tiger, set in Meiji Japan, is due for release in 2023.
His books are considered unique in that he uses his own experiences, often hair-raising or outrageous, as illustrations of the principles about which he writes, but it is also backed by solid research, and boots-on-the-ground experience.
Among his non-fiction works are thirteen profession-specific books on verbal de-escalation of aggression, two books for hostage negotiators, two on the art of tactical communication with hostile individuals, one on the art of psychotherapy, and has edited a book by Evelyn & Shelley Amdur on the former's career as a hospice social worker.
He has written and published three books on martial arts, the iconoclastic Dueling with Osensei: Old School, a work on classical martial traditions and Hidden in Plain Sight, on esoteric knowledge within various martial traditions.
In fiction, he is a co-author of the graphic novel, Cimmaronin, and the author of two novels, The Girl with the Face of the Moon, and Lost Boy. His third novel, Little Bird & the Tiger, set in Meiji Japan, is due for release in 2023.
His books are considered unique in that he uses his own experiences, often hair-raising or outrageous, as illustrations of the principles about which he writes, but it is also backed by solid research, and boots-on-the-ground experience.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 28, 2018
For centuries there have been legends of martial artists who could demonstrate abilities far beyond normal human limitations. Today, such masters seem rare on the ground. Are these stories only tall tales, or are there actually training methods that allow a person to achieve the same amazing capabilities possessed by the martial artists of legend?
In this book Ellis Amdur attempts to answer this question, discussing various advanced methods of physical training with a particular eye on the abilities and practices of Ueshiba Morihei, the founder of aikido. Ueshiba performed many of the same amazing feats as the martial artists of legend, but he was a man of the twentieth, not the fifteenth century. Many believe that stories about Ueshiba are exaggerations based on the over-enthusiastic compliance of his students. If Ueshiba truly possessed the amazing abilities attributed to him, why are such abilities not present in modern aikido practice?
By carefully examining records of Ueshiba's feats and the writings of Ueshiba's contemporaries, Amdur makes a strong case that Ueshiba was truly something extraordinary. He traces the path of Ueshiba's martial development, beginning with the life and training of Ueshiba's own teacher and following through Ueshiba's evolution as an instructor, carefully searching out the practices that made Ueshiba stand out head-and-shoulders above his contemporaries and trying to explain not only why these practices have disappeared from today's aikido but how they can be revived.
But more than a history of aikido or an analysis of Ueshiba's training regimen, this book is designed to be a challenge to martial arts practitioners. Are we comfortable living in the shadows of our legendary predecessors, aping their forms and telling legends of their abilities-- are we satisfied with being the students (or grand-students or great-grand-students) of great men? Or do we want to have every bit of the power, every bit of the skill, every bit of the poise and ability of those who came before us? Are we content to talk about how great our style has been, or do we wish to make it great here, now, in our own practice? And how far out of are comfort zones are we willing to push ourselves to chase the abilities of a legend?
In this book Ellis Amdur attempts to answer this question, discussing various advanced methods of physical training with a particular eye on the abilities and practices of Ueshiba Morihei, the founder of aikido. Ueshiba performed many of the same amazing feats as the martial artists of legend, but he was a man of the twentieth, not the fifteenth century. Many believe that stories about Ueshiba are exaggerations based on the over-enthusiastic compliance of his students. If Ueshiba truly possessed the amazing abilities attributed to him, why are such abilities not present in modern aikido practice?
By carefully examining records of Ueshiba's feats and the writings of Ueshiba's contemporaries, Amdur makes a strong case that Ueshiba was truly something extraordinary. He traces the path of Ueshiba's martial development, beginning with the life and training of Ueshiba's own teacher and following through Ueshiba's evolution as an instructor, carefully searching out the practices that made Ueshiba stand out head-and-shoulders above his contemporaries and trying to explain not only why these practices have disappeared from today's aikido but how they can be revived.
But more than a history of aikido or an analysis of Ueshiba's training regimen, this book is designed to be a challenge to martial arts practitioners. Are we comfortable living in the shadows of our legendary predecessors, aping their forms and telling legends of their abilities-- are we satisfied with being the students (or grand-students or great-grand-students) of great men? Or do we want to have every bit of the power, every bit of the skill, every bit of the poise and ability of those who came before us? Are we content to talk about how great our style has been, or do we wish to make it great here, now, in our own practice? And how far out of are comfort zones are we willing to push ourselves to chase the abilities of a legend?
October 6, 2018
In writing this review, it’s only fair to discuss a little bit my experiences with Ellis (as he was kind enough to mention me in the Acknowledgements of Hidden in Plain Sight - HIPS), whom I first met 15 years ago when he was advising the independent dojo I belonged to then in methods around simplifying their approach to aikido and making it more effective. Ellis was spoken of with awe reserved for mythical heroes - he’d lived in Japan for more than a decade, studying with the masters, one of the very few caucasians to be granted master level licensing in more than one Koryu (samurai battlefield arts).
I’d only recently returned to training in anything resembling traditional martial arts. Growing up, I was first introduced to judo at age 5, then later on wrestling as a teenager. High school saw me train a bit also in aikido and karate, but by college I was getting more interested in this cross-training concept that was to become more modern MMA.
After some time just mixing things up with different training partners, I felt like I was still missing a core martial body framework that tied everything together and allowed me to move as the “same guy” regardless of whether I was grappling, striking, standing, clinching, on the ground, etc. Living in central Pennsylvania in 2003, there were limited options, but there was an independent aikido school a mile from my house.
Certainly the convenience couldn’t be beat. But who was this Ellis guy - never heard of him when I was training in aikido in the early 90s. Apparently he’d published a book called ‘Dueling with O-Sensei’. At the same time as I joined the dojo, I started reading the book and researching more about him. And was blown away. When I got to meet him in the fall of 2003, I found him knowledgeable, engaging and eager to transmit this notion of moving the body along specific vectors regardless of the “technique” being performed.
As Ellis describes in the Forward of HIPS regarding the qualitative difference in certain practitioners, this was a big step in the direction of what I was looking for in a martial art - a consistent framework to measure myself against and which the only benchmark for improvement would be my own progress. As training continued and the discussions of internal strength started getting a lot of attention in various Japanese online forums, a person that Ellis vouched for, Mike Sigman, began speaking about a lot of the synergies regarding the Chinese concepts of qi, jin and dantien and how they were meant to be viewed similarly with Japanese concepts of ki, kokyu, hara, etc. as they described the same core body technology.
Again, similar to the experience Ellis describes meeting Mike in the Acknowledgements of HIPS, I had the opportunity to meet Mike and very much found out firsthand the skills of internal strength are demonstrable, trainable and combined with Ellis’s framework of vector-based movement for martial strategy, radically transformed my personal practice and gave me the scaffolding I’d been seeking.
The genius of Ellis’s work in Hidden in Plain Sight is that it describes countless accounts similar to mine across a variety of cultural settings and historical contexts. From Man’s desire and learned ability to draw on chaotic power to increasing trainable strength as methods evolved from farmland instrumentation to battlefield prowess to dance and sport. Amidst historical references to strongmen and sport fighters are common kernels of specialized training that provided great advantages. Specific attention is given to a number of older Japanese disciplines as the book continues into methods of developing unusual power alongside martial skill (as Ellis rightly mentions, the two aren’t necessarily analogous but very much intended to be complimentary).
Where this gets very interesting from a philosophical perspective is the notion of some of the Asian cosmologies having traceable inherent roots in describing pragmatic internal strength concepts (e.g. breath pressure in the bone/muscle/tissue as the real qi/ki of heaven). As the exploration of older martial arts in Japan funnels to aikido and its parent art of Daito-ryu Aiki-jujutsu, we see how the proponents of each, Ueshiba Morihei and his primary teacher Takeda Sokaku were men on their own journey of discovery and development, based on their eyes being opened to the possibilities of developing unusual power in conjunction with their martial expression.
And we get to see from a historical perspective, why core aspects of internal power development were deliberately left out of the core syllabus of aikido as it spread from essentially a Japanese sect to an art practiced all over the world by millions of practitioners. The demands of training internal strength deliberately self-select out a large number of those that do not put in the time, effort and focus on conditioning their bodies to move according to the seemingly unusual demands of the qi/ki paradigm.
Which brings us to the title of the book - Hidden in Plain Sight - a central theme is that the internal strength skills are somewhat embedded into the techniques and warm-ups of aikido and that people didn’t pay enough attention to what Ueshiba was doing in order to develop them with themselves. Ellis makes a great argument that there has always been an expectation in martial arts circles that the students be ready to “steal the learning” as any number of teachers deliberately withhold content - either due to familial secrecy or to determine which students are really worthy of the important pieces.
What I have discovered in my own journey is that there is an inexplicable combination of the right teacher in the right time, along with my own willingness (ne’ obsession) to do the work. I’ve been honored and privileged to call Ellis both teacher and training brother. But even more so, I believe we are all fortunately privileged to have this book available to provide context and stimulate our thinking into this unusual set of skills that are gradually becoming more and more available as information gets tested and spread among martial communities.
Perhaps even more importantly as you, potential readers pick up this book and absorb its teachings, the question may be - what will you do about it? Many will read it from a pure hobby/academic perspective, still others will read it and think (probably incorrectly) “oh we already do that”, and then a few will be energized to go out and find people doing this stuff and put themselves on a path to chasing the dragon of internal strength.
To this latter group, I look forward to meeting you someday as on our mutual paths up the mountain. Settle in for a steep hike, but it’s a rewarding journey with a great view.
I’d only recently returned to training in anything resembling traditional martial arts. Growing up, I was first introduced to judo at age 5, then later on wrestling as a teenager. High school saw me train a bit also in aikido and karate, but by college I was getting more interested in this cross-training concept that was to become more modern MMA.
After some time just mixing things up with different training partners, I felt like I was still missing a core martial body framework that tied everything together and allowed me to move as the “same guy” regardless of whether I was grappling, striking, standing, clinching, on the ground, etc. Living in central Pennsylvania in 2003, there were limited options, but there was an independent aikido school a mile from my house.
Certainly the convenience couldn’t be beat. But who was this Ellis guy - never heard of him when I was training in aikido in the early 90s. Apparently he’d published a book called ‘Dueling with O-Sensei’. At the same time as I joined the dojo, I started reading the book and researching more about him. And was blown away. When I got to meet him in the fall of 2003, I found him knowledgeable, engaging and eager to transmit this notion of moving the body along specific vectors regardless of the “technique” being performed.
As Ellis describes in the Forward of HIPS regarding the qualitative difference in certain practitioners, this was a big step in the direction of what I was looking for in a martial art - a consistent framework to measure myself against and which the only benchmark for improvement would be my own progress. As training continued and the discussions of internal strength started getting a lot of attention in various Japanese online forums, a person that Ellis vouched for, Mike Sigman, began speaking about a lot of the synergies regarding the Chinese concepts of qi, jin and dantien and how they were meant to be viewed similarly with Japanese concepts of ki, kokyu, hara, etc. as they described the same core body technology.
Again, similar to the experience Ellis describes meeting Mike in the Acknowledgements of HIPS, I had the opportunity to meet Mike and very much found out firsthand the skills of internal strength are demonstrable, trainable and combined with Ellis’s framework of vector-based movement for martial strategy, radically transformed my personal practice and gave me the scaffolding I’d been seeking.
The genius of Ellis’s work in Hidden in Plain Sight is that it describes countless accounts similar to mine across a variety of cultural settings and historical contexts. From Man’s desire and learned ability to draw on chaotic power to increasing trainable strength as methods evolved from farmland instrumentation to battlefield prowess to dance and sport. Amidst historical references to strongmen and sport fighters are common kernels of specialized training that provided great advantages. Specific attention is given to a number of older Japanese disciplines as the book continues into methods of developing unusual power alongside martial skill (as Ellis rightly mentions, the two aren’t necessarily analogous but very much intended to be complimentary).
Where this gets very interesting from a philosophical perspective is the notion of some of the Asian cosmologies having traceable inherent roots in describing pragmatic internal strength concepts (e.g. breath pressure in the bone/muscle/tissue as the real qi/ki of heaven). As the exploration of older martial arts in Japan funnels to aikido and its parent art of Daito-ryu Aiki-jujutsu, we see how the proponents of each, Ueshiba Morihei and his primary teacher Takeda Sokaku were men on their own journey of discovery and development, based on their eyes being opened to the possibilities of developing unusual power in conjunction with their martial expression.
And we get to see from a historical perspective, why core aspects of internal power development were deliberately left out of the core syllabus of aikido as it spread from essentially a Japanese sect to an art practiced all over the world by millions of practitioners. The demands of training internal strength deliberately self-select out a large number of those that do not put in the time, effort and focus on conditioning their bodies to move according to the seemingly unusual demands of the qi/ki paradigm.
Which brings us to the title of the book - Hidden in Plain Sight - a central theme is that the internal strength skills are somewhat embedded into the techniques and warm-ups of aikido and that people didn’t pay enough attention to what Ueshiba was doing in order to develop them with themselves. Ellis makes a great argument that there has always been an expectation in martial arts circles that the students be ready to “steal the learning” as any number of teachers deliberately withhold content - either due to familial secrecy or to determine which students are really worthy of the important pieces.
What I have discovered in my own journey is that there is an inexplicable combination of the right teacher in the right time, along with my own willingness (ne’ obsession) to do the work. I’ve been honored and privileged to call Ellis both teacher and training brother. But even more so, I believe we are all fortunately privileged to have this book available to provide context and stimulate our thinking into this unusual set of skills that are gradually becoming more and more available as information gets tested and spread among martial communities.
Perhaps even more importantly as you, potential readers pick up this book and absorb its teachings, the question may be - what will you do about it? Many will read it from a pure hobby/academic perspective, still others will read it and think (probably incorrectly) “oh we already do that”, and then a few will be energized to go out and find people doing this stuff and put themselves on a path to chasing the dragon of internal strength.
To this latter group, I look forward to meeting you someday as on our mutual paths up the mountain. Settle in for a steep hike, but it’s a rewarding journey with a great view.
November 29, 2020
It is somewhat difficult to rate this book. Parts of it are very good. I especially liked his discussion on Takeda Sokaku. However, I disliked that what he is focused on is Ueshiba Morihei and Aikido. I am not trying to denigrate the school, but Japanese martial arts are way more varied and complex than just Aikido. At the same time I am not really certain why he did it this way. After all, the author is a koryu practitioner and had access to a lot of schools that would have enabled him to write a whole book about the power training in other martial traditions.
As it stands it is nothing more than an interesting collection of speculations that are probably interesting to someone who has a similar view of Aikido as the author. The discussion on Chinese martial arts relies on a framework that is not really shared by many Chinese martial artists (it is the framework of Mike Sigman).
Of course, none of the methods are really described in any detail in the book (but there are quite a bit more hints than in other similar books). One argument might be made that it is really difficult to describe them accurately. Nevertheless, other people have tried to describe them, ...
So in a way one feels that there is such potential in this book, but in other ways it feels like it is mostly wasted, or myopic...
As it stands it is nothing more than an interesting collection of speculations that are probably interesting to someone who has a similar view of Aikido as the author. The discussion on Chinese martial arts relies on a framework that is not really shared by many Chinese martial artists (it is the framework of Mike Sigman).
Of course, none of the methods are really described in any detail in the book (but there are quite a bit more hints than in other similar books). One argument might be made that it is really difficult to describe them accurately. Nevertheless, other people have tried to describe them, ...
So in a way one feels that there is such potential in this book, but in other ways it feels like it is mostly wasted, or myopic...
February 6, 2020
The first edition of Hidden in Plain Sight that I bought in 2012 was the most thumbed book in my martial art collection, and the second edition surpasses the first edition by a distance. In the second edition Mr. Amdur, offers more evidence describing the origins of DaitoRyu, Aikido and OSensei's source of power. He argues very convincingly, in my opinion, that DaitoRyu is of recent origin and not a 1000 year old art and roots of Japanese Martial arts are in Southern Shaolin systems. The second edition also expands on the connection between Ono Ha Itto Ryu and Daito Ryu.
Mr. Amdur also outlines exercises for training this power and some very interesting examples of breathing exercises to augment this power. This an excellent book and I really did enjoy reading about the stories that describe the source of this ephemeral power.
For reviewers complaining that the book does not offer detailed methodologies to train Internal power, I would ask them if anyone could become a piano virtuoso just by reading a book on piano performance and music theory. The book is a roadmap, and Mr. Amdur like all good teachers, invites the reader to go on his own search to find the source of O Sensei's power.
Mr. Amdur also outlines exercises for training this power and some very interesting examples of breathing exercises to augment this power. This an excellent book and I really did enjoy reading about the stories that describe the source of this ephemeral power.
For reviewers complaining that the book does not offer detailed methodologies to train Internal power, I would ask them if anyone could become a piano virtuoso just by reading a book on piano performance and music theory. The book is a roadmap, and Mr. Amdur like all good teachers, invites the reader to go on his own search to find the source of O Sensei's power.
September 20, 2024
I read this book mainly because of an interest in internal strength. It's not a book that will hand the secrets of internal strength up front. It's more like a friendly push in the right direction of your own research.
I must admit that the book was quite a hard read the first time. I did not agree with the author's way of writing and sections 1 and 2 felt a lot like "grasping smoke". At one point I even emailed the author asking a simple question to get a feeling for his writing in general. His reply was extremely educational and was far better than my question deserved which confused me quite a bit.
I have read the book back and forth a few times since and gotten clarifications from a my teacher. That has somewhat dispersed the smoke and the text is more available to me. I think that some concepts in the beginning needs guidance unless you are advanced in your training.
The sections 3 and 4 describes lineages and influences between masters. It was probably demanding to put together but is easy to read, sometimes even funny, and probably the most valuable parts from a historical perspective.
I must admit that the book was quite a hard read the first time. I did not agree with the author's way of writing and sections 1 and 2 felt a lot like "grasping smoke". At one point I even emailed the author asking a simple question to get a feeling for his writing in general. His reply was extremely educational and was far better than my question deserved which confused me quite a bit.
I have read the book back and forth a few times since and gotten clarifications from a my teacher. That has somewhat dispersed the smoke and the text is more available to me. I think that some concepts in the beginning needs guidance unless you are advanced in your training.
The sections 3 and 4 describes lineages and influences between masters. It was probably demanding to put together but is easy to read, sometimes even funny, and probably the most valuable parts from a historical perspective.
December 24, 2018
Like all great books, simply reading HIPS once will not do justice to Ellis Amdur's masterpiece, or glean most benefit for oneself. This book is a gem for all martial artists (not just Aikidoka) and those interested in Eastern Culture. It is meant to be kept nearby, for frequent short reads, where even a sentence or concept might be a catalyst for further understanding in one's chosen art. This is a book whose contents are indeed hidden in plain sight, waiting to be seen through the eyes of continuous study and training. A highly recommended companion along the way of personal development in the martial arts.
January 11, 2021
Brilliantly written book infused with deep knowledge on on different martial arts. Yet that is not the best of thia book. Amdur expresses a very humane understanding of people in different situations in life, making deeply moving evaluations. On top of this, 'Hidden in plain sight' is both psychologically and philosophically insightful book from which an alert individual can glean themes that reflect real situations and issues in everyday life.
April 3, 2015
This review was originally published in the Journal of Asian Martial Arts (Volume 19 Number 4, 2010)
Review by Ken Jeremiah, Ed.D.
Ellis Amdur has been an influential figure in Japanese martial studies for many years. Considered an expert in both classical and modern traditions, he is a licensed instructor in two classical Japanese martial arts: Araki-ryu Torite Kogusoku and Toda-ha Buko-ryu. He has also studied a number of other arts, including aikido, and is well-known for his previous books and articles, including those published in Aikido Journal. He has written a new book entitled Hidden in Plain Sight: Tracing the Roots of Ueshiba Morihei’s Power.
As Mr. Amdur points out in his book, while Ueshiba was alive many other well-known martial artists came to study with him, and he was considered by many to be among the greatest martial artists in the entire country. It was said that he possessed almost supernatural power. Some attackers reported being thrown without understanding how it was accomplished. Others stated that they felt a type of shocking, electrical-like energy emanating from him. The same statements were made about Ueshiba’s teacher of Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu, Takeda Sokaku.
Many martial artists might consider that such stories are simply embellished accounts by individuals who were overly impressed by the incredible skills that Ueshiba and Takeda displayed. However, Mr. Amdur explores the possibility that these individuals actually had a type of internal strength that they developed through certain training. This training targeted the musculature, the connective tissue, and the nervous system. It also targeted the mind, which served to organize the body. In order to explore this possibility, Mr. Amdur takes a nontraditional stroll through the historical accounts of Ueshiba Morihei and Takeda Sokaku.
First he explores possible connections to Chinese internal martial arts. Then he investigates the nature of Takeda from the perspective of the psychologist and presents a history of Daito-ryu that is quite different from traditional accounts, making use of enough historical evidence to support his interesting interpretations. His next chapters deal with the connection between weapons training and taijutsu in aikido, and he presents some interesting types of training in which Ueshiba engaged, training that may have resulted in the development of the internal strength that his students had reported experiencing.
After taking the reader through aikido and Daito-ryu history while specifically looking for a practice used to develop extreme internal strength, Mr. Amdur points out some elements of the art that are often overlooked by practitioners. He reminds us that Ueshiba did not convey martial principles through words. Instead, students had to train in a way that facilitated understanding. They had to pay close attention to what the teacher was doing, and then steal the techniques. Thus it stands to reason that Ueshiba actually conveyed the techniques used to develop internal strength to his students. However, perhaps his students misunderstood such movements. Perhaps they did not understand what he was trying to convey. As Mr. Amdur points out, perhaps the true secret of this extraordinary power is right in front of our eyes: literally hidden in plain sight. I highly recommend this book to all practitioners of aikido and Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu, and it would be of interest to other martial artists as well.
Review by Ken Jeremiah, Ed.D.
Ellis Amdur has been an influential figure in Japanese martial studies for many years. Considered an expert in both classical and modern traditions, he is a licensed instructor in two classical Japanese martial arts: Araki-ryu Torite Kogusoku and Toda-ha Buko-ryu. He has also studied a number of other arts, including aikido, and is well-known for his previous books and articles, including those published in Aikido Journal. He has written a new book entitled Hidden in Plain Sight: Tracing the Roots of Ueshiba Morihei’s Power.
As Mr. Amdur points out in his book, while Ueshiba was alive many other well-known martial artists came to study with him, and he was considered by many to be among the greatest martial artists in the entire country. It was said that he possessed almost supernatural power. Some attackers reported being thrown without understanding how it was accomplished. Others stated that they felt a type of shocking, electrical-like energy emanating from him. The same statements were made about Ueshiba’s teacher of Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu, Takeda Sokaku.
Many martial artists might consider that such stories are simply embellished accounts by individuals who were overly impressed by the incredible skills that Ueshiba and Takeda displayed. However, Mr. Amdur explores the possibility that these individuals actually had a type of internal strength that they developed through certain training. This training targeted the musculature, the connective tissue, and the nervous system. It also targeted the mind, which served to organize the body. In order to explore this possibility, Mr. Amdur takes a nontraditional stroll through the historical accounts of Ueshiba Morihei and Takeda Sokaku.
First he explores possible connections to Chinese internal martial arts. Then he investigates the nature of Takeda from the perspective of the psychologist and presents a history of Daito-ryu that is quite different from traditional accounts, making use of enough historical evidence to support his interesting interpretations. His next chapters deal with the connection between weapons training and taijutsu in aikido, and he presents some interesting types of training in which Ueshiba engaged, training that may have resulted in the development of the internal strength that his students had reported experiencing.
After taking the reader through aikido and Daito-ryu history while specifically looking for a practice used to develop extreme internal strength, Mr. Amdur points out some elements of the art that are often overlooked by practitioners. He reminds us that Ueshiba did not convey martial principles through words. Instead, students had to train in a way that facilitated understanding. They had to pay close attention to what the teacher was doing, and then steal the techniques. Thus it stands to reason that Ueshiba actually conveyed the techniques used to develop internal strength to his students. However, perhaps his students misunderstood such movements. Perhaps they did not understand what he was trying to convey. As Mr. Amdur points out, perhaps the true secret of this extraordinary power is right in front of our eyes: literally hidden in plain sight. I highly recommend this book to all practitioners of aikido and Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu, and it would be of interest to other martial artists as well.
July 11, 2013
Started off as a bumpy ride simply through the poor editing and lack of footnotes. But it does get better, and it did get me thinking seriously about the conservative versus progressive approaches to martial arts. The Hidden Way chapter is the best, especially the 16 steps to becoming Ueshiba. If you are looking for a serious historical examination of the development and progression of aikido/Daito Ryu, look elsewhere. If you want to read about Ellis Amdur's opinion about the development and progression of aikido/Daito Ryu, then this book would be a good choice.
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November 28, 2019Like many (most) books about aikido, this one could have been shorter by 100, if not 150, pages. But towards the end the author makes some excellent insights.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews