Invincible Warrior

by John Stevens

Invincible Warrior tells the fascinating story of the life of Morihei Ueshiba (1883–1969), whose quest for the true meaning of warriorship led to the creation of the martial art called Aikido, "The Art of Peace." Ueshiba—whose name means "abundant peace"—is considered by many to be one of the greatest martial artists who ever lived. His documented ability to disarm any attacker, throw a dozen men simultaneously, and down and pin opponents without touching them has accorded his life legendary status. Invincible Warrior presents the real story behind Morihei’s achievement, illuminating the man and his message. Stevens describes the people, events, and ideas that influenced Ueshiba’s lifelong spiritual quest, which culminated in the development of unique teachings of Aikido. Illustrated with two hundred photographs of Morihei in action and filled with revealing anecdotes about his life and times, Invincible Warrior also offers valuable discussion of the founder’s conception of Aikido as a path of harmony and love, unifying body and mind, self and others, humans and the universe.

282 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 19, 2015

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

John Stevens (1947- ) is a Buddhist priest and Aikido teacher.

Reviews

[Michael Friesen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reads more like a hagiography than biography, although perhaps that judgment simply reflects on my sceptical attitude towards the miraculous. Consider the following:

Even on his deathbed, Morihei was an invincible warrior. Just prior to his death, four of his disciples rushed to his assistance when he rose from the bed to walk to the toilet. Morihei shrugged slightly, and all four young men went flying out into the garden. On another such trip, he disappeared, and his disciples found him in the dojo teaching a bunch of children: “This is how you do it! This is how you do it!”

If you find stories like this plausible, you may get more mileage out of this book than I did. (The last story reminds me of Jesus "disappearing" only for Mary and Joseph to find him teaching in the Temple.) Still, an interesting read, if only because it offers insight into the high esteem Ueshiba is held by his followers.