Training with the Master: Lessons with Morihei Ueshiba, Founder of Aikido

by John Stevens

"The purpose of Aikido is to remind us that we are always in the state of grace." If anyone embodied that state of grace, it was Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969) perhaps the greatest martial artist who ever lived. But who was the man who created the Art of Peace? What were the principles - always more spiritual than physical - that this "warrior for peace" espoused? And how did the Founder's own movements embody the high standards he set 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. Framing the photographs are a biography of the Founder by John Stevens and a compilation of quotations from Morihei's collected talks, reported sayings, poems, and calligraphy.

Genres: Martial Arts

139 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

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

[Netanel Miles-Yepez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is mostly a photo-essay, but an excellent one, which includes a god biographical introduction to Morihei Ueshiba, and the popular aphorisms from the book, The Art of Peace.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I had the money I think I'd take up Aikido....