Suggested Readings
These books are suggested in addition to the books listed in the bibliography of the FAQ. Links are provided so you can purchase them from the Aikido Shugenkai Amazon.com.
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Aikido Yuishinkai Student Handbook The Aikido Yuishinkai Student Handbook by Michael Williams, Chief Instructor of Aikido Yuishinkai. The handbook covers a wide range of topics including Koretoshi Maruyama-sensei's philosophy and motto, dojo etiquette, principles for character development, breathing, yuki, techniques, grading syllabus, aikido for children and more. |
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Abundant Peace: The Biography of Morihei Ueshiba, Founder of Aikido Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969), the founder of Aikido—whose name means "abundant peace"—was "undoubtedly the greatest martial artist who ever lived," according to his biographer, John Stevens. |
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The real way of the warrior is based on compassion, wisdom, fearlessness, and love of nature—as the inspirational teachings in this collection show. John Stevens' translation of some of the Founder's writings. |
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The Essence of Aikido: Spiritual Teachings of Morihei Ueshiba This collection of writings by the founder of aikido, Morihei Ueshiba, illuminates the philosophical basis of the traditional martial arts. It contains photographs of Founder in action from his early youth to his final years at the height of his fame. Chapters include the Founder's calligraphy and a full transcription of epigrams and poems in English, romanized and Japanese orthography. |
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Aikido: The Coordination of Mind and Body for Self Defense Tohei, Koichi. Souvenir Press, London, 1961. |
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Tohei, Koichi. Rikugei, 1966. |
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The Book of Ki: Co-Ordinating Mind and Body in Daily Life
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KiatsuTohei, Koichi. Ki no Kenkyukai HQ, 1983. -Tohei-sensei's healing method based on pressing with Ki. |
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This is Aikido, with Mind and Body Coordinated - Large format. |
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What is Aikido - Basic introduction to the art of Aikido. |
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Aikido with Ki Description of the basic syllabus of Shin-shin Toitsu Aikido, written by the Chief Instructor. |
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Ki: A Practical Guide for Westerners - A discussion of Ki training and its application to a number of arts: Aikido, Noh, Shodo, etc. |
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Ki: A Road That Anyone Can Walk - A biography of Tohei-sensei. |
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Aikido in Everyday Life: Giving in to Get Your Way Conflict is an unavoidable aspect of living. The late renowned aikido master Terry Dobson, together with Victor Miller, present aikido as a basis for conflict resolution. "Attack-tics" is a system of conflict resolution based on the principles of aikido, the non-violent martial art Morihei Ueshiba created after World War II. |
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Makko-ho: 5 Minutes' Physical Fitness
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Children and the Martial Arts In the first half of the book Gaku Homma gives a very detailed and convincing account of how he came to the martial arts (and aikido in particular), and how this has shaped his practice as a teacher. He gives many examples of conversations he's had with parents who want to enroll their kids in his classes, which serve to illustrate many of the wrong reasons parents want children to participate in martial arts. In the second half, he gives examples of many of the exercises children in his aikido classes perform, accompanied by black-and-white line drawings. |
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In Search of the Warrior Spirit
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The Martial Arts: The Spiritual Dimension
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The Way of the Warrior The Way of the Warrior (previously published as The Fighting Arts) is a fascinating study of the origins, evolution, legends, mysteries, technique and practice of the fighting arts. Covers a variety of arts including Tomiki ryu Aikido. |
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Classical Bujutsu: The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan Volume I Evolved amid the incessant warfare of medieval Japan, bujutsu, or "martial arts," provided the warrior with the technical and psychological training that prepared him to use his weapons in actual combat. Classical Bujutsu emphasizes the intensely practical nature of these martial arts. |
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Classical Budo: The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan Volume II The classical budo, or "martial ways" are not combat systems like their forerunner, bujutsu, or "martial arts"; nor are they sports like modern judo, kendo, or karate. They are first and foremost spiritual disciplines, whose ultimate goal, achieved through the most rigorous mental and physical training, is self-realization in the tradition of Zen Buddhism. |
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Modern Bujutsu and Budo: Martial Arts and Ways of Japan Volume III Modern Bujitsu and Budo written by Donn Draeger with its 190 pages is one ofm the three in the series he wrote for Weatherhill back in the 1970's. |
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The Martial Arts
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The Original Martial Arts Encyclopedia: Tradition, History, Pioneers
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Secrets of the Samurai In plentiful detail from a huge range of historical sources, Secrets of the Samurai plots the development, principles and effects of the samurai culture of feudal Japan. Authors Oscar Ratti and Adele Westbrook have furnished details on the weapons, techniques, strategies and principles of the samurai’s martial art, rescuing this vanishing lore for modern readers who may wish to incorporate it into their own martial arts training. |
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Enlightenment Through Aikido Enlightenment through Aikido focuses on Aikido's spiritual teachings, drawing on Sunadomari's experiences as a direct student of Morihei Ueshiba. Quotes from the founder and the author's interpretations show how Aikido can develop inner strength and tranquility. This book is an excellent companion for those practitioners who aspire to go beyond the physical in their journey along the path of Aikido. |
