Aikido: The Way of Harmony

Out of quite a few books about Aikido that I own this is the one I return to most often. What sets it apart from other books is the demonstration of fundamental aikido techniques both with and without bokken. It concentrates on a small, but representative number of techniques. These are explained very well. Quality counts more than quantity. I have used the book to devise training lessons.

This book was actually recommended to me by a black-belt, Aikido student and I have never regretted it's purchase. I tend to study sword-styles, and Aikido offers several movements based on sword-fighting principals (as well as actual sword-fighting based on old samurai movements). It also has a bit on the history of Aikido, breathing, meditation, the life of Ueshiba Morihei (the founder of Aikido) and a glossary of Japanese terms. The rest of the book is mostly dedicated to movements. All in all, this is a must-have for anyone even remotely interested in Aikido.

One of John Steven's early works that I am aware of on aikido, is also one of the better ones that I have acquired. The excellent photographs of the various techniques, which blend in the principle of swordmanship and spiritual elements of aikido are unmatched. These photos and the large page format are a leap from the martial arts books of the sixties and seventies. Ideally I would have liked to have seen a similar format follow-up book authored by John Stevens that takes more advantage of his knowledge of Eastern philosophy as can be experienced through aikido, but the other books he has written are good additions to read along with Aikido: The Way of Harmony. If you are looking to be introduced to aikido or want to give a gift that encompasses the art from the elementary to the advanced, this would be my pick. Stevens avoids getting to heavy on the Japanese terms and philosophy that might scare of the beginner. The sad part about the book is knowing that Shirata Rinjiro recently passed away.

This was the first book I ever bought on Aikido, and after reading more than 12 other books on the subject, it still stands out pretty good. The historical overview of the art's founder, Morihei Ueshiba in the first few chapters is very informative, as is the section where Stevens explains Aikido's philosophy and the religious principles that influence it. The photo illustrations of the various techniques are quite good, especially where they first show you the bokken (wooden sword) version of a technique, then show you the empty hand technique that was developed from it. Not an extensive catalogue of techniques, but a great introduction. I highly reccommend it.

John Stevens proves once again that he is the foremost Western chronicler of this fascinating Japanese martial art called aikido. His historical analysis is admirable, and his access to the records, documents, photographs, relatives and friends of Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of aikido, makes this book all the more rich in depth and detail. What makes this book truly worthwhile, however, is the abundance of photographs of Shirata Sensei performing aikido techniques, both with and without weapons. There's much here for anyone already training in aikido to learn from. A must for any collector of aikido material.