| NOTA |
(★)(Morihei Ueshiba is rightly known as one of the world´s greatest martial artists for his creation of aikidoo, the synthesis of his superb technique and his profound spiritual insight into the nature of the universe. Aikidoo is much more than just another fighting style, it is a holistic approach to life that Morihei described as ´a divine path inspired by the gods that leads to truth, goodness, and beauty.´ Sadly, Morihei left few writings to explain his martial arts philosophy, preferring to teach his disciples by direct example. Aikidoo students will be familiar with photographs and film footage of Morihei as an old man, effortlessly defeating his much younger opponents, but very little has been published about Morihei´s prewar years, when he was perfecting ´aiki-budoo´, as aikidoo was then known. In 1938 Morihei wrote ´Budoo (Martial Way)´ as an instruction manual and a statement of the aims and spirit of his martial arts philosophy. Budoo, however, was never made available to the general public, and it even contains the injunction that ´these techniques ... should not be disclosed indiscriminately to the public.´ ／ Now with the worldwide popularity of aikidoo rivaling that of ´juudoo´ and ´karate-doo´, the Aikikai Foundation and the Ueshiba family have decided that it is time for this historic treatise of the martial arts to be translated into English, and made available to general readers and students of aikidoo all over the world. Reproduced faithfully from the original, this seminal work contains one of the founder´s few personal statements of his basic principles, expressed both in prose and mystical poetry. The text is accompanied by photographs of Morihei illustrating the aikidoo techniques he describes. ／ This martial arts classic is preceded by an introductory biographical essay on Morihei by his son Kisshoomaru Ueshiba, the present chairman of the Aikikai Foundation. This enlightening work recounts the founder´s early life, his inspirational encounter with the religious mystic Oonisaburoo Deguchi, and the spiritual revelations that led him to develop the art of aikidoo. The volume concludes with a series of action photographs of the founder demonstrating aikidoo techniques, taken at a private doojoo in Tokyo in 1936. This section also includes selected photographs of Morihei in action in 1951. The more than 400 historic photographs shown here provide an unequalled opportunity to observe the lifelong devotion to aikidoo and the continuity of performance that characterized Morihei´s approach to his art. ◆Morihei Ueshiba was born in Western Japan in 1883. After mastering classical styles of juudoo, kendoo, and juujutsu, he created aikidoo, an entirely original martial art, based on the spiritual teachings of the Oomoto-kyoo religion. After the Second World War, Morihei established the Aikikai Foundation in Tokyo to promote the dissemination of aikidoo throughout the world. Morihei died in 1969.) |
BASE de DATOS, Biblioteca del Centro Cultural de la Embajada de Japon
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