Recommended Reading

Aikido Yuishinkai Student Handbook

The Aikido Yuishinkai Student Handbook by Michael Williams, Chief Instructor of Aikido Yuishinkai International, has recently been released. This concise handbook contains 150 pages of relevant information for beginners, advanced students and instructors. The Aikido Yuishinkai Student Handbook is an essential tool for all those training with Aikido Yuishinkai. This comprehensive handbook covers a wide range of topics including the founder’s philosophy and motto, dojo etiquette, principles for character development, breathing, yuki, techniques, grading syllabus, aikido for children and more.

Available through the Aikido Yuishinkai website.

Abundant Peace: The Biography of Morihei Ueshiba, Founder of Aikido

Stevens, John.  Shambhala, 1987.
- O-sensei's life.
- Material from Budo.
- Aikido philosophy.

The Art of Peace

Ueshiba, Morihei.  Shambhala, 1992.
- Pocket book.
- John Stevens' translation of some of the Founder's writings.

The Essence of Aikido: Spiritual Teachings of Morihei Ueshiba

Stevens, John & Ueshiba, Morihei.  Kodansha, 1993.
- Stevens' compilation of O-sensei's spiritual teachings.
- 100 Doka.
- Norma dojo photographs.

Aikido: The Coordination of Mind and Body for Self Defense

Tohei, Koichi.  Souvenir Press, London, 1961.
- The earliest book in English on Aikido
- Many good photos, discussion of 50 basic arts
- Aikido Philosophy.
- Brief biography of O-sensei.

Aikido in Daily Life

Tohei, Koichi.  Rikugei, 1966.
- Early book on Ki training.
- Re-written and published as Ki in Daily Life.

The Book of Ki: Co-Ordinating Mind and Body in Daily Life

Tohei, Koichi.  Japan Publications, Tokyo, 1976.
- Ki exercise applied to daily life.
- Short auto-biography

Ki in Daily Life

Tohei, Koichi. 

Kiatsu

Tohei, Koichi. Ki no Kenkyukai HQ, 1983.

-Tohei-sensei's healing method based on pressing with Ki.

This is Aikido

Tohei, Koichi.  Japan Publication, 1975.
- Large format.
- Tohei-sensei's most complete work on the arts of Aikido.

This is Aikido, With Mind and Body Coordinated

Tohei, Koichi.

What is Aikido

Tohei, Koichi.  Rikugei, 1962.
- Basic introduction to the art of Aikido.
- Written while Tohei-sensei was in Hawaii.

Aikido with Ki

Maruyama, Koretoshi.  Ki no Kenkyukai HQ, 1984.
- Description of the basic syllabus of Shin-shin Toitsu Aikido, written by the Chief Instructor.

Ki: A Practical Guide for Westerners

Reed, William.  Japan Publications, 1986.
- A discussion of Ki training and its application to a number of arts: Aikido, Noh, Shodo, etc.

Ki: A Road That Anyone Can Walk

Reed, William.  Japan Publications, 1992.
- A biography of Tohei-sensei.
- Discussion of the Ki training techniques of Ki no Kenkyukai.

Aikido in Everyday Life: Giving in to Get Your Way

Dobson, Terry & Miller, Victor.  North Atlantic, 1993.
- Aikido philosophy applied to conflict resolution in everyday life.

Makko-ho: 5 Minutes' Physical Fitness

Nagai, Haruka.  Japan Publications, 1972.
- The "stretching exercises" done before class in many Aikido dojo

Children and the Martial Arts

Homma, Gaku.  Shambhala, 1993.
- Martial arts for children.
- As an educational tool.
- Basic technique.
- Games.

In Search of the Warrior Spirit

Heckler, Richard Strozzi.  North Atlantic, 1992.
- An attempt to teach Aikido to Green Berets as part of an elite special forces training experiment.

The Martial Arts: The Spiritual Dimension

Payne, Peter.  Thames and Hudson, 1981.
- The inner dimensions of the Martial Arts including Aikido.
- Nice photos of O-sensei and K. Ueshiba-sensei.

The Way of the Warrior

Reid, Howard & Croucher, Michael.  Century, 1983.
- Based on the BBC TV series.
- Covers a variety of arts including Tomiki ryu Aikido.

Classical Bujutsu:The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan, Vol. 1

Classical Budo: The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan, Vol. 2
Modern Bujutsu and Budo:The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan, Vol. 3

Draeger, Donn F. Whetherhill, 1974.
- This 3-volume set is the standard reference work on Japanese Martial Arts.
- Includes section on Aikido in Book 3.

The Martial Arts

Random, Michel.  Peerage Books, 1977.
- Large format coffee table book.
- Section on Aikido includes some nice color photographs of O-sensei and K. Ueshiba-sensei.

The Original Martial Arts Encyclopedia: Tradition, History, Pioneers

Corcoran, John, Farkas, Emil & Sobel, Stuart.  Pro Action Pub., 1993.
- Brief description of many arts including Aikido.
- Brief biography of notable teachers.

Secrets of the Samurai

Westbrook, Adele & Ratti, Oscar.  Tuttle, 1973.
- A survey of the Martial Arts of Feudal Japan.

Who's Who in American Martial Arts

Welldendorf, Jan & Brooks, Dale.  Amer. Martial Arts Pub., 1985.
- Brief bios of "significant" people in the field including many Aikido instructors.

Who's Who in the Martial Arts

Brooks, Dale.  Bemjo, 1985..

Enlightenment Through Aikido

Kanshu Sunadomari, North American Books, 2004
English translation of substantial size done on the works of Sunadomari Sensei. This is not a technical book in any fashion, but a collection of spiritual and philosophical anecdotes.