In Pursuit of Dreams: My Life in Aikijujutsu Book by Kenkichi Ohgami (Preowned)

 Early in the twentieth century, the great martial arts headmaster Sokaku Takeda began to propagate publicly the art of Daito Ryu, from which aikido had derived and which had previously been the private reserve of the legendary Minamoto clan. One of the senior students of Takeda was Takuma Hisa, the only student upon whom Takeda conferred menkyo kaiden - "complete mastery" - and the author's teacher. Daito Ryu was first taught to non-Japanese only late in the twentieth century, when Ohgami, in turn, began his efforts to expand the reach of the art. Despite its rapid growth as a martial art in Japan - where over two thousand Daito Ryu techniques have been preserved intact - it remains a much sought-after but arcane practice in the West.

Japanese language

304 pages

Printed in 2004