This book was written by Kisshomaru Ueshiba, the son of the founder of Aikido. Born into the household of a martial arts genius, Kisshomaru naturally absorbed many teachings from his father, Morihei, as he was growing up. Morihei himself explained Aikido in archaic, esoteric language, and limited his instruction to only a select few, but in order to accomplish the mission of introducing Aikido to the world at large, Kisshomaru simplified the philosophy and revised the techniques so that it would be possible for any serious student to practise Aikido. That effort was a great success. Aikido is now practised in 86 countries. The Aikido ideal of 'polishing one's mind and body to foster a spirit of harmony' has struck a common chord among the peoples of the world. It was due to the genius of the Founder Morihei Ueshiba, and the wise administration of the second Doshu Kisshomaru Ueshiba, that today's Aikido came into existence. This book is a compilation of Kisshomaru's writings on Aikido, and will provide the reader with deep insight into both its spiritual and technical dimensions, which are illustrated with hundreds of photographs.