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Books:

Shakunetsu -Cover -ENG

Aikukan: a Life in Shintaido

by Master Masashi Minagawa

Aikukan: a Life in Shintaido, is Master Minagawa’s autobiography, published by British Shintaido in April 2026.

Aikukan, the “space of love”, is the ideal Masashi Minagawa has sought, and the reality he has found, through his lifelong devotion to Shintaido. In this very personal book, he shares this space of love with us.

He takes us from his childhood in provincial Japan to 1960s Tokyo, where he first met the charismatic Hiroyuki Aoki, founder of Shintaido, and joined his Rakutenkai “group of optimists”, undergoing extraordinarily intense physical and spiritual training to discover a fuller, freer way of being and fulfil a new human potential

In 1990, after moving to the very different culture and environment of Britain, he had to go back to his deepest roots to find a way of communicating what he had learned to the people he met, few of whom were interested in Japanese martial arts. At the same time, he took on a major role in developing the worldwide Shintaido movement.

Filled with humour, anecdotes, insights both personal and spiritual, and extraordinary explanations of his creative processes, Aikukan is a book that every Shintaido practitioner will want to explore, as this best-loved of teachers shares his journey through Shintaido, and through life, with his customary modesty, wisdom and joy.

Celebration /launch event

The book was launched in a Zoom event on Sunday April 19, 2026

See a recording of the launch event here: https://youtu.be/V7wqN-bKxxs

From the back cover:

Aikukan, the “space of love,” is the ideal Masashi Minagawa has sought, and the reality he has found, through his lifelong devotion to Shintaido. In this very personal book he shares this space of love with us.

He takes us from his childhood in provincial Japan, to 1960s Tokyo where he first met the charismatic Hiroyuki Aoki, founder of Shintaido, and joined his Rakutenkai “group of optimists”, undergoing extraordinarily intense physical and spiritual training in order to discover a fuller, freer way of being and fulfil a new human potential.

In 1990, after moving to the very different culture and environment of Britain, he had to go back to his deepest roots in order to find a way of communicating what he had learned to the people he met. few of whom were interested in Japanese martial arts. At the same time he took on a major role In developing the worldwide Shintaido movement.

Filled with humour, anecdotes, insights both personal and spiritual, and extraordinary explanations of his creative processes, Aikukan is a book that every Shintaido practitioner will want to explore, as this best-loved of teachers shares his-journey through Shintaido, and through life, with his customary modesty, wisdom and joy.

Where to Buy:

You can buy an English-language copy from Amazon in your home territory; search for “Masashi Minagawa Aikukan”.

British readers can purchase from UK Amazon at https://amzn.eu/d/01Rzz5I9

US readers can purchase from US Amazon https://a.co/d/0bdCSxRE

 

Shakunetsu -Cover -ENG

SHAKUNETSU: Chronicles of the Creation of Shintaido, a Japanese Martial Art

by Pierre Quettier, paperback, 387 pages, illustrated with photos

English language edition released 2023: (also available in French as a Kindle eBook)
Amid the extraordinary, global upheaval of the 1960’s, a group of young Japanese idealists embarked on a quest characteristic of the time: to break down the cultural and class barriers of a venerable and ancient tradition to its essence, reconstitute it, and share it with as many people as possible. The tradition was budo, the traditional martial arts of Japan. The result of their work was shintaido, a radically new discipline, open and generous, forging its own body of tradition and mythos that would be handed down to their successors and, they hoped, benefit the world. The ambition of this book, a collective biography, is to provide access to these origin stories by presenting the men and women who lived these moments, as they lived them. Their testimony may prove valuable, not only for practitioners of shintaido and martial arts enthusiasts but also as primary source material for scholars of the human sciences, particularly sociologists codifying the knowledge-to-exist of a culture.

See Interviews with the author Pierre Quettier and interviews with Mieko Hirano, HF Ito, M Minagawa and the team of translators who worked on the English edition of this book.

For more visit: www.shakunetsu.net

From the Back Cover:

Amid the extraordinary, global upheaval of the 1960’s, a group of young Japanese idealists embarked on a quest characteristic of the time: to break down the cultural and class barriers of a venerable and ancient tradition to its essence, reconstitute it, and share it with as many people as possible. The tradition was budo, the traditional martial arts of Japan. The result of their work was shintaido, a radically new discipline, open and generous, forging its own body of tradition and mythos that would be handed down to their successors and, they hoped, benefit the world.

The ambition of this book, a collective biography, is to provide access to these origin stories by presenting the men and women who lived these moments, as they lived them. Their testimony may prove valuable, not only for practitioners of shintaido and martial arts enthusiasts but also as primary source material for scholars of the human sciences, particularly sociologists codifying the knowledge-to-exist of a culture.

About the Author:

Pierre Quettier is a retired professor from the University of Paris 8, an ethnomethodologist specialized in Information and Communication Sciences and in Education Sciences.

He is Dai-Shihan of Shintaido, which he studied in Japan since the 1970s with the founding members of the discipline, and holds high-level dan ranks in karate, bojutsu and kenjutsu.

Where to Buy:

English Language Edition:

Amazon US
Amazon United Kingdom
Amazon France
Amazon Japan

French Language Edition:

Amazon France: French Kindle eBook

All other Amazon Marketplaces:

Search “Shakunetsu shintaido” or ISBN: 979-8-218-21148 .

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Ito Gaiden: Stories from the Shintaido Heritage

by Haruyoshi Fugaku Ito, 44 pages
This book is available on Amazon for $19.95.
(Above link opens in a new tab.)
Contents:
  • Forward: By Pierre Quettier (Ph. D)
  • INTRODUCTION:  What Are We?
  • PART I:  Where Do We Come From?
    • Notes from H. F. Ito
    • 1. On the chanting of the syllables A, E, I, 0, U
    • 2. On Kisshomaru Ueshiba and Koichi Tohei, and reflecting on my own journey
  • PART II:  Where Are We Going?
    • Notes from H. F. Ito.
    • 1. On the value of softness and expansion
  • Afterword:  By Kazuo Hokari
  • Martial Arts Genealogy of Master Ito
  • Chronology
  • Bibliography
From the back cover:

What is fiction? What is reality? What are the limits of the human potential and what drives those who after a lifetime of dedication could live happily within the limitations they have found in themselves, to keep challenging them?

In Ito Gaiden, Haruyoshi Fugaku Ito, founder of Life Exercise and ambassador of Shintaido in the West since 1975, tells us about these masters who preceded and have accompanied him on his path. By delivering insights into his own journey, he also helps us develop answers to the questions above. In these pages you’ll learn:

  • Who was the mysterious Hoken Inoue whom H. Aoki, the founder of Shintaido, mentions in his book “Shintaido: the Body is a Message from the Universe”
  • How did lnoue’s Shinwataido relate to well-known Aikido, and how it did influence the evolution of Shotokai Karate as well as the creation of Shintaido
  • What are the three pillars of Shintaido and how, from guiding principles, these became embodied in today’s physical practice
  • What additional ingredients H. F. Ito sought to bring into the practice, and what succession of events led him to evolve his own brand
  • How these two arts, Shintaido and Life Exercise, complement each other

Primarily intended for those who have an interest in the martial arts, and particularly in Shintaido or Life Exercise, this book, in itself the result of a collaboration transcending national barriers, will actually benefit anyone who, through body movement, seek to gain a better understanding and purpose in their lives.

About the Author: Haruyoshi Fugaku Ito was born in Hiroshima, Japan in 1942. He entered Chuo University in Tokyo in 1960, graduating with a degree in law. At the age of 18, while at university, he began the study of Shotokai Karate with Master Shigeru Egami and, at 21, after less than four years of practice, he was awarded the top Shotokai rank of 5th Dan. This was a remarkable accomplishment in an art form known for its rigorous and demanding examination system.

 

Shintaido: The Body Is A Message Of The Universe

by Hiroyuki Aoki, 120 pages, illustrated with photos, $20

For ten years this textbook has served as a gateway and guidebook to the practice of Shintaido. Includes sections on the history and philosophy as well as detailed explanations of technique. This second printing features more information about the ten Shintaido meditation positions.

 

 

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Untying Knots: A Shintaido Chronicle

by Michael Thompson, 120 pages, illustrated with photos, $20

Written by one of the co-founders of Shintaido of America, this autobiographical memoir tells the story of the author’s cross-cultural adventures in France, Japan, and California over the course of his 25-year Shintaido career.

 

 

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Cutting The Blue Sky

$20

An anthology of the best articles from the Shintaido of America newsletter over the past 25 years, commemorating the significant milestone. The articles were written by students and instructors. There are 32 articles, 33 photos, 162 pages, grouped by topics: the roots of Shintaido, cultural clashes, spiritual development, using Shintaido in the world, and musing on timing, facing death, the invisible world of the 4th dimension, and passive resistance.

 

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Total Stick Fighting: Shintaido Bojutsu

by Hiroyuki Aoki, 140 pages, illustrated with photos

Released in March 2000 by Kodansha, this authoritative work covers the art of Bojutsu as practiced in Shintaido. Aoki sensei presents traditional bo katas adapted for Shintaido as well as his own new and established creations. This book is offered by online retailers and vendors nationwide.

Out of print

available through second hand resellers

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PDF Booklets:

Shintaido – an Introductory Booklet

by Masashi Minagawa, Master Instructor

20 Pages

Sections:

    • What is Shintaido?
    • Tenshin Juso Ho – Warm-ups
    • Tenshingoso — Cycle of life
    • Poster: Tenshingoso: Cycle of Life
    • Poster: Eiko: Hymn of Life
    • Poster: Wakame Taiso: Moving Meditation
    • Diamond Eight (Kongo Happo)
    • Taimyo Kata
    • The four Shintaido systems 系 (kei)

 

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Origins – A History Of Shintaido

by Shiko Hokari (1989)

25 pages

One of the founding members of Shintaido relates the stories of Rakutenkai (the group that developed Shintaido), and the conditions of society and consciousness in the late 1960s in Japan. Contains insights into the continuing evolution of Shintaido forms from their earliest manifestations.

Table of Contents:

    • Preface
    • Acknowledgements
    • Introduction
    • Chapter 1: A Brief History of Budo
    • Chapter 2: Ideas for a “Modern Budo”
    • Chapter 3: Aoki-sensei’s Footprints – Childhood, School, Karate and Master Egami
    • Chapter 4: Rakutenkai
    • Chapter 5: Discovery of New Keiko – Tenshingoso, Eiko
    • Chapter 6: The Formation of Shintaido
    • Chapter 7: Toward the Shintaido Age
    • Addendum:
        • “Shintaido and the Modem History of Human Expression” by H.F. Ito (and Michael Goldberg)
        • “Shintaido and Community: Toward a U.S. Rakutenkai” by Michael Thompson

 

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Tenshingoso and Eiko

by Hiroyuki Aoki

15 pages

This booklet is for Shintaido practitioners what the Diamond Sutra is for Buddhists: a concise yet thorough description of the basis of practice. Tenshingoso and Eiko are two of the fundamental movements of Shintaido, which embodies philosophies and prescriptions for human growth. Contains practical advice for all levels.

 

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Zero Point of Consciousness and the World of Ki

Heaven-Human-Earth and The Secret of Unification

An interview with master Hiroyuki Aoki founder of Shintaido.

17 pages

In this interview Mr. Aoki describes his experience of reaching the “space of mu” (nothingness). He also discusses the unique understanding of ki energy (life force) that he came to in synthesizing Shintaido Body Movement.

 

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Improvisation and the Body: A Natural Vision of Music

An Interview with Toshinori Kondo
by Gilbert Dalmasso

14 pages

Japanese jazz musician Toshinori Kondo discusses Shintaido, performance, and music in an interview with French composer Gilbert Dalmasso. Illustrates how one artist benefitted from Shintaido by going beyond his limits.

 

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DVDs:

 

H.F. Ito Presents Body Movements of Self-Expression: Shintaido

$20

In this DVD, H.F. Ito offers his innovative interpretations of selected techniques and forms of Shintaido, the “new body way,” founded in Japan in the 1960s. A movement art, with deep roots in sword and karate practice, Shintaido infuses the rigorous martial arts tradition with creative expression.

Born in Hiroshima, Japan, in 1942, Haruyoshi Fugaku Ito co-founded Shintaido of America in 1976. In 1988, he became the first practitioner awarded the International Shintaido Federation rank of Master Instructor, and in 2001, he established the Taimyo Network for Peace, an international group that transcends space and time to pray and meditate for world peace.

Content includes: Tenshingoso, Eiko, Hikari, Wakame, In-yo-ittai-ken, Toitsukihon-kumite, Kyu-ka-jo, Shinkendo, Jissen-Kumitachi, Taimyo, and an interview.

 

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Self Care Program For Hospice Caregivers

$20

Master Instructor H.F. Ito leads hospice caregivers in a Shintaido program designed to relieve the stress of their emotionally demanding jobs. Master Ito uses the Shintaido techniques of Kenko Taiso, Wakame and Tenshingoso to teach caregivers how to relax and meditate.

 

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Other Merchandise

Roots of Shintaido:
Our Cultural Inheritance from Three Masters

More information coming in Oct 2026

Available for purchase in Oct 2006