Product Details

• Actors: Morihito Saito
• Directors: Don Warrener
• Format: NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Number of discs: 1
• Studio: Rising Sun Productions
• DVD Release Date: September 1, 2004
• Run Time: 30 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 1.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00030LP0Q
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #149,906 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

FightingSpirit.Com
Morihito Saito's skilled are showcased for all to see what a truly great master of Aikido he was..

Product Description
Smooth, smooth, smooth, is all one can say. Master Saito was one of Ueshiba s original students and his skill is totally amazing. He is fast, he is filled with ki, and yes, he is very, very smooth, as you will surely see. He teaches basic techniques and advanced techniques in this production. He will demonstrate for you and you will be able to see him teaching a class of students some of the same techniques he demonstrates in the first portion of the production. You will learn many advanced combinations, as well as several reversals, and just so much more... only watching will make you a believer. This man is so filled with ki it simply oozes out of him in every move he does. You will see how he starts and ends a class the exact way he was taught by his master, the founder of Aikido Master Ueshiba. This production was shot at the same time as his 5 volume book set was photographed. This book set is no longer in print and, if you can find them, they sell for hundreds, if not thousands of dollars each. The entire production is as rare as can be. The first portion of it is in B/W and the last portion including a demonstration of Master Saito and as well him teaching a class is in full color. Both portions are very high quality. Key Words: Aikido, Self Defense, Japanese, Martial Arts

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Could be great, but who knows, December 31, 2004

By	T. Resch - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I ordered the DVD and anxiously loaded it into the player. I got a disk error and it wouldn't play. I tried the DVD in three additional players and two computers and had the same result in each. The DVD appears to be home-made which obviously doesn't affect the content, but the content is irrelevent if you can't view it. I'll post back if I manage to get it exchanged for one that works, in the mean-while, I wouldn't order it.

Ok, Round 2:

Amazon was kind and exchanged the defective one for another which appears identical to the first. Regardless, this one played approximately 15 minutes with minor but irritating interruption and then skipped to the point that it was un-watchable for another 4 minutes or so, then would not play the remaining portion of the content. I tried this again in multiple DVD players with identical result.

Instead of this DVD, I'd recommend...pulling your fingernails out with pliers, shooting yourself in the foot or simply a different DVD, this one is terrible unless you have plenty of asprin to nurse you through the exchange process until you perhaps get a good one.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars High Quality - umm, June 28, 2006

By	L. Johnson - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Aikido Saito's Empty Hand DVD
Aikido Saito's Jo DVD
Aikido Saito's Sword DVD
I got the set of these DVDs as a present. I wasn't expecting a great deal from "lost footage", but to say these are "high quality" is way off the mark. The first 10 minutes (approx.) of each DVD consists of 2 short films in B&W showing various aikido techniques. These are old, grainy and look like they have been copies from old film stock to VHS and then to DVD. As old historical footage of Saito Sensei, they are interesting and worth viewing.

The annoying problem with these three DVDs is that the second and third sections of each DVD are identical. The only parts which are different are the first 10 minutes in B&W, which do indeed concentrate on Sword, Jo and Empty Hand as claimed in the titles.

The second section is in color, again old, grainy, but is taken from old professional video stock so that it is relatively clear. It is a documentary type section showing training at the Iwama dojo and demonstrating a number of techniques. This is the longest section at about 30 minuets, interesting and worth viewing, but I don't need three copies of it.

The last section is an old home video of Saito Sensei teaching bokken. The video is very bad, breaking up in parts and the audio is virtually inaudible, which makes the section fairly pointless since Saito Sensei is trying to describe subtle differences in position which you can neither see properly on the old video nor hear explained. I definitely don't need three copies of this.

I would have been happier getting one DVD for the same price with the 6 historically significant B&W short films and the old documentary section and a bit of clarity about what is actually on the DVDs.