The best-selling “Tomei na Chikara” [Transparent or Invisible Power] has sold over 60,000 copies in its original Japanese, and is currently in its 15th printing. The wisdom, philosophy, attitude, and experiences of Sagawa Sensei have been of great value and interest to many people, not just those involved in martial arts. Now at long last the authorized English translation is nearing release, making this inspirational book available to people who can not read it in the original.

Transparent Power not only brings to life Yukiyoshi Sagawa, a truly remarkable teacher who had a life-changing impact on hundreds of people, but also begins to reveal the intangible but awe-inspiring thing called Aiki, which is the core idea of this book and the force that transformed Sagawa’s life.

Unlike other martial arts, Aiki contains elements that defy comprehension. Sagawa, a direct disciple of Daito-ryu master Sokaku Takeda and a contemporary of Morihei Ueshiba (the founder of Aikido), insists that Aiki is definitely not a mysterious art; it can be entirely logically explained. However, most any observation of Sensei's technique leaves the viewer with the feeling that something magical has occurred. Aiki seems to be the only pure manifestation of Japanese martial arts that has continued down to this day.

Author Tatsuo Kimura studied directly with Sagawa Sensei for 20 years, and was his most senior student. Over that time, Kimura compiled almost 5,000 pages of notes written during or immediately after his training sessions with Sagawa Sensei. These notes provide an unparalleled opportunity to listen to Sagawa reflect on his life and art during his last decades. In the short historical section at the beginning, Kimura weaves from the threads of these notes a rough narrative of Sagawa Sensei’s youth and his early studies and travels with his own teacher, Sokaku Takeda. The remaining sections essentially are loosely organized quotations from Sagawa Sensei, and we are able to “hear” Sagawa's voice directly.

Transparent Power is the culmination of many years of discussion and attempts to bring “Tomei na Chikara” to a wider audience. Author Kimura states, “It is with great joy that I take this opportunity to make more people aware that Sagawa Sensei, a truly great martial artist, lived among us for a time. It is my hope that this book will keep his greatness alive in the minds of readers around the world and that in the following pages readers will find hope and encouragement for their own studies.”