Legendary 17th century swordsman Miyamoto Musashi's exposition of sword fighting, strategy and Zen philosophy. Required reading for any martial artist, business person or student of strategy. Includes the one hour Zen inspired soundtrack The Mysterious Sound of Wind in the Bamboo. Performed on authentic Japanese instruments.
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"If you don't know how to use a sword, don't bother. This book is often tauted by business leaders as a strategy book, in much the same way that Sun Tzu's book 'The Art of War' is tauted. The comparison is impractical. Sun-Tzu was far more a philosopher than Musashi. I took Iaido for 3 years before I could read this book. It IS good for strategy, but you don't get the metaphors without learning the sword first." — Mikekite (4 out of 5 stars)
"If you don't know how to use a sword, don't bother. This book is often tauted by business leaders as a strategy book, in much the same way that Sun Tzu's book 'The Art of War' is tauted. The comparison is impractical. Sun-Tzu was far more a philosopher than Musashi. I took Iaido for 3 years before I could read this book. It IS good for strategy, but you don't get the metaphors without learning the sword first."
" Musashi must have been a very interesting and dangerous person. He had some very definate views on the martial arts and how to train the body and mind. I find a lot of his teachings to be foreign to many of my own ideas about how to act and live out my life. "
" In the void is virtue, and no evil. Wisdom has existence, principle has existence, the Way has existence, spirit is nothingness. "
" very good and also a great read for anyone who is in business for themselves or wants an extra court advantage! "
" I read this after finishing Mushashi by Eji Yoshikawa. It was an interesting read, and I suppose it added to the Mushashi story like an appendix or something. I would recommend it only if you got a bit fanatical about samurai. "
" Essential brain food for the true martial artist. "
" A good book for strategy, but the principles can be applied in other areas besides warfare. Take some time and read this one, it can teach you some good lessons. "
" Lucid, yet compressed. This is the kind of book that needs to be revisited frequently. "
" Helping me to further world dominance "
" I'm sure that much of this book get lost in translation, however it's a refreshing insight into feudal Japan. "
" Passei a respeitar mais Musashi... "
" Gets four stars for simply being astonishingly coherent in its principles' translation to modern day. "
" fascinating read, but i don't really get why they file this into 'spirituality', because it's very earthly, and pragmatic. it's a kind of spirituality i'm not used to at all, and it's refreshing. "
" Thought provoking aphorisms, but the book lacks momentum and tends to be very repetitive. "
" The audio book bored me by the second disc. I think it might be more interesting to anyone heavily into self-defense or some warrior code. In all fairness I probably should have left this one on the bookshelf. "
" This book really opened my mind. Every man in the world should read it "
" More about the mindset to be in rather than actual fighting. While some ideas may be harder to grasp than others, this is the kind of book that speaks to you more and more the more times you read it. "
" Did not find anything real profound in this book. However I am open to the option of a second read, as it is not long and many years have passed since the first read. "
" This book is generally discarded by most readers as only readable if you are becoming a swordsman or warrior, but it actually is full of valuable life lessons from a legendary man...I recommend it...blessings "
" An interesting book, though more like a collection of thoughts squished together than an outright book. Some of the parts are very basic and I found myself almost skimming ahead. Other parts are wonderfully philosophical. I think it'll make a nice reference book. "
" A lot of people use the Art of War for their business strategy and war strategy but I prefer the Book of Five Rings. To my mind, it offers much greater insight into tactics than the aforementioned. It has helped me in my day to day life and in my relationships greatly. "
" Classic strategy text by the most famous swordsman of Japan. "
" This is one of my all time favorites. Helps me get my head into the game. "
" I think this will definitely help my fencing, because I'm feeling like I'm stuck at a plateau. I need to think of a fencing bout as life or death to get better, and this advice is right toward that. "
" I read this and found it interesting as it is something I do have an interest in. The problem being is it isn't something I practice so a lot was lost on me. "
" Very good strategy book, still reading it from time to time, "
" Very insightful look into the mind of the samurai warriors! Although, being told "You should study this well" after every single lesson got somewhat annoying.Still a fascinating read. "
" Martial Artist or not, this book will inspire you and impart some ancient wisdom into your life. Miyamoto Musashi was the epitome of legend. Read it for yourself if you haven't already. "
" the best example of unconventional thinking that i've ever seen. "
" Ancient, esoteric? I liked it, but is it useful? hard to say, I got more out of the words and the structure of the book itself, than anything else. "
" If you don't read anything else, read this. "
" Up to the water scroll so far - this is some stilted ass prose and poorly organized paragraphs like woah, but its fun. "
Miyamoto Musashi (1584–1645), famed swordsman, was born Shinmen Takezo in Harima Province and may have fought at Sekigahara under the Ukita as a common soldier. He claimed to have defeated his first opponent (a certain Arima Kihei) at the age of thirteen. He wrote that he engaged in sixty duels without suffering defeat once, and he was noted in this regard for his skill at handling two swords at once. Much of Musashi’s life between 1600 and 1640 is the stuff of legend, and some have postulated that he served at Osaka Castle on the defending side, taking quite a few heads in the process. In 1640 Musashi accepted service with the Hosokawa clan and three years later, in Higo Province, began work on his great book The Book of Five Rings. He finished this influential work on swordsmanship in May 1645—the same year he died.
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