The Complete Musashi The Book of Fiv..., Miyamoto Musashi
The Complete Musashi The Book of Fiv..., Miyamoto Musashi
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The Complete Musashi: The Book of Five Rings and Other Works
Complete Musashi: The Book of Five Rings and Other Works

Author: Miyamoto Musashi, Graham Sayer

Narrator: Richard Trapp

Unabridged: 5 hr 50 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/09/2021

Synopsis

The culmination of 25 years of research, Alex Bennett's groundbreaking English translation of Miyamoto Musashi's The Book of Five Rings reveals the true meaning of the original work.

This piece of writing by famed samurai Musashi (1584-1645) is the single-most influential work on samurai swordsmanship, offering insights into samurai history, the Zen Buddhist state of ""no-mind"" that enables warriors to triumph and the philosophical meaning of Bushido—""the way of the warrior.""

Until now, English translations of The Book of Five Rings have been based on inaccurate copies of Musashi's long-lost original manuscript. Bennett's translation is the first to be based on a careful reconstruction of the original text by Japan's foremost Musashi scholar. By identifying discrepancies among the existing copies, adding missing texts and correcting over 150 incorrect characters, this source is the closest representation of Musashi's original work possible. Utilizing this new source, Bennett captures the subtle nuance of the classic Japanese text, resulting in the most accurate English translation of The Book of Five Rings available.

The texts are richly annotated by Bennett, who includes an extensive introduction on Musashi's life and legacy. This paperback edition also includes a new introduction by Kendo Kyoshi 7th Dan Graham Sayer, who talks about the influence Musashi's writings have had on him as a person and martial artist.

The Complete Musashi: The Book of Five Rings and Other Works will be widely read by those interested in Japanese culture, Samurai history and martial arts—setting a new standard against which all other translations will be measured.

About Miyamoto Musashi

The famed swordsman Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645) 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 was noted in this regard for his skill at handling two swords at once. He was also remembered for employing a simple bamboo sword, which he used to deadly effect. 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 a similar vein, he is sometimes said to have helped quell the Shimabara Rebellion of 1638. 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.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Adil on August 19, 2011

I read a translation by Ashikaga Yoshiharu and Rosemary Brant. This book puzzled me in that at first glance I seem to have learned nothing else from it than how to hold a sword and attack and enemy, and obvious things like never let your enemy have a chance to recover. I'm definitely missing somethi......more

Goodreads review by Mike (the Paladin) on November 19, 2014

This is one of those books I've been "meaning to read" for years. There's a lot that could be said here, more than can be included in a "review". How can one review a book that has stood the test of 5+ centuries? I think there is much of value here, I think there is much that can be learned and then......more

Goodreads review by Jon on November 19, 2022

The classic book on strategy that transcends martial-arts. Read this book before I went to boot camp; it really helped me get through it. This book helped me focus on the process of facing adversity in a way that would facilitate personal growth. I tried to reflect on this when I felt like just givi......more

Goodreads review by Bradley on April 22, 2020

I can't believe I never read this before now, but damn, HAVING read it now, I also appreciate it more. Huh? Am I learning the way of the blade, wanting to defeat my foes from first principles and needing someone from many hundreds of years ago to tell me to EXPLORE THE PRACTICE DEEPLY? Yes? Practice......more

Goodreads review by John on February 23, 2013

The Original Bad Ass MoFo ... in a Zen kinda way. Strategy Tactics Bad Assedness Violence YES!......more

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