The Book of Five Rings

Amazing book

This Edition: Great translation of an excellent book in a small but well constructed hardback. The addition of various calligraphy and Musashi's The Way of Walking Alone are a welcomed treat that adds further depth to an already remarkable book. This book: The Go Rin No Sho (a.k.a. The Book of Five Rings) is the definitive book on Samurai Philosophy by the archetype of The Wandering Samurai himself, Miyamoto Musashi. Throughout his remarkable life, Musashi developed a philosophy and a style all his own. As stated early in the text, his philosophy is not Budhism, nor Taoism nor any other existing philosophy. It is rather a hard won and practical philosophy, almost a code of conduct and a way of viewing the world that is not bound by esoteric nor abstract thinking. Instead, his writing is about a gradual awakening and clarity of thought that his many and varied experiences led him to. Despite being written by a rampant, unwashed and bewilderingly intelligent swordsman with an odd smattering of formal education, his ability to elucidate the intricacies of strategy and apply it to all aspects of life are staggering and surprisingly relevant even now. You do not have to be a fan of Japan, Samurai, the Edo period, eastern philosophy or any other genre you may want to file this book under in order to appreciate it. It is relatively short, easy to read, to the point and like the man himself, deadly accurate. Enjoy the genius that is The Book of Five Rings.

Book of Five Rings is a fencing manual with a dose of philosophy added for good measure. It is considered to be a classic, but after reading it I cannot see why, for the book is of very limited use to the wider audience. The Book of Five rings was written by a man named Miyamoto Musashi. Musashi lived in feudal Japan in the first half of the seventeenth century. Today he is a semi-legendary figure, and like all semi-legendary figures, most of the tales surrounding his life are more fiction than fact. What is known for certain is that Musashi came from very humble background. Most likely his parents were simple peasants or something similar. From very early age, he was fascinated (obsessed, one could say) with combat. He trained himself to be a warrior. When he reached early twenties, he started to travel the land far and wide, seeking renown warriors and challenging them to see who is better. It is estimated that he fought some sixty duels, all of them victorious. Many of the men he had defeated and killed were warriors of great prowess. Some were even (before meeting Musashi) thought to be the best fighters in all of Japan. Aside for duels, Musashi had also fought in a number of battles and other violent engagements. By the time he had reached late thirties, Musashi had something of a spiritual revelation. While he did continue to train with weapons for the rest of his life, he gave up on violence and started to learn other crafts, such as tea ceremonies (a big thing in Japanese culture) and poetry. Musashi died in his fifties from natural causes (most likely cancer). Shortly before dying, when he could feel death coming for him, he wrote the Book of Five Rings. So much about the man; now about his book. Five Rings is martial arts manual first and philosophy treaty second. Most of the advice given in it is strictly of technical nature. For example, Musashi talks about how you should hold the sword one-handed rather than two-handed, or how you should position yourself in such a way that the sun stays behind you at all times. Most of the advice is about wielding a sword. This part of the book would certainly be of interest to anyone practicing fencing and other martial arts, but few of it is revolutionary. For example, Musashi talks about constantly pushing your opponent onto difficult terrain. That is hardly a revolutionary idea. Even someone who has no fighting experience whatsoever would recognize this as common sense. The other part of the book talks about conflict in general. Most of the advice can be boiled down to “study your opponent carefully, use his weaknesses and strengths against him, and always do the unexpected.” This is all good advice that can be used in any conflict from waging war to negotiating a business deal, but it is hardly revolutionary. Five Rings does have some interesting general philosophical thoughts and advice, however. For example, Musashi says that combat is a way of life, but other people (craftsmen, artists, etc.) also have their own way of life, which is no easier or harder than the path of the warrior. Every occupation should be respected, and even be learned from. Musashi also says that in the end we must rely only on ourselves, that we should not seek out to acquire material possessions or money and, this one is my favorite, not to regret all the roads we have walked in life. We all have made decisions at some point that we wish we could take back. We all have committed mistakes and, perhaps, even done shameful things. While I do believe that we should seek to atone for the bad things we had done in the past, making mistakes teaches us a lot. No matter what road you and I have walked in life, it had taught us many things and made us into who we are today. Even if you believe that the road you took was the wrong one, at least walking it helped you to come to that realization and now all that accumulated experience and knowledge can be used to walk a better road and make better choices in life. I also liked the fact that after dispersing each piece of advice, Musashi says: “this should be studied thoroughly.” He recognizes that his book is not a repository of some secret, revolutionary wisdom that will all by itself change the reader’s life. It is an instruction manual, yes, but true understanding will come from practice, practice and more practice. Just as with modern martial arts manuals, they can show you detailed schematics of various combat moves, but staring at the illustrations won’t make you into a martial artist. To acquire skill in combat, you need to get your hands dirty and practice (with trained professionals, of course). This humility on Musashi’s part is refreshing. Nowadays, many self-help books and other manuals claim that all you need to do is read them and your life will suddenly change for the better. Yeah, right. To conclude, Book of Five Rings would certainly be of interest to people studying martial arts, especially sword fighting. As for other people, although it does contain useful tidbits of information and philosophy, you will need to dig through page after page and layer after layer of advice about combat to get to the interesting parts. If you are looking for life advice and eastern philosophy, there are better books out there. But, in all fairness, I did enjoy this book nevertheless. Plus, it is short and to the point, which for me is always a good thing. I’ll be generous and give it four stars.

For a topic focused on strategy of warfare, I felt the principles shared are applicable beyond warfare. For that reason, I felt this was a rewarding read. It was also interesting from a general historical perspective. Still, you don't have to be into warfare or a history buff to appreciate this book. The terminology and language of the feudalistic Japan era did make some concepts challenging to understand, but I think I was able to get the gist most of the time. Hence, of your willing to take frequent pauses to reflect on certain passages, I would recommend this read.

The is supposedly the best translation out there. The book itself has notes in the back where some of the sentences could be read in multiple ways, and where wordplay doesn't come through to English. I have read several translations over the years, and don't necessarily have a favorite. However, I do enjoy the extra insight that the notes bring. The Book of Five Rings continues to be one of the most influential texts in martial arts. Musashi discusses technique, opposing schools, the concepts behind using the techniques, etc. If you are in the martial arts, you owe it to yourself to own a copy of this. It is short, at just over 100 pages. To those outside of martial arts, I don't think this will be as useful. You may find some principles interesting, but this is mostly about how to dominate another human in combat. It's not normal people stuff. Those that want inspiration for business or other such nonsense are kidding themselves. Get business from business books. Learn combat from those that lived it.

Loved the book.

Bästa boken

Great book

Really enjoyed reading. The translation made practical sense for everyday life.

William Scott Wilson's translation of Miyamoto Musashi's 17th-century classic work of personal philosophy is in every way excellent, and captures the spirit as well as the meaning of the text to perfection. This small (not quite pocket-size but close) hardcover edition is also a very pleasing artefact and a quality piece of work. Musashi's work focuses on practicing the `martial arts' - particularly swordsmanship - not from the perspective of learning technique but from internal spiritual development; the ascendancy of `mind' to which all technique must ultimately become subservient. The `five rings' are in fact five chapters themed: 1. Earth (the South) 2. Water (the East) 3. Fire (the West) 4. Wind (the North) 5. Emptiness (the Center: all action and response is most effective when preceded by emptiness - i.e. no internal noise, no preconceptions; "this must be learned") Each themed chapter incorporates short paragraphs explaining a specific aspect of how to win a contest or fight. For example, in the `Fire' ring, on `Imposing Fear:' "...the heart of fear is in the unexpected...you do not frighten your opponents with what is right before their eyes. People may be frightened by voices...or by making the small seem large...something coming suddenly from the side also induces fear. You can frighten an opponent with your body, with your sword or with your voice. It is essential to do this suddenly, when your opponent is not expecting it. Take advantage of his fear and gain the victory immediately." Musashi was allegedly self-taught, and learned everything through his own experience, introspection and native intelligence. The `Book of Five Rings' is not meant to be some kind of bible, but continuously exhorts the reader to "investigate this thoroughly" and do his own work, taking Musashi's guidelines as a starting point to guard against fatal errors. The power of Musashi's work is in its conciseness and its completeness. He is reported to have written this text in his final two years, around age 60, to summarise and condense the essence of a lifetime of success in the martial arts. It was considered vital in that age for a respected Samurai to be not just an accomplished fighter but a poet, artist, ceramicist and philosopher; learned and accomplished in many things. The book contains some of Musashi's best-known sketches and artworks, including one of his self-portraits and the very famous, powerfully minimalist 'Shrike on a withered branch'. Overall, if you want a good translation of this timeless classic, this edition can be unconditionally recommended as a fine choice.