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Book Review: A Book of Five Rings

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  • Book Review: A Book of Five Rings

    A Book of Five Rings
    by Miyamoto Musashi
    Translated by Victor Harris

    What I probably like most of this book wasn't what Musashi wrote but the Translator's Introduction. It talked about the historical background of the time Musashi lived and pictures of various artifacts of his life. I found this helpful in understanding the content of the book. Especially the picture of the cave where he wrote the book, and afterword, fought his last and final battle.

    The Book of the Five Rings or Go Rin No Sho, contains five "books". There is a brief introduction, then the rest of the book is the five books: Ground, Water, Fire, Tradition, and Void. Strategy is explained in the Ground Book. The Water book shows tips and tricks of the Ichi school. Fire book is about fighting. The wind books is about other schools. Void is about nature about how to strike naturally.

    Something else I really like about this books is the use of comments, to explain things. It has helped me to appreciate what I study more.
    "If you want pure self-defense buy a can of mace." Grandmaster Villari (I think that is it).

  • #2
    Who is Musashi? He is a Japanese sword man who lived from 1584 to 1645. He fought many duels during his life, fought in campaigns, and even turned his hand to artistic pursuits.

    Some food for thought is that Musashi stopped using a sword in his duels. Why would he stop doing that? Perhaps we'll never know.
    "If you want pure self-defense buy a can of mace." Grandmaster Villari (I think that is it).

    Comment


    • #3
      the legend as i understand it is not that he stopped using swords for all his duels, but for his final duel, against some big-timer, he took a boat to the island where the duel was to take place. while on the boat, he came across a piece of driftwood, and he pulled it out of the water and carved it to his liking. when it came time for the duel, he used the piece of driftwood instead of the sword, and killed the guy by smashing his skull.

      is any of this true? i don't know. but see the "samurai" movie series starring takeshi mifune. it's about musashi and it's great, if you don't need every other scene to be a massive kung fu battle. and mifune had more masculinity in his pinky toe than any actor alive today.

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      • #4
        Book is on my top 5 for martial arts related books. Personally, I find many of the books related to ma that I've read in the last few years, they are filled with the same cliche`s however, I like this one a lot because of all the great things inbetween, and the thought pattern involved with it.
        practice wu de

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        • #5
          Last year in Japan you could catch the Musashi 'soap opera' series on TV every week. It was fantastic! One of the scenes that caught me off guard was his dual with a spear-wielding warrior monk in Nara...that particular school still exists today.

          Some other things about Musashi that are interesting: Accoridng to some, he was born in the next town over from mine, where I practice kendo. Also, he was locked up in Himeji castle (about a 10 minute bike ride away) for three years. This was where he taught himself to read and started to study scripture.
          -Jesse Pasleytm
          "How do I know? Because my sensei told me!"

          Comment


          • #6
            was the town next to you called miyamoto? miyamoto wasn't his real name, it was the name of the town he was from. he adopted it because it sounded more noble and samurai-like than the name he was born with (i forget what it was).

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            • #7
              Not whole lot is known about Musashi’s life (or as Zachsan pointed out Takezo was his real name). All the movies, plays & soap operas are based on Eiji Yoshikawa’s epic novel Musashi which was first published in serial form in the newspaper Asahi Shimbun from 1935-1939. It’s fiction but there are a lot of real people & events in it.

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              • #8
                Thank You for your positive comments. I currently loaned out this book to someone who goes to the same school, so I'll when I'll get it back, and I'll see If I can post the page about when he stopped using a sword.
                "If you want pure self-defense buy a can of mace." Grandmaster Villari (I think that is it).

                Comment


                • #9
                  Zach,
                  Nope, the town that I'm talking about is called Takasago. The town Miyamoto that you are thinking of is actually outside of Tokyo...far, far away from where I am. I suspect there are several such small towns in Japan claiming to be the hometown of Musashi. As for his real name, I've heard at least three different versions. I suppose that's what happens when you combine unverifyable history with media hype. Reminds me of a certain place in China....
                  -Jesse Pasleytm
                  "How do I know? Because my sensei told me!"

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    the legend as i understand it is not that he stopped using swords for all his duels, but for his final duel, against some big-timer, he took a boat to the island where the duel was to take place. while on the boat, he came across a piece of driftwood, and he pulled it out of the water and carved it to his liking. when it came time for the duel, he used the piece of driftwood instead of the sword, and killed the guy by smashing his skull.
                    Okay here's what it says in the book, do I know if it's true? No, do I care, no but here's what it's says in summary.
                    Musashi's most well-know duel was in the seventeenth year of Keicho 1612, when he was in Ogura in Bunzen province. His opponent Kojiro, a young man who developed a strong fencing technique known as Tsubame-gaeshi or "swallow counter", inspired by the motion of a swallow's tail in flight. Kojiro was retained by the lord of the provnce, Hosokawa Tadaoki. Musashi applied to Tadaoki for permission to fight Kojiro throug the offices of oneof the Hosokawa retainers who had been a pupil of Musashi's father, one Nagaoka Sato Okinaga. Permission was granted for the contest to be held at eight 0'clock the next morning, and the place was to be an island some few miles from Ogura. That night Musashi left his lodging and moved to the house of Kobayshi Taro Zaemon. This inspired a rumor that awe of Kojiro's subtle technique had made Musashi run away afraid of his life. The next dat at eight o'clock Musashi could not be woken until a prompter came from the officials assembled on the island. He got up, drank the water they brought ot him ant was wih, and went straight doen to the shore. As Sato rowed across to the island Musashi fashioned a paper string to the tie back the sleeves of his kimono, and cut a wooden sword from the spare oar. When he had done this he lay down to rest.
                    Swoosh, long quote, anyway, it goes on to say it's about that time he stopped using swords.
                    "If you want pure self-defense buy a can of mace." Grandmaster Villari (I think that is it).

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      it's really too bad that men have to use weapons... some men. but nevertheless, musahshi has some great points on strategy, timing, and the like.

                      but if the legends are true, great ancestors live within the practitioner of their respective arts.

                      peace


                      onefocus

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