William Scott Wilson

This was a beautiful book. I have not come across a biography written with such a respect to the person of interest without becoming cringe or little bit over the top, especially in the world of martial arts or war.

Musashi presented in this book is a man that even after all his deeds and written works remains a mystery (and as such great basis for various works, novels and movies about his life and deeds). We do know that he was dedicated to his martial arts, to the philosophy of it than he show more also applied in ordinary, non-martial-art-related, life. But we only see the surface,with occasional glimpse of his views and attitude toward life, very interesting views obviously built through his experiences (that unfortunately remain hidden and majorly unknown). We follow him from early days when he made his name by mercilessly defeating the challengers. Then we get to know the man who decides that actual killing of his challengers is to be avoided because it does not have a purpose, so he decides to leave a trace and create a school of his own. This is period of Musashi's life during which he starts playing more of a role of wise man (in positive, true, meaning, not mafia or wise cracker way). He shows that he knows a lot of things, from governing to arts, and is more than capable to make a very durable friendships. This is a side of him that I was not aware. It shows that he was truly a quite capable polymath. Again, how did he manage to acquire this much knowledge is left unknown.

He is practical man, and has a very clear approach to combat and martial arts - goal is defeating the enemy, means are not important, important thing is to finish the fight with the other side completely defeated and no longer a danger. I like how he considers opinions (prevalent in other martial art schools) that combat involves deception as silly. It is silly to Musashi because for him combat is use of all means, all weapons and techniques available to defeat the enemy. There is nothing to consider deception when in combat everything is allowed to win. His comments how one needs to train in order to win using what is available to him in ordinary life are also very interesting. If one is dedicated to life of the martial arts, then one is always ready to engage in combat. There is no need for additional rituals or preparation. If one is at his senses, he is ready for fight at any time. Also I like his approach to death in combat. While death in combat was looked through prism of Samurai being able to understand how every day, every new conflict brought with it, can also mean warrior's death, this became sort of a cult like approach, with even some works on warrior conduct starting to state how death is the way of the warrior (as they say when simplification takes place.....). For Musashi death was something that can happen (and thus is in line with the old views on death and combat) but goal in combat was not death in any way of the warrior but defeat and death of his opponents.

Parts on Musashi's phase as artist and later as a teacher are truly epic. I did not know he was such an accomplished painter.

It is very refreshing to read about the person that never put himself under the stage light (although fame and rank was something he was always after, and good advertisement was always welcome). This, considering the way various schools and techniques fought for their spot under the sun, was extraordinary then, but is exceptional today, in time when everyone has a need to share more than required with everyone else.

Excellent story of a very interesting man, who seems to have lived by the creed of do-and-learn, but was also more than capable to learn other skills, looking at them as if they are just another facets of martial arts gem, and thus worthy to know and master. If one just takes this idea from this book, it is incredible, it opens a lot of potential. Life is something we need to embrace, live fully and recognize that any skill, any bits of knowledge we come across, every experience, is a way to grow and become stronger. Important thing - do not just read about these things, live them. That is the only way to achieve greatness.

One of the best books I ever read.

Highly recommended. show less

(I actually listened to the audiobook version, read by Brian Nishii - he is so good! His Japanese and Chinese pronunciations are perfect, and his English is melodious).

This is a wonderful book. Unlike many a Japan travel memoir written in English this is not couched as some kind of 'discovering myself in the mysterious and quirky land of Japan'. Rather it is written by someone who has visited Japan, and specifically this part of Japan, many times over the years. While peppered with show more quotations and the occasional deep thoughts about walking, travel and self, it is actually a mildly humorous, very entertaining travelogue of a walk through part of Japan that has deliberately retained many traditional features surrounded by natural beauty. We follow Wilson as he makes new friends and connects with old ones while walking most of the Kiso Road (occasionally blisters got the best of him). Whether you love Japan, or just like to share interesting travel stories, this is a book worth spending time with. show less

An excellent biography of Miyamoto Musashi, one of the most captivating figures in world history. Deeply informative, with a catalogue of interesting tidbits about the different media representations of the man in addition to a comprehensive overview of his life and works, this is not only THE biography to read, it might be the only one available in English? (I'm not sure, but from what I can tell, there aren't any others available to read.) This is very much worth your time if you like show more Japanese history, or happen to like Vagabond.

The only complaints that I have are probably related to the limited sources available, but occasionally the author would mention that Musashi had adopted sons, for example, and provide no other context or detail. Perhaps this information doesn't exist, but it would be nice to at least acknowledge that. show less

By age thirteen, Miyamoto Musashi had killed his opponent in what would become the first of many celebrated swordfights. By thirty, he had fought more than sixty matches, losing none. He would live another thirty years but kill no one else. He continued to engage in swordfights but now began to show his skill simply by thwarting his opponents' every attack until they acknowledged Musashi's all-encompassing ability. At the same time, the master swordsman began to expand his horizons, show more exploring Zen Buddhism and its related arts, particularly ink painting, in a search for a truer Way.

Musashi was a legend in his own time. As a swordsman, he preferred the wooden sword and in later years almost never fought with a real weapon. He outfoxed his opponents or turned their own strength against them. At the height ofhis powers, he began to evolve artistically and spirituallly, becoming one of the country's most highly regarded ink painters and calligraphers, while deepening his practice of Zen Buddhism. He funneled his hard-earned insights about the warrior arts into his spiritual goals. Ever the solitary wanderer, Musashi shunned power, riches,and the comforts of a home or fixed position with a feudal lord in favor of a constant search for truth, perfection, and a better Way. Eventually, he came to the realization that perfecton in one art, whether peaceful or robust, could offer entry to a deeper, spiritual understanding. His philosophy, along with his warrior strategies, is distilled in his renowned work, The Book of Five Rings, written near the end of his life.

Working from original Japanese source materials, author William Scott Wilson paints an unforgettable protrait. Wilson, of course, is also the translator who brought the English-speaking world the authoritative versions of Hagakure, Musashi's Book of Five Rings, and other classics of martial arts philosophy.

Musashi remains a source of fascination for the Japanese, as well as for those in the West who have more recently discovered the ideals of the samurai and Zen Buddhism. The Lone Samurai is the first biography ever to appear in English of this richly layered, complex seventeenth-century swordsman and seeker, whose legacy has lived on far beyond his own time and place.

William Scott Wilson was born in 1944 and grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. As an undergraduate student at Dartmouth College in 1966, he was invited by a friend to join a three-month kayak trip up the coast of Japan from Shimonoseki to Tokyo. This eye-opening journey, beautifully documented in National Geographic Magazine, spurred Wilson's fascination with the culture and history of Japan.

After receiving a B.A. degree in political science from Dartmouth, Wilson earned a second B.A. in Japanese language and literature from the Monterey Institute of Foreign Studies, then undertook extensive research on Edo-period (1603-1868) philosophy at the Aichi Prefectural University in Nagoya, Japan.

Wilson completed his first translation, Hagakure, while living in an old farmhouse deep in the Japanese countryside. Hagakure saw publication in 1979, the same year Wilson completed an M.A. in Japanese language and literature at the University of Washington. Wilson's other translations include The Book of Five Rings, The Life-Giving Sword, The Unfettered Mind, the Eiji Yoshikawa novel Taiko, and Ideals of the Samurai, which has been used as a college textbook on Japanese history and thought. Two decades after its initial publication in English, Hagakure was prominently featured in the Jim Jarmusch film Ghost Dog. Traveling frequently to Japan for research and pleasure, Wlilson currently lives in Miami, Florida.

The Lone Samurai is a landmark biography of Miyamoto Musashi, the legendary Japanese figure known throughout the world as a master swordsman, spiritual seeker, and author of the Book of Five Rings. A stunning protarit of a courageous and singularly determined man emerges in these pages, the first biography of Musashi to appear in English. With a compassionate yet critical eye, William Scott Wilson delves into the workings of Musashi's mind as the iconoclastic samurai wrestled with philosphical and spiritual ideas that are as relevant today as they were in his times. The Lone Samurai is far more than a vivid account of a fasinating period in feudal Japan. It is the story of one man's quest for the right path in life, and the reward it eventually led to.

Contents

Preface
Maps
Prologue
Chapter One The way of the sword: Banshu to Ganryu Island
First strike
Origins
Finding his strength
Kyoto and matches with the masters
Sharpeneing his tools
Demon of the Western Provinces
Chapter Two The way of the sword and the way of the brush: Osaka Castle to Kokura
The fire of battle
Arts of peace, arts of war
The Kyoto renaissance
Family name
A real live human being
On to Kokura
Kumoi
Shimabara
Chapter Three The way of the brush: Kumamoto
Connections
The way of the warrior
A place in the seating order
Last bouts
The thirty-five articles
An end and a beginning
The brush and the mind
Painting with the mind of the sword
The paintings
Calligraphy
Fudo Myo-o
Chapter Four The way of life and death: Reigan Cave
Old age
The five-storied pagoda
The concept of the five rings in esoteric Buddhism
Basic principles
The way of the martial arts is to win
Discipline
Real knowledge
Everldya mind
Fluidity
Psychology
Final days
Musashi's character
Afterword
Appendix I- LIfe after death
Appendix 2-Influences on and parallels to The Book of Five Rings
Appendix 3-A Mkusashi Filmgraphy
Notes
Glossary-Terms; Historical figures; Clans; Events; Fighting styles; Writings; Others
Bibliography show less