The Book of Five Rings

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 it a LOT?

No. I'm not picking up a blade, and I'm not reading this from the PoV of some modern businessman wanting to get one-up on my competition, but I sure as hell got a LOT out of this.

You can say that it can be distilled down into a version of Buddhism, or you can say the essence is Fire, Wind, Water, and Stone, plus The Emptiness. But saying so doesn't explain a damn thing, nor does it teach anyone what is really beneath the words in show more this very clear text.

It does, however, lend itself WONDERFULLY to metaphor. Analogy.

I mean, of COURSE you're supposed to aim for the face. It always makes them flinch.

Of course you're supposed to dominate the battlefield with your own timing, never losing momentum, and always face your opponents with courage.

Pay attention to everything. Use everything.

But above all, heed the path of the Emptiness. Stop assuming shit! Learn your lessons well, always be honest with yourself, and never stop facing -- absolutely everything.

I think I'm going to buy this in a very nice edition and place it within my reach everywhere I go. It's that good. After all, minds ARE blades. show less

Study, consider, train, examine, observe. The list goes on. This book is a practical guide to life, whether you are in the military or a business person or just an average joe looking to get a handle on life.

Musashi lays out in plain language an idea he calls 'The Way.' The purpose of this 'Way' is simple, to ignore all pomp, circumstance, distractions, grandiose displays of prowess and close with the enemy and kill them. Swiftly, without rancor, without a second thought.

"Do nothing which is of no use."

Whether this enemy is a real live one, a competitor, or an obstacle/struggle within your own life, the point is to take control through practice, hard work, perseverance, study, and master that which opposes you through any means show more necessary.

Those looking for free handouts need not apply; those looking for the Western romanticized (Therefore erroneous) view of Bushido need not apply. Musashi explicitly states that in a fight, there is no honor beyond victory. You do whatever you can to throw your opponent off balance, onto their weak hand, blind them, use every advantage you know to utterly remove them from the equation.

If you can accept this, you'll never fear a thousand fights. show less

This is a classic work of Japanese philosophy in regards to battle. The tome is actually rather slim, less than 100 pages, which makes this a brief read. The version I read also had a brief bio of Musashi in it, which helped me to appreciate the text itself more. Musashi shares several very practical observations which can be used for not just battle, but other situations such as business or confrontations with people.

The version I read also had several of his paintings. I have to say that in my opinion, he was a much better fighter than he was an artist.

There are always going to be inevitable comparisons to Sun Tzu’s Art of War which are, perhaps, unfair. The Book of Five Rings, dealing with strategy and critical thinking, is a bit more purely focused on swordwork and martial art. As a result, it is perhaps less applicable to “other” areas of life like AoW is. Or maybe it is and I just haven’t devoted enough thought to it. Granted this is only the first time I’ve read it so I haven’t had as much of a chance to absorb what it has to say and let it percolate in the noggin. It still has a lot to teach about diligence bringing results, how “surface” understanding doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface, and so on. So, overall quite interesting; one of those that will show more yield even more with subsequent re-readings.

On a pettier note, I couldn’t say who published this edition because there is no information to that effect anywhere in the book. I suspect it is one of those micro-small, self-publishing type outfits. Just as well they didn’t put their name to it because the amount of copy errors and typographical no-nos I noticed was quite astounding considering the whole thing is less than 50 pages. That’s why I believe it was a self-published job, because quite frankly it shows. HIRE AN EDITOR. Musashi deserves better treatment than that. show less

A beautiful edition, well-designed and with many wonderful plates. However the translation is less direct and more flowery than some, to the point of obscuring the points being made.
This isn't a work that benefits from a translation that over-explains in order to be "comprehensive," in fact the opposite is achieved. A simple example: "8. Pay attention even to trifles. 9. Do not do anything which is of no use." In the first edition I was aware of (T.: Thomas Cleary) these were translated as, "8. Be careful even in small matters. 9. Do not do anything useless." Still, with the wonderful artwork and original text, this is a nice edition to complete any "set of editions."

This book, written by a famous Japanese duelist, tells one of his relatives how to win with the sword. It is divided into five "Rings" based on five "Elements". He concentrates on Strategy and does not talk about the best guard to take or other technicalities. Many people find this book to be immoral as it espouses winning at all costs in a deadly pursuit. I regard it more as a-moral. Musashi simply never considers the question. He is simply putting down his concept of Strategy. Perhaps the moral onus is on the reader of the book?

Students of Zen would do well to read the book, particularly the final Ring - entitled The Void. Afterward the perceptive student would take up an individual sport - not necessarily fencing, tennis would do show more just as well - and give up trying to solve koans. After all, even the Masters say that the more you study Zen the further from enlightenment you get and there can be little doubt that Musashi was a master.

This translation from the original Japanese also contains an insightful introduction. show less

A relatively quick read, The Book of Five Rings was written by master swordsman and ronin Miyamoto Musashi. Musashi, while in a state of reclusion after his duelist years, wrote the book in order to discuss the fundamental principles of the mind, body, and soul of the true practitioner of “the way of the martial arts.” As a martial artist myself, I feel as though this book was excellent, giving an uncommon comparison between the nature of a duel and the nature of war, drawing parallelisms I have never before seen. Interestingly enough, the book transcends just “the way,” and broadens its ideas to conflict in any form. I would highly recommend this book.