a book of five rings by miyamoto musashi

The Complete Book of Five Rings is an authoritative version of Musashi’s classic The Book of Five Rings, translated and annotated by a modern martial arts master, Kenji Tokitsu. Along with Musashi's text, Cleary translates another important Japanese classic on leadership and strategy: The Book of Family Traditions on the Art of War by Yagyu Munenori, which highlights the ethical and spiritual insights of Taoism and Zen as they apply to the way of the warrior.

Unlike previous editions of The Book of Five Rings, Thomas Cleary's is an accessible translation, free of jargon, with an introduction that presents the spiritual background of the warrior tradition. The Book of Five Rings -which has become a well-known classic among American business people, studied for its insights into the Japanese approach to business strategy-was composed in 1643 by the famed duelist and undefeated samurai Miyamoto Musashi. Written not only for martial artists but for leaders in all professions, the book analyzes the process of struggle and mastery over conflict that underlies every level of human interaction.

Here is one of the most insightful texts on the subtle arts of confrontation and victory to emerge from Asian culture. The Book of Five Rings: A Classic Text on the Japanese Way of the Sword This edition also includes a translation of one of Musashi’s earlier writings, “The Way of Walking Alone,” and calligraphy by Japanese artist Shiro Tsujimura. His scholarship and insight into the deep meaning of this classic are evident in his introduction and notes to the text. William Scott Wilson’s translation is faithful to the original seventeenth-century Japanese text while being wonderfully clear and readable.

For Musashi, the way of the martial arts was a mastery of the mind rather than simply technical prowess-and it is this path to mastery that is the core teaching in The Book of Five Rings. Musashi gives timeless advice on defeating an adversary, throwing an opponent off-guard, creating confusion, and other techniques for overpowering an assailant that will resonate with both martial artists and everyone else interested in skillfully dealing with conflict. When the undefeated samurai Miyamoto Musashi retreated to a cave in 1643 and wrote The Book of Five Rings, a manifesto on swordsmanship, strategy, and winning for his students and generations of samurai to come, he created one of the most perceptive and incisive texts on strategic thinking ever to come from Asia.

A book of five rings by miyamoto musashi