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A Book of Five Rings - Miyamoto Musashi, Victor Harris
A Book of Five Rings
by: (author) (author)
2.50 10
The Book of Five Rings (Go Rin No Sho?) is a text on kenjutsu and the martial arts in general, written by the swordsman Miyamoto Musashi circa 1645. There have been various translations made over the years, and it enjoys an audience considerably broader than only that of martial artists: for... show more
The Book of Five Rings (Go Rin No Sho?) is a text on kenjutsu and the martial arts in general, written by the swordsman Miyamoto Musashi circa 1645. There have been various translations made over the years, and it enjoys an audience considerably broader than only that of martial artists: for instance, some business leaders find its discussion of conflict and taking the advantage to be relevant to their work. The modern-day Hyoho Niten Ichi-ryu employs it as a manual of technique and philosophy. Musashi establishes a "no-nonsense" theme throughout the text. For instance, he repeatedly remarks that technical flourishes are excessive, and contrasts worrying about such things with the principle that all technique is simply a method of cutting down one's opponent. He also continually makes the point that the understandings expressed in the book are important for combat on any scale, whether a one-on-one duel or a massive battle. Descriptions of principles are often followed by admonitions to "investigate this thoroughly" through practice rather than trying to learn them by merely reading. Miyamoto Musashi in his prime, wielding two bokken. Musashi describes and advocates a two-sword style: that is, wielding both katana and wakizashi, contrary to the more traditional method of wielding the katana two-handed. However, he only explicitly describes wielding two swords in a section on fighting against many adversaries. The stories of his many duels rarely reference Musashi himself wielding two swords, although, since they are mostly oral traditions, their details may be rather inaccurate. Some suggest that Musashi's meaning was not so much wielding two swords "simultaneously", but rather acquiring the proficiency to (singly) wield either sword in either hand as the need arose. However, Musashi states within the volume that one should train with a long sword in each hand, thereby training the body and improving one's ability to use two blades simultaneously, though the aim of this was only for training purposes and wasn't meant to be a viable fighting style.
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Format: paperback
ISBN: 9781479158546 (1479158542)
Publisher: Aristeus Books
Pages no: 63
Edition language: English
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Community Reviews
Julian Meynell's Books
Julian Meynell's Books rated it
3.0 Musahi's The Book of Five Rings
This is an interesting little book. It was written by Miyamoto Musashi who was not a samurai for most or all of his career in the proper meaning of the term. Instead he was a duelist who never lost a battle and this was in a period when most duels were to the death. Musashi's book is very much a ...
Dawid Piaskowski
Dawid Piaskowski rated it
1.0 Musashi's Book of Five Rings: The Definitive Interpretation of Miyamoto Musashi's Classic Book of Strategy
Even though it's a very short book (about 100 pages) boring as hell. Impossible to read whole book!
Dawid Piaskowski
Dawid Piaskowski rated it
1.0 Musashi's Book of Five Rings: The Definitive Interpretation of Miyamoto Musashi's Classic Book of Strategy
Even though it's a very short book (about 100 pages) boring as hell. Impossible to read whole book!
heidenkind
heidenkind rated it
Not really my thing... but a must-read if you practice martial arts.
Arbie's Unoriginally Titled Book Blog
Arbie's Unoriginally Titled Book Blog rated it
3.0
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 imm...
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