The Complete Musashi: The Book of Five Rings and Other Works: Complete Musashi: The Book of Five Rings and Other Works

by Miyamoto Musashi, Graham Sayer Narrated by Richard Trapp

Overview

The culmination of 25 years of research, Alex Bennett's groundbreaking English translation of Miyamoto Musashi's The Book of Five Rings reveals the true meaning of the original work.

This piece of writing by famed samurai Musashi (1584-1645) is the single-most influential work on samurai swordsmanship, offering insights into samurai history, the Zen Buddhist state of ""no-mind"" that enables warriors to triumph and the philosophical meaning of Bushido-""the way of the warrior.""

Until now, English translations of The Book of Five Rings have been based on inaccurate copies of Musashi's long-lost original manuscript. Bennett's translation is the first to be based on a careful reconstruction of the original text by Japan's foremost Musashi scholar. By identifying discrepancies among the existing copies, adding missing texts and correcting over 150 incorrect characters, this source is the closest representation of Musashi's original work possible. Utilizing this new source, Bennett captures the subtle nuance of the classic Japanese text, resulting in the most accurate English translation of The Book of Five Rings available.

The texts are richly annotated by Bennett, who includes an extensive introduction on Musashi's life and legacy. This paperback edition also includes a new introduction by Kendo Kyoshi 7th Dan Graham Sayer, who talks about the influence Musashi's writings have had on him as a person and martial artist.

The Complete Musashi: The Book of Five Rings and Other Works will be widely read by those interested in Japanese culture, Samurai history and martial arts-setting a new standard against which all other translations will be measured.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

07/02/2018
The classic text on the code of the warrior by legendary samurai Musashi (1584–1645) has been newly and artfully translated by Bennett, a professor of Japanese history and holder of black belts in several Japanese martial arts. Written near the end of Musashi’s life, the text is still widely read for practical purposes, by some as a business guide, by others as a Zen Buddhist treatise. The five chapters discussing the rings (earth, water, fire, wind, ether) offer tactics for self-mastery, understanding opponents, and training for victory. In an informative introduction, Bennett takes great care to separate the myths from the known facts of Musashi’s life, while covering Japanese history and Musashi’s daring exploits—including over 60 duels to the death—during the Edo period. Bennett also addresses the samurai’s lasting influence, including on the warrior ideology of early 20th-century Japan and through the lively tourist trade in historical sites where Musashi lived or fought. Extensive footnotes offer illumination on topics ranging from the fragility of weapons in combat to the shades of meaning in ideograms. Color illustrations enhance this superb new edition of a classic, an evident labor of love. (Oct.)

From the Publisher

"…artfully translated by Bennett…color illustrations enhance this superb new edition of a classic, an evident labor of love." — Publishers Weekly

"Dr. Bennett possesses a profound knowledge of, and deep insight into, the world of Japanese bushido. This expertise has been enhanced by his extensive practical experience of the traditional martial arts of Japan, and his proficiency in this domain is highly acclaimed." — Tetsuo Yamaori, former Director of the International Research Center for Japanese Studies

"This is a very good edition of this important document, made more valuable by the lengthy introduction and the inclusion of all six of the works currently attributed to Miyamoto Musashi, which allow us to see how his views developed, and places the famous Book of Five Rings into the context of his life." — History of War blog

Product Details

BN ID:	2940178532027
Publisher:	Tuttle Publishing
Publication date:	11/09/2021
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	654,841

Videos