Musashi Book One: The Way of the Samurai

Trilogía Musashi #1

by Eiji Yoshikawa

In a moment of swift and silent violence, Miyamoto Musashi spilled the best blood of the powerful House of Yoshioka. Now the Yoshiokas are fighting for their future, and Musashi must face his most difficult contest--in a battle that will change his life forever. Previously published by Harper & Row.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Japan, Historical, Classics, Japanese Literature, Literature

341 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1935

About the author

Pen-name of Yoshikawa Hidetsugu. Yoshikawa is well-known for his work as a Japanese historical fiction novelist, and a number of re-makes have been spawned off his work.

In 1960, he received the Order of Cultural Merit.
Eiji Yoshikawa (吉川 英治, August 11, 1892 – September 7, 1962) was a Japanese historical novelist. Among his best-known novels, most are revisions of older classics. He was mainly influenced by classics such as The Tale of the Heike, Tale of Genji, Outlaws of the Marsh, and Romance of the Three Kingdoms, many of which he retold in his own style. As an example, the original manuscript of Taiko is 15 volumes; Yoshikawa took up to retell it in a more accessible tone, and reduced it to only two volumes. His other books also serve similar purposes and, although most of his novels are not original works, he created a huge amount of work and a renewed interest in the past. He was awarded the Cultural Order of Merit in 1960 (the highest award for a man of letters in Japan), the Order of the Sacred Treasure and the Mainichi Art Award just before his death from cancer in 1962. He is cited as one of the best historical novelists in Japan.

Reviews

[Rodrigo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muy buena novela, me ha sumergido en los mangas que ya había leído de Musashi llamados "vagabond". Si bien es cierto que en el libro los combates están muy descafeinados respecto al manga, su fácil lectura no aburre y se pasan rápido las paginas. Seguiremos a por el 2º. 9/10

[Aviones de papel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Las historias de samuráis me flipan, y esta es muy buena, lo único es que la tercera parte se ha hecho un tanto pesada, con tantos cambios de perspectiva, daba la impresión de que había capítulos irrelevantes, pero ha terminado muy bien, y quiero el segundo.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this seemingly out-of-print part one of five Pocket Books edition in order to work through the larger novel incrementally. Way of the Samurai is an excellent introduction to what I anticipate to be one of the great works of historical fiction (and an introduction to the historical Musashi himself).

I enjoyed the window into Japanese history and culture, as well as reading what I suspect is the inspiration for much of modern martial arts fiction and popular culture (Usagi Yojimbo is a favorite comic of mine). The character Musashi's transformation is inspiring and a humbling call to self-mastery and discipline. I'm extremely eager to continue the saga.

[Lore de librosydestinos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mi reseña completa en IG librosydestinos https://www.instagram.com/p/ClBxieSuc...

🇯🇵En nuestro último y presencial encuentro del "Corvooks Club" viajamos a Japón de la mano de Eiji Yoshikawa y su relato basado en el famoso Musashi.

🇯🇵El libro nos cuenta acerca de Takezo, un joven matón del siglo XVII con aspiraciones de samurai, quien se ve obligado por circunstancias de la vida a madurar y convertirse en una mejor versión de sí mismo.

🇯🇵Este es sólo el primer volumen de una saga de aventuras que describe las costumbres, creencias y formas de vida de este Japón de guerreros y monjes.

🇯🇵Lo recomiendo para quien guste de este tipo de lecturas ya que además de la información provista por el autor, dan ganas de seguir investigando acerca de un tema, por lo menos para mí, desconocido

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best classic fiction series that I have read. There is plenty of action, and adventure, however what surprised me the most was how witty and humorous the book is throughout. Also, the book ends in a way to make you immediately open book 2.

The translator Charles S. Terry did a wonderful job of translating the book, as well as adding color and depth to every page. That is a gift that not very many translators possess. I would highly recommend this series as study material for any would-be translator, as well as anyone interested in a good read.

If you are interested in reading the series, make sure you get a version translated by Charles S. Terry.

[Oscar Bücheler De Pavía · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excelente narrativa, muchos detalles de la historia de Japón, no puedo esperar por el 2do tomo. Solamente me pareció perderme entre tantos diferentes nombres citados al rededor de los personajes principales. Por todo lo demás es lo que esperaba y bastante más, un acercamiento a la cultura japonesa.

[Абрахам Хосебр · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ейджі Йошікава
"Мусаші. Книга 1. Земля."

Перша книга семикнижжя про легендарного мечника Мусаші називається "Земля" і починається вона дійсно на холодній мокрій землі де Такедзо і Матахачі лежать поранені та напівживі після поразки в бою:

"Полудень п'ятнадцятого дня дев'ятого місяця 1600 року. Хоча тайфун уже пройшов, дощ то припинявся, то раптом з новою силою спадав на вбитих і на Такедзо, що лежав горіниць. Він відкривав рота, як риба, намагаючись зловити краплі дощу.
«Так змочують водою губи вмираючому»,— думав він, насолоджуючись кожною краплею вологи. Голова гуділа, думки сплуталися, як у маренні.
Вони зазнали поразки. Це він знав. Кобаякава Хідеякі, їх союзник, таємно перейшов на бік Східної армії, і коли він напав на світанку на війська Ішіди Міцунарі, результат битви був вирішений."

Я захотів прочитати це епічне полотно в процесі читання манґи Іное Такехіко, адже манґа була створена за мотивами роману. Вражає з якою скрупульозністю манґака відтворив сюжет, звісно, трохи змінивши габітус героїв. Ось так бачить Такедзо і Матахачі письменник Йошікава:

"Такедзо був набагато вищий ростом за середнього чоловіка свого часу. М'язистий, гнучкий, худорлявий — неначе добрий бойовий кінь. Губи в нього були повні й яскраві, а густі чорні брови надавали йому якоїсь особливої мужності. Односельці прозвали його «дитиною огрядного року» — так зазвичай називали дітей, які з вигляду разюче відрізнялися від інших. Незлостиве прізвисько, проте, ускладнювало його стосунки з однолітками, і тому завдавало йому чимало прикрощів у дитячі роки.
Матахачі ніколи не мав подібного прізвиська, хоча цілком його заслуговував. Коренастий , нижчий за Такедзо, кругловидий, з широкими грудьми, він справляв враження веселуна і часом навіть блазня. Коли він говорив, його злегка витріщені очі постійно перебували в русі, тому жартівники, зазвичай порівнювали його з жабами, які гучно квакали літніми ночами."

Подана розширена історія Шіммена Такедзо та його батька Мунісая. Пояснено куди ж ділася його мати і що найголовніше - є дуже важлива персона, яку вилучив з історії манґака - сестра Такедзо на ім'я Оґін:

"Оґін було років з двадцять п'ять - вік не юний, але вона була все ще гарненькою. Погана слава її брата відлякувала наречених, але багато хто сватався до неї. Смак та гарне виховання Огін виявлялися у всьому. Вона відмовлялася від пропозицій під приводом, що їй треба вивести брата в люди.
Будинок, у якому жила Оґін, був збудований її батьком Мунісаєм, коли той ще керував військовою підготовкою у клані Шіммен. За його заслуги йому було надано честь носити прізвище Шіммен. Будинок, оточений високою глинобитною стіною на кам'яній основі, стояв на березі річки і був надто великий для скромного провінційного самурая. Зараз будинок втратив колишню велич. Дах поріс диким ірисом, а стіни доджо, де свого часу Мунісай навчав бойових мистецтв, були заляпані послідом ластівок, що оселилися під стріхою.
Мунісай, впавши в немилість, втратив становище і помер у злиднях, що нерідко траплялося в той смутний час. Після його смерті слуги залишили будинок, але багато разів заходили, оскільки були жителями Міямото. Вони приносили свіжі овочі, прибирали в нежитлових кімнатах, наповнювали глеки водою, розкидали доріжки та надавали Оґін інші послуги. Вони любили побалакати з дочкою Мунісая."

З іншого, що ви не прочитаєте в манзі: трирічне ув'язнення Мусаші у в'язниці даймьо, інші обставини отримання псевдоніма, відмінна історія з самураєм керівником пошукової місії.

Книга написана в максимально класичній манері, ба навіть дещо архаїчній. Ви не знайдете тут мовного чи стилістичного розвою, кмітливої гри слів та модерністської пишноти і посилань. Але тут перфектий, захопливий, пригодницький сюжет. Колекція дзенських істин і жартів монаха Такуана (мій улюблений персонаж як манґи так і роману).

[Anas Othman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Earth, the first chapter of the novel, God... just imagine how Fire, Wind feels!!

The Earth chapter of Musashi isn’t just the start of a samurai epic — it’s the violent cracking open of a soul.

Eiji Yoshikawa doesn’t introduce Musashi as a legend. He gives us Takezō, half-wild and aimless after Sekigahara, crawling through mud, blood, and shame. We don’t watch a hero rise — we watch a human unravel. And somehow, that’s what makes the transformation hit even harder.

The Earth chapter gripped me like few opening arcs ever have. It’s not about swordsmanship, not yet. It’s about the death of one self to make room for another. Musashi is born not in a battle, but in a prison cell, in silence, in rejection — and still, he walks out burning with purpose.

Note: for who's don't know, the novel contains 7 books or chapters, and this one is book 1 which it's original name is Earth, but they changed it to way of samurai in this version

The seven chapter is:

1. Earth – ⛰️


2. Water – 🌊


3. Fire – 🔥


4. Wind – 🌬️


5. Sky (Void) – 🌌


6. Sun and Moon – ☀️🌕


7. Perfect Light – ✨

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Hiroshi Inagaki's Samurai trilogy, and I similarly loved the Vagabond manga series. So I'm a huge fan of the legend of Miyamoto Musashi. Naturally, I had high hopes for the seminal classic. But I'm left feeling a bit... Underwhelmed? The translation is not the best, and Eiji Yoshikawa's prose is a little chaotic at times. Those two factors made for a kinda awkward read. I do much prefer the breaking up of the book into 5 volumes - I tried to read the complete edition and found it difficult. Maybe it was the edition I got, though.

[Elessar · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5

Entretenido primer volumen de una de las clásicas novelas niponas de samurais. Algunas partes enganchan más que otras, pero por lo general mi visión del libro es muy positiva. Estoy ansioso por leer el resto de volúmenes.

En cuanto a la edición de Quaterni, que es la que tengo, aunque el acabado exterior es muy bonito, el interior no lo es tanto. Contiene numerosos errores tipográficos y de maquetación, que dejan en el lector, o al menos a mí, un amargo sabor de boca. Me ha decepcionado un poco este aspecto teniendo en cuenta los 20 euros que cuesta cada ejemplar.

[Rober · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5 estrellas. Me gusta la narrativa que aunque se hace algo lenta, profundiza para presentar los personajes y sus personalidades. He echado de menos más detalles en las partes de acción y lo que más me ha “matado” es que no hay un final como tal. A pesar de ser una trilogía como ESDLA, cada libro debería tener su desarrollo y final, dando pie a acciones incompletas o próxima historia… pero el libro se acaba sin más. A ver el próximo…

[Frank Ashe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written for a Japanese audience who would be steeped in the ethos of Musashi. From a European eye there are a lot of strange things going on, but they give fascinating insight into Musashi's culture.

After reading this it is easy to treat with contempt the authors who try to find in Musashi's book The Five Rings> clues to success in business.

[Pablo Adell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una novela de aventuras muy adictiva, fácil de leer y entretenida. Además, al ser una cultura tan diferente a la nuestra, me resulta aún más interesante y es bastante diferente a lo que estoy acostumbrado.

Deseando seguir con la trilogía. Lo recomiendo.

[Fugo Feedback]

Recomendado indirectamente por el gran Inoue y regalado directamente por la grandiosa Bucletina, hay pocas chances de que esto salga mal.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Musashi was originally released in serialized form and is now collected in a single volume, but I have had these five Pocket Books paperbacks sitting on my shelf for years, so I'm finally getting around to reading them.

Eiji Yoshikawa's epic novel is considered the definitive story of Miyamoto Musashi, Japan's most famous swordsman. It is also frequently called Japan's "Gone with the Wind," and like Gone with the Wind, it is melodramatic, fictionalized, and perhaps a bit suspect historically, but it's still a great story. Yoshikawa is clearly filling in many details, characters, and events in Musashi's life for which there is little or no historical evidence.

With the remake of Shogun being so popular nowadays, it's a good time to read the original samurai classic. Musashi begins essentially where Shogun ends, with the aftermath of the Battle of Sekigahara, in which Tokugawa Ieyasu (fictionalized as "Lord Toranaga" in Shogun) decisively won Japan's "game of thrones" and become Japan's true Shogun.

The initial protagonists of Musashi are Takezo (Musashi's childhood name) and his best friend Matahachi, two young men who joined in the battle of Sekigahara hoping for glory and honor. Unfortunately, they fought on the losing side, and volume one opens with the two of them waking up on the battlefield, having barely survived.

They make their way back to their home village, and we are introduced to a cast of other characters. Takezo, at this point, is a callow, violent youth with more ambition than sense, while Matahachi decides to ditch his betrothed for a widowed MILF. They go their separate ways, Takezo goes on an ill-fated mission to rescue his sister from prison, and eventually gets his first hard lesson in humility from a monk (a tradition in many Japanese heroic tales). By the end of this volume, Takezo has taken on the name of "Miyamoto Musashi," in honor of his home village, and begun to acquire a reputation as an unbeatable swordsman, but he is still immature, bad-tempered, and not yet the man who will write the Book of Five Rings.

This book was a page-turner, with Takezo/Musashi going from one encounter to another and painting a down-to-earth portrait of 17th century Japan among ordinary people, at least as written by a 20th century Japanese novelist. Sometimes the encounters are lacking in so much detail that it's hard to understand exactly what just happened, as when Takezo simply refuses to fight a duel and walks away, and his would-be adversaries... don't follow him, and are so surprised that they can't see where he went? People seem to be able to move from village to village and town to town, either vanishing completely or easily finding each other as the plot demands. The dialog loses something in translation, but still gives every character a vivid personality. This is a bit of a pulp action story, but with a bit of historical verisimilitude behind it. Lots of fun and I probably need to go watch one of the bazillion cinematic versions Japan has produced over the years.

[Ben Leach · Rating 5 out of 5]

While Tom Joad was navigating the dust bowl during the Great Depression and Janie Crawford was recounting her sexual awakening, Miyamoto Musashi was slicing and dicing every ronin and samurai who got in his way.

It's sort of remarkable that I really had to work to track down out-of-print mass market paperback copies of what I would consider, at least upon reading this first volume, to be a classic piece of 20th century literature. After being blown away by the experience of reading James Clavell's "Shogun" for the first time, I wanted to see what other books might scratch that particular itch. It didn't have to be a samurai novel per se, just something that had an epic historical fiction quality to it. That's how I discovered that "Musashi" exists, and I thought it might be an interesting experiment to compare an epic novel of feudal Japan written by an Englishman to an earlier work by an actual Japanese author published decades prior.

The wonderful thing is that both can exist. It is unfair to say that each book has its strengths and weaknesses, because both are excellent. Yes, some aspects of both books have aged poorly ("Shogun" handled its female characters much better, but "Musashi" obviously avoids any concerns about a white savior narrative), but I would rather argue that each book succeeds with different strengths.

While I would not necessarily recommend "Shogun" to novice readers or the faint of heart, I would wholeheartedly recommend "Musashi," which feels like a prototypical samurai movie from the 1950s (which were certainly inspired by "Musashi") while excelling at its pacing and feeling fresh and not at all derivative, at least in this first volume. While Miyamoto Musashi is the star, we're introduced to an interesting, distinctive cast, with a perfect blend of sword-slashing action and soap opera antics. And it's funny! It's not completely dour or depressing, despite death and danger lurking around every corner.

I don't want to say too much about this first volume when I have four more to go. However, I did churn through this 340-page book during downtime over a single 24-hour period, so clearly I am hooked. And because I know there's more to come, I can forgive a lack of resolution across several of the story's plotlines, although I do think they chose a key moment to end on, along with one of the most oft-quoted passages of the entire series.

So yeah, fully on board, and we'll see how this ultimately compares with "Shogun" once all five volumes are finished!

[Arcadio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una novela de aventuras que nos habla sobre la autosuperación un joven samurái que busca convertirse en el mejor de los guerreros. Una premisa trillada pero que es ejecutada de una buena manera, teniendo en su haber personajes secundarios carismáticos y queribles, y un prometedor desarrollo de Musashi como protagonista quien no solamente tiene que mejorar su técnica con la espada sino confrontar sus demonios internos y mejorar como persona, saliendo victorioso en algunas batalla y humillado en otras, explorando el lado filosófico de la espada a través de los mentores que va conociendo. La batalla contra Hozoin es una de la mas tensas y climáticas de la novela al mostrar el domino de musashi con la espada como su dominio.

Completamente recomendable.

[Gabriel Jacobson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muy buena historia que te adentra en el Japón de comienzos de la era Edo, Samurais, monjes, comerciantes, las calles de las ciudades y pueblos del Japón feudal cobran vida en este relato épico. La intro dice que esta narración es “Lo que el viento se llevó” de los japoneses, por ahora (me falta el libro II y III) me cuesta mucho no estar de acuerdo, es una gran aventura que te pone en los zapatos de uno de los personajes históricos mas interesantes del país del sol naciente quien luego escribiría el famoso libro de los 5 anillos. Sin dudas una visión romántica de un mundo que ya no existe Musashi es simple y llanamente excelente.

[Ahmad ElAlayli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book in a family waiting room at a hospital. By the time I finished the first chapter, I was hooked. I had to sneak into that same room to finish it over the subsequent few days. Despite its pace being on the slower side, the book is so action packed and eventful that there is never a dull moment making the book very hard to put down. The descriptive passages in the book are simple yet extremely vivid without being boringly detailed. Definetly looking forward to read the rest of the series!

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not knowing what to expect, I came away from each sitting contemplating the chapter(s) I had just read, feeling there were lessons to learn.

Musashi's path along the Way was captivating, and made me appreciate the pursuit of knowledge and mastery that came with it.

This was not a book I could fly through like I do so many others. But I feel like I took more away from it than I have any dozen of books I've read before it.

[S. Kallahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

These stars are more for the story-tellling than the actual content. If you can ignore the fact that the samurai depicted act a bit like killing psychopaths who justify killing with an arbitrary code, then the rest is fun. It's actually quite a feat for Yoshikawa to have written a four-volume series that keeps the reader interested all the way through.

And honestly, is the psychopath thing any different from most Hollywood action films?

[David Roman · Rating 4 out of 5]

La edición deja bastante que desear, además al parecer es una traducción de una traducción y hay frases hechas en inglés y expresiones traducidas toscamente al castellano. Pese a eso la historia me ha gustado, no creo que una mala edición desmerezca al autor, aunque me hubiera gustado leer una mejor traducción, creo que lo podría haber disfrutado más.

[Charly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not necessarily what one might describe as a 'great work of literature,' but is a cleanly-told and straightforward (fictional) story about one of Japan's greatest folk-heroes. No plot tricks or pretentious use of language or any other junk to get in the way of the story.

I enjoyed it very much and am looking forward to book 2.

[Lola · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot like Rurouni Kenshin— Musashi isn’t quite as charming or humble, and he doesn’t share as tragic of a past as Kenshin’s, but his story is an entertaining and compulsive read. I’m looking forward to Book II.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating to read a Japanese classic and gain an insight into Japan of the 1600s, or at least a romanticised version of it. Clearly influential to future genres of pulp fiction on both page and screen.

[Israel · Rating 3 out of 5]

El mejor samurái dando lecciones de combate. Para mí fue un libro de texto, mucho más que cualquier otra cosa. La batalla en la isla contra Kojiro fue inusual, diría yo. Me gustaron mucho las partes donde se narran los logros de Musashi y los lugares por los que pasó.

[Scott Schluter · Rating 3 out of 5]

It feels like a lot is lost in translation. Like watching a foreign dubbed movie and while the words may be a good translation, if it were written in your original tongue different words that fit better would have been chosen. Interesting enough to continue the series. Easy read.

[Marco Rivera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Está primera parte es una novela muy bien armada, dejando pequeñas pistas de la evolución de los personajes, con cambios y giros inesperados que los entrelazan, teniendo como eje el viaje de Musashi en sus primeros años de shugyosha. Empiezo de inmediato la segunda parte.

[Jerome Hemard · Rating 4 out of 5]

plus précisément j'ai relu la fin du 2è tome de "La pierre et le sabre" avant d'entamer "La parfaite lumière". C'est bien, mais à part Musahi, les personnages évoluent peu, et peuvent manquer de finesse. Limite du 3* et pas des 4*.

[Mar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cuando alguien sabe contar una historia se nota, y hasta los más mínimos detalles son indispensables de leer.
Continuaré lo antes posible la saga, ésta primera parte me entuasiasmó.