The book of five rings: +Biography of Miyamoto Musashi, Illustrated Edition, Modern Translation

by Miyamoto Musashi, Valentín Rey (translator)

Shinmen Takezo marque les esprits en remportant son tout premier duel contre un maître d'armes; il n'a alors que treize ans.
Dès lors sa vie prend une voie qui l'amènera à se dévouer entièrement à l'art du sabre. A travers tout le Japon il affrontera les plus grandes écoles d'arts martiaux. Loin d'être un simple et habile duelliste en quête de gloire et d'honneur, celui qui deviendra Miyamoto Musashi s'inscrit dans la lignée des plus grands maîtres : il cultive l'art, l'ascèse et la méditation.
Ce guerrier hors pair qui apparaît comme un personnage de roman est pourtant bien réel et depuis le dix septième siècle son nom et sa réputation brillent encore de façon éclatante.
Ce livre retrace sa vie et présente quelques éléments sur le Japon de l'époque. Dans une seconde partie, le fameux "Gorin no Sho" ou Traité des cinq roues, un guide tant martial que spirituel que Miyamoto Musashi écrira peu avant sa mort à l'âge de soixante et un ans.

Il fondera sa propre école et sa vie entière, restera invaincu.

Le livre contient :
- Une première partie retraçant les principales étapes de la vie de Musashi.
- Un repère chronologique
- Une carte des principaux lieux où Musashi à séjourné
- Le Traité des cinq roues.

Également disponibles :
- "L'art de la guerre" du Général Sun Tzu
- "Le Sceptre & le Glaive", un recueil regroupant les deux ouvrages majeurs de Nicolas Machiavel : "Le Prince" & "l'Art de la Guerre".
Lien :

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D'autres ouvrages à découvrir dans la collection North Star Ed. (Lettres Classiques, SF Anticipation, Fantastique)
cliquez sur le lien : "North Star Ed" sous le titre du livre en haut de page.
-- Consultez également la section "Livres anglais et étrangers" --
Ou consultez notre site :
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Genres: Philosophy

103 pages, Paperback

Published November 30, 2023

About the author

Miyamoto Musashi (宮本 武蔵, c. 1584 – June 13, 1645), also known as Shinmen Takezō, Miyamoto Bennosuke or, by his Buddhist name, Niten Dōraku, was an expert Japanese swordsman and rōnin. Musashi, as he was often simply known, became renowned through stories of his excellent swordsmanship in numerous duels, even from a very young age. He was the founder of the Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū or Niten-ryū style of swordsmanship and the author of The Book of Five Rings (五輪の書 Go Rin No Sho), a book on strategy, tactics, and philosophy that is still studied today.

Reviews

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this much more impressive than The Art of War. Full of philosophy as well as martial arts strategy, this should be required reading alongside its more famous cousin. I was really moved in parts by Miyamoto's clear thinking and how his principles could be applied to every day life, not to mention business and politics.

I'm not even sure how this book ended up in my Kindle recommendations, but I'm glad it did. It can be a bit dense in parts, and like a lot of Buddhist ideas, Miyamoto's idea about The Void was a bit head-scratching.

This e-book had some superb illustrations but I can't find any credits for the artist. It also includes a Miyamoto biography, also anonymous.

[Blake Giusti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anytime you get a look into the mind of a true legend, you have to find something to take away. Miyamoto Musashi is nothing if not a legend. We are 500 years removed from his life. His teachings and philosophies have made their way to English and have been read all over the world. What a reach. Unfathomable for his time.

All that said, the primary subject is sword fighting. Not exactly relevant to anybody’s life today. There are some good takeaways for competing and strategy. Most of which aren’t exactly groundbreaking, but when included in every facet of your training, they should become second nature.

He also describes the limitation language has on his teachings. There are things we cannot understand without training and physically practicing. You cannot become elite at a craft by reading about it. He emphasizes a need for intentional training.

Reading, being taught, having mentors are all important. They’re important for better framing and helping with questions that only experience yields answers to. But you can’t outsource hard work when perfecting a craft. You can’t read about Allen Iverson’s
Crossover and go do it. You can’t read about Steph Curry’s jumper and go do it. At the end of the day, hard work prevails.

Moreover, hard work is more than brute force. Mediation and understanding your own goals is part of the success story. In competition, understanding your opponent’s strengths, weaknesses, motivations, etc. gives you an edge.

Miyamoto is said to have won 60+ duals without ever losing one. The biography was the most interesting part of the book to me.

[Daniel Shearer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m giving this 5 stars from a martial artist’s perspective. I think people who not have participated in martial arts along with philosophy might not think this is a 5 star book. I may be wrong…

[Anupama Joshy]

Kenjutsu