The Book of Five Rings (Go Rin Sho) - English/Japanese edition

by Musashi Miyamoto; William Scott Wilson; Michihiro Matsumoto

Genres: Audiobook, Classics

Paperback Shinsho

Published June 1, 2009

Reviews

[Kim Hoag · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written near the end of the Samurai world in the 17th Century, by the greatest of them all (who was also dying), it is about the internal arts more than the external; it could be about one fighter or an army; it is about walking alone and how to observe. There is so much here for anyone to dwell upon. It is an open-ended deliberation intended for the martial artist, but we all must make decisions and react to live. How to do that with skill and cognizance... As a tai chi artist, you may wonder what I could have in common with a Japanese samurai of over 300 years ago. Answer: as Musashi might say, all arts are connected whether it be painting, Noh theater, or drawing a sword. Connections are not drawn for you; you must seek them, investigate them, and become better for it. (“Investigate” is one of his most oft used words—at least in translation.)

[Thomas Santarossa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first time I read this. I was too young to understand.

This book is incredible. I am excited to keep this with me for the remainder of my life and continue to draw wisdom from it.

I’m disgusting by the manner in which I regarded this book before.

[Rudy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Before I give my thoughts on this book, I have no doubt that Musashi and his methods could cut me down in an instant. He was clearly a skilled and disciplined swordsman, but...

Much of the teaching in this book is, to me, insanely obvious: cut down your enemy before they have a chance to strike, change tactics if existing tactics aren't effective, remain calm, master multiple disciplines, etc. I simply have a hard time imagining a scenario where someone reading this would exclaim, "a-ha!"

Before someone jumps down my throat to say that I don't understand the broader meaning, let me say that I lived in Japan, studied and practiced chanbara in Japan, and have a solid working knowledge of Japanese history and historical figures. The broader meaning is not lost on me—it simply isn't novel. I've been here before. If you're of a similar mindset, you may want to skip this one. Still, there is historical significance to this writing, and for that I'm glad to have read it.

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Do nothing that has no use."

And, "from one thing, know ten thousand things."

My favorite parts of this very thoughtful little read :)

[Donald · Rating 4 out of 5]

I often forget where I get a book recommendation from, individually or media like a podcast. This one is memorable because I received it from a streamer who streams video game play on Twitch.

[Mike Hansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

An okay book to read