The Five Rings: Miyamoto Musashi's Art of Strategy (The Art of Wisdom)

Musashi, Miyamoto

ISBN 10: 178028120X / ISBN 13: 9781780281209

Published by Watkins, 2012

About this Item

Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc.

Seller Inventory # 00106207247

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Five Rings: Miyamoto Musashi's Art of Strategy (The Art of Wisdom)
• Publisher: Watkins
• Publication Date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 178028120X
• ISBN 13: 9781780281209
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Good

About this title

Synopsis

Written by legendary Japanese swordsman Musashi Miyamoto, The Five Rings (c.1645) is a brilliant exposition of the struggle for mastery. Combining swordfighting techniques with Zen philosophy, this classic Bushido text - devoted to achieving success through strategy and tactics - is as relevant today as it was to the 17th-century samurai. Miyamoto's teachings, based on a lifetime of experience in battle, give us unfaltering guidance on the path to victory. The book advises the reader on psychological tactics to put the enemy off guard, on ways to forestall an attack and on the importance of observation. This is also one of the great Japanese treatises on aesthetics and spirituality, speaking to us of the essential role of harmony in the way of the warrior.

About the Author

Musashi Miyamoto (c.1584 - 1645) was a duellist and renowned warrior who fought his first duel at the age of 13 and was never defeated. He wrote The Book of the Five Rings in a cave during the last years of his life. David K. Groff, from whom this translation has been specially commissioned, has lived in Japan for the past 14 years; for the last 10 he has taught at Japanese colleges and universities (mainly English, but also subjects such as American Studies). He has also been involved in martial arts for the last 20 years. His practice of Musashi's style of swordsmanship has given him a unique perspective on The Five Rings. He has traced Musashi's footsteps across Japan. For his contributions to the preservation and promotion of the Japanese martial tradition, he received a formal proclamation of gratitude from the Tokyo Budokan and Yasukuni Shrine.