The Samurai Series: The Book of Five Rings Hagakure: The Way of the Samurai The Art of War & Bushido: The Soul of Japan

The Samurai Series brings together Four of the most important books dealing with the Samurai path and philosophy into one volume. The Book of Five Rings was written by Miyamoto Musashi about 1645. It is a masterpiece of simple exposition written by a master swordsman, who, near the end of his spectacular life, tried earnestly to explain the essentials of individual combat and the essence of being a Samurai. His book is widely considered to be a cornerstone of the philosophy of Bushido. Hagakure - The Way of the Samurai, which means: "Hidden by Leaves," was composed from dialogs by the famous Samurai Yamamoto Tsunetomo, by a scribe, Tashiro Tsuramoto, about 1716 AD. It explains the major ideas and philosophy that are essential to the "way of the Samurai", by which is meant the "way of dying". It contains numerous tales of various Samurai and their deeds which illustrate their philosophy and practice. The Art of War by Sun Tzu was a Chinese general, military strategist and a philosopher whose books have universal resonance even in the contemporary time. The Art of War has inspired Mao Zedong’s writings about Guerrilla warfare. Sun Tzu’s Art of War is a widely acclaimed book on military strategy that has influenced and shaped the idea of Western and Eastern nations military philosophy. It presents complete instructions on how to win battles and manage conflicts. The theories proposed in Art of War are extremely beneficial on the battle ground and have been tried and tested by many successful military generals around the world. Bushido - The Soul of Japan by Inazo Nitobe was first published in 1899. It is an extremely literate presentation by a Japanese intellectual who wished to present Japan and its fundamental philosophy in a way that could be understood by Westerners. It describes how the Shinto religion and Buddhism are the underpinnings of the essentially militaristic view of honor and life that are inherent in Bushido, the Samurai code.