Rating: 
Summary: Lacking Commentary
Review: Many of these books are difficult to understand because they are meant to be used as study and reference guides along with a teacher. The Book of Five Rings (of which I've read 3 of the 5, and am just a few pages away from finishing) is a treatise describing Musashi Miyamoto's personal school of fighting - the school of two skies. He eschews other schools as too this or too that. They concentrate, he says, on technique rather than what swordfighting is all about - killing your opponent.The text is dry, and the sections are short. They are intended (a) for swordfighters, and (b) to be meditated on. The principals in this book would take a swordfighter years to master. In fact, at one point he says one should study for about 3 years (he gives a specific number of weeks) and then practice for 30 or so more years. How does this translate into my life? I'm not sure. I don't have enough of a background in swordfighting, the culture, etc. to know how these concepts apply to my life. If perhaps I had a guide, in the form of commentary, I could more easily integrate these concepts into my life. As is, however, this book isn't of much use to me, except as reference for the day when I do have commentary. I reccomend, instead, Cleary's Classics of Strategy and Counsel. This trilogy of books includes the Art of War, Mastering the Art of War, The Lost Art of War, The Silver Sparrow Art of War, Thunder in the Sky, The Japanese Art of War, The Book of Five Rings, Ways of Warriors, Codes of Kings (which includes several works), The Art of Wealth, Living a Good Life, The Human Element, and Back to Beginnings. In addition to the text, there is often commentary, and supplementary material that can put the text in context and aid the student on his or her journey. Amazon lists several of these as the same book...
Rating: 
Summary: The Ring of Rings
Review: Musashi manages to fit into about 100 pages the perspective of Oriental thinking. He works out a system which is a considerable oracale. All is one to him and this is, although sometimes hard to recognize, his vehicle of success. One with the eastern philosophy of natural order Musashi puts into a very small literature a heart of iron and a spirit of fire. Maybe he will be refined yet.
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Summary: Lots to learn for everyone
Review: Small book which allows you to look at things from a different perspective. Every time you read this you will find something new to learn from it.
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Summary: Musashi in an Historical Context & Best Translation
Review: What I prefer about Victor Harris's translation of Musashi Miyamoto's book "Go Rin no Sho" is the fact that Harris has gone through exacting lengths not just to present an accurate translation in the context of a 17th-century samurai, but to present Musashi to us in his proper historical context. As opposed to every other English translation I have read, this one includes an in-depth biography of Musashi prior to the translation, and shows many of his creations, such as paintings (including a self-portrait), tsuba (swordguards), etc. We can see where Musashi lived and practiced, what his grave looks like, etc. For clarity and understanding, this volume, along with the translation by Thomas Cleary, are the best. I should justify that by explaining that I practice martial arts--for those of you looking for a business oriented edition, there are several translations and interpretations out there which are geared towards your needs. For those of you involved in the practice of martial arts, sports, or with an interest in historical strategy texts, I heartily recommend this translation! Whay does this book discuss? Musashi's masterpiece eschews practice, and decries vanity, ego, and "secrets". Musashi was a practitioner of Zen Buddhism, and the influence of Zen philosophy can be seen everywhere in his writing. This is however, definately a book on the strategy of swordsmanship, and not a treatis on religion. Musashi Miyamoto fought in a number of duels--back in the era of true challenge matches--when usually the victor was the man left living! The realities of his times, the fact that life was so cheap and had to be guarded fiercly, and that Musashi succeeded in doing this is what makes his writing even more precious. This was the book Musashi passed on to the students of his school, the unusual two-bladed Ni-to Ryu (two-sword school). For more on the historical Musashi Miyamoto, read Makoto Sugawara's excellent (non-fiction) "Lives of Master Swordsmen".
Rating:
Summary: An oriental classic that is hard to put into practical use
Review: The Book of Five Rings is a major classic and though it ought to be read by anyone interested in martial arts, Japan, warfare or oriental philosophy, it is NOT an easy book for learning strategy. Mushashi Miyamoto, the sword-saint of Japan, was so advanced in his development as a warrior-philosopher that he had stopped fighting with anything but wooden swords and finally retreated to a mountain cave to record his deepest thoughts about life. (He also ceased the habit of bathing as he'd once been attacked while lounging in one of those Japanese hot tubs, so perhaps a solitary life in a hermit retreat was just as well.) Unless you yourself have followed a life devoted to the principles of Bushido and its discipline, Musashi's writing is interesting but probably too difficult to apply to daily life. The chapter entitled "The Void" is probably the most abstruse. A good companion book is Sun Tzu's Art of War, which is pragmatic and as current as today's newspaper. Or read Von Clauswitz and Machiavelli.
Rating:
Summary: Multi-layered
Review: On the surface this book appears to be about the martial arts, warfare, swordplay. However, a careful reading with an open mind will surprise the reader not particularly focused on those aspects. Readers who've trained themselves to read complexity and symbolism as an overlay for everyday life experiences will find a strategy for the human life experience hidden here barely beneath the surface. It's only one strategy, and not necessarily the one you'll choose to lead your own life, but it's still worth studying and comprehending. In fact, readers completely unfamiliar with martial arts will find many 'lessons in life' worth digesting. I believe it's worth the time and effort for study in the same sense as classic Chinese and European works of similar ilk.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing for what it is. (the format, NOT the text)
Review: For whatever reason, the publishers decided to leave out portions of the text, and add a massive amount (about 40% of the already shortened book) of Japanese history with photos. The history is great. The photos are. . . Photos. If you've any interest in this subject, find a copy of the Shambhala Dragon Edition by Thomas Cleary. It's much more complete, much more more readable, and was actually translated by Thomas Cleary(!), a world reknown scholar on the subject. This poor representation of such a powerful, important book almost relagates it to the dingy shelf of the "coffee-table book.", and that's a real same.
Rating:
Summary: Timeless
Review: This book has a singleness of mind and directness that are hard to describe. It is about one thing only, and about forging oneself into the tool that can do that one thing. The writing is earthy and practical. However blunt and direct it may seem, I get the impression that the translator softened its style. The second translation in this book, from about the same time, is more literary, more refined, and alludes to a much wider range of the educated person's reading. Next to Musashi, and embodying so much of what he disdained, it simply looks foppish. I do technical work. Much of the process of design and debug has the feel of facing intelligent, determined opposition. For that reason, large parts of Musashi's advice seem true and fresh. He advises that a warrior to become master of all tools, not some just some favorite - today, he would call that the "golden hammer." In 'Letting Go Four Hands,' he advises a prompt change of attack when the first assault deadlocks. In 'Mountain and Sea Changing,' he advises against repeating an approach that has already failed against a given opponent. All those are things that work as well in the lab as on the battlefield. The Five Rings should be in the library of any professional, artist, or technical worker. Cleary's translation is modern and readable. I would give it five stars, except that so many classics from China and Japan discuss not only tactics but strategy as well. It's not about any flaw in this book, but about the excellence of the other books that this one complements.
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Summary: Occidentials, Read Chrysanthemum and Sword First
Review: I found this book difficult to digest because, unlike Art of War, it doesn't contain clear 'do's and don'ts'. Instead it talks of doing things with certain 'feelings' with the ultimate goal of becoming formless. There are multiple levels of meaning such that on first reading there seems little sense. After contemplating a passage you develop a minor understanding. After expert application, another understanding, and so on. A Westerner can better understand this book after reading The Chrysanthemum and the Sword. Even so, it has taken me almost two years of martial arts training to begin to understand the concepts in this book. Yes, the concepts are applicable to modern life. But are they effective? Maybe.
Rating:
Summary: deep thought and reflection will be needed
Review: Don't know whether my Taiwanese/Chinese background gives me bias. However, I'm quite used to read abstract/doctrine books like this one. When reading books like this (or Confucius, Sun-Tse), my philosophy is - you need to pay attention to every word, and every word is a starting point, instead of an end. Thus, the book just provokes you to think more, to think through the "Way", instead of teaching you everything. You are your own teacher. I think - from this book, the more important teaching is on the spiritual vs. technical. Thus "the Way of the warrior is resolute acceptance of death" makes me think a lot. Do you know why Musashi called it - book of the Ground, the Water, etc.? That'll be an interesting teaching as well. Overall, I like the book a lot, though I have difficulty to understand all the English words. I might find a Chinese version or I need to learn Japanese. I recommend this book to everyone who wants to think through "the Way of warrior" by themselves.
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