The Martial Artist's Book of Five Rings: The Definitive Interpretation of Miyamoto Musashi's Classic Book of Strategy

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Summary: Book of Five RIngs
Review: An awsome book helps out on stategy I recommend it to everybody who wants to learn a little or lot on stategy. Musashi has to be one of the best stategist that lived in the world.

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Summary: Martialists Read This
Review: Having read a number of translations of this definitive book of strategy I must say this is definately one of the best translations by far. If it is the true Way of the Warrior you seek, which is most definately the audience Miyamoto was trying to reach when he first sat down to write what was in his head.

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Summary: A Personal Interpretation of Musashi's "Book of 5 Spheres"
Review: I have no doubt about the author's sincerity in offering this personal interpretation of Musashi's original work, "Book of 5 Spheres" (or "The Book of 5 Rings"). The problem I have with what Stephen Kaufman has done to Musashi's book deals more with his implied suggestion that this edition is the result of an actual ~translation~ which he was responsible for (see pages xi-xii, "Translator's Note"). In fact, when asked Mr. Kaufman has admitted that this volume (and some others he has written) are not translations at all, but rather his own personal interpretations of English translations done by other authors--something he DOESN'T bother to communicate to his readers. The title of this volume, at odds with the "translator's note" on pgs xi -xii, is actually "...The Definitive _Interpretation_ of Miyamoto Musashi's Classic Book of Strategy". I fail to understand why Kaufman confuses his readers by mixing and matching interpretation with translation. It should be noted that Mr Kaufman himself does NOT speak or read Japanese, and in fact innocently named his own martial arts school "Dojo no Hebi" ("Place of Practice's Snake"), when he was trying for "Dojo of the Snake" (which in Japanese would have been "Hebi no Dojo", meaning "The Snake's Place of Practice"). Innocent mistakes yes, but one would expect a Black belt of the 10th Dan (degree grade) and a proclaimed "Hanshi" (master practitioner) to at least check his spelling with someone who _could_ speak the language he was using.

Kaufman doesn't bother to provide a bibliography of which English translations he used, nor does he include notes explaining how he drew his conclusions from the texts he studied. I am bothered by the fact that many of Musashi's words have been heavily edited, re-arranged, or deleted altogether by this author until they have been removed entirely from their original context. In doing this, Mr. Kaufman has actually ALTERED the _meaning_ of Musashi's work! What remains appears to be little more than a new age self-help guide for modern martial artists which has retained a smidgeon of flavor from Musashi's original work.

A brief example illustrating Kaufman's tendancy to put his own words in Musashi's mouth is in the fourth paragraph on page 6 of Kaufman's book. Kaufman reworks Musashi's words regarding Merchants as a class to read, "Merchants are a ridiculed class because they produce nothing except profit from the work of others." Two other men who have actually translated Musashi's work from the original Japanese suggest nothing sinister in Musashi's original work. Victor Harris in his translation of "A Book of Five Rings" offers: "The way of the merchant is always to live by taking profit" (page 41, 1974). Translator Thomas Cleary offers the same sentence as: "Whatever the business, merchants make a living from the profits they earn acording to their particular status" (page 7, 1993). This is a minor demonstration of the differences between Kaufman's work and those offered by actual translators--the translators make an effort to convey to the reader the actual meaning of Musashi's words in English, while Kaufman crafts a meaning which never existed in Musashi's work. Suffice to say, Kaufman's interpretation seems heavily influenced by his modern view of martial arts and his concept of what samurai may have been like four centuries ago. It bears little resemblance to competent translations of Musashi's writings.

I recommend two excellent translations of Musashi's work which stay true to the original Japanese. The first is "A Book of Five Rings" translated by Victor Harris, a mechanical engineer and technical interpreter of Japanese language who not only practiced kendo (Japanese fencing), but studied this art in Japan for 3 years under Ito Kyoitsu at the Seijudo Dojo. A second recommendation is "The Book of Five Rings" by Thomas Cleary, another professional translator. Unlike Kaufman, I did not find translations by these men to be "intellectual exercises in translating Japanese to English" (pg xi). I found legitimate translations by competent translators who were clear and direct...I suspect most scholarly people, whether students of martial arts or not, will draw a similar conclusions upon comparing Kaufman's book to any actual translation.

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Summary: Hey, I liked the book
Review: The author does say that the book was written with war and combat in mind, not business. I applaud him for attempting to convey what may have been in Musashi's mind. Of course, this is impossible to do - especially having to translate from another language and all.

This book give martial artists a lot to think about. I say pick up a copy for yourself.

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Summary: ONE MINDSET:destroy the enemy- ALL MEANS NECESSARY !
Review: The author has done a good job in presenting Miyamoto Musashi's concepts into english translation and into how it relates to martial artist of today. It may take the reader more than one time reading to fully comprehend the meaning and intent of this text. This is one of the 4 or 5 must read books for any serious martial art student. I require all of my black belt students to read this book and write a report on how it relates to their personal study of the arts. This book along with the "Art of War" translated by the author is mandatory reading for my black belt instructors and should be for any person serious about self-defense. Both books are studied by military units around the world for strategy and tactics.

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Summary: The point of this translation is....
Review: There is no such thing as a definitive interpretation of the Book of Five Rings.
Musashi iterates again and again and again and again in his book that the reading of the book is not sufficient to learn the Way of Strategy. Only through constant practice and meditation on the concepts can you come to a true understanding of his Way.
Thus Steve Kaufman (any relation to Andy?) is a total buffoon in my opinion having achieved near total ignorance of the most recurring theme in the entire work!

Anyone wanting to learn from or about this book only need read it themselves and then practice the teachings as recommended by Musashi. It is not that long a book!
I have to admit I believe full comprehension is a little beyond the average person as most people read (and listen and talk for that matter) quite unaware of their own mental 'filters'.
That is why this book requires serious meditation and actual practice to begin to understand. You need to grasp the pure essence of Musashi's words rather than 'relating' to them via your own experiences. Many other Asian practices teach this sort of awareness, so I do not mean to say most people are incapable of it, merely that they won't care or bother enough to cultivate a suitable mental attitude conducive to learning from it.
Anyway, in conclusion do not even bother with such a book and go read the real thing.

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Summary: The point of this translation is....
Review: This translation of Musashi's work is an attempt to return to the "essence" of the concepts he talks about in his work. As Mr. Kaufman points out in the introduction, what Musashi was discussing was how to kill another human being in combat. To quote Mr. Kaufman,"This is not another book about Japanese business strategy. There is a significant difference between not getting a deal signed and having your head cut off". I understand the point that the other reviewer made about the impossiblity of a definitive translation of Musashi's work. However, nowhere in the book does Mr. Kaufman make the claim that his translation is the "definitive" interpretation of the Book of Five Rings. I think that this was something that the publisher added. I don't think that's it's unreasonable though, to bear in mind who Musashi was addressing in his book. He was talking to other samurai like himself & attempting to pass on the wisdom and experiences he had gained during his life. He was not developing a strategy for success in business. This is the point which Mr. Kaufman is trying to make in his translation of the Book of Five Rings.

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Summary: Most of the Comments Here Are Plugs for Cleary's Farce
Review: You people with the translation/interpretation issues present suerficial horse-pucky. About the only significant comment here is by Steve Sukido, which points out that Musashi is a paradigm. If the 10 Soke of Musashi's own school claims even he doesn't understand the Rings and nobody could without studying the specific sutras, then how could he purport to understand what the Rings are not? The Rings are about taking someone out, and the relation of three specific factors to that craft: (1) training; (2) instinct; and (3) luck by unintended circumstance/consequences. That's it; it's that simple. doesn't take a priest to get it. Any Martialist reading, who is in doubt, can check my comment against the martial axiom: 'Before I began martial training a strike was just a strike; During the course of my training a strike became more than a strike; When I finally came to understand my training, I understood that a strike was just a strike.

If Musashi wrote, as you emphasize, that your mind should not be so narrow and finicky, why are yours so stuck on meaningless conjecture? Go chase a makiwara, then pary that Buddha will make you intelligent enough to understand the Rings.

PS - Maybe you'll rememnber what the Buddha said about meeting the Buddha along the Road. Kill the SOB, how is Musashi's abstracted and obscured identity any different. Better yet, go chase a Sutra.