Rating: 
Summary: A Book Many People Misunderstand...
Review: This is one of many books that people just don't understand. This book teaches a person the Way. As defined by Musashi, the way is the divine footprints of God, telling us how to live our lives to correct way. That is what the Way is, and that is what Musashi spent 50 yrs. trying to find. In this book, he imparts all his knowledge of the Way. He also tells how to fight using his style. He tells how to come out the victor in a sword fight no matter what techhnique the enemy uses. At age 30, Musashi was invincible. He had never lost one out of 60 battles using just about all the available weapons of the time. This book in short, teaches you how to live the Way, as God would like to see, how to relieze everything going on around you, and how to become the greatest swordsman.
Rating:
Summary: The point of a swordfight...
Review: ...is to kill your opponent.The Book of Five Rings was recommended to me as a young martial artist and it changed my life. This classic is a must for anyone who has an interest in the martial arts, business, or how to address the problems of life. Musashi's wisdom and clarity ring down through the ages. His insights are thoroughly modern and applicable to the issues of today. I have been a martial artist for 15 years and management consultant for 10 and recommend this book to either audience. It is required reading for my clients. The Shambala edition is simply the finest translation of the Book of Five Rings that I have found.
Rating:
Summary: Read, Re Read, Re Read and you might understand
Review: I read this book through once, and thought: okay, I just read a book about a 15th centurey samuri warrior, and he enlightened me all about how to fight with a sword. Great. Now what can I do with that. But there is more, there is much much more. This book contains within it philosophy, and a sense of the greaterness of ones self in relation to the cosmos. Musashi didn't write a book just about how to fight with an antiquated sword, he wrote a book that allows the reader to see further than their petty lives and embrace a more global way of thinking. Musashi wrote this book to enlighten the reader as to how he lived; and how he thought a warrior should live. And everyone today is a lawyer, whether it be in your job, in your social life or wherever, you are always fighting and planning on how to make things come out best in your favor; and this book helps you to realize these battles and win them. This review is very ephemeral and doesn't say much; but it is tough to explain a book of this magnitude in a small 1000 word essay. You need to read this book to gain even a slight understanding of the magnitude of it; then you can reread it and hopefully gain a little more understanding; until in 50-60 years you might understand it fully. Maybe. Read this book although 400 years old it applies more to today than ever.
Rating:
Summary: go Rin no sho
Review: This is not a book about business, or about swordfighting for that matter. It is a book about The Way and perfecting oneself through The Way. I have been reading this book for more than ten years. Every translation I could find. As my underestanding of The Way grows so does my understanding of this book, and vice versa. It can be read easily in a day or two so read it as many times as you can. Everytime something new will reveal itself to you. Read it from front to back... take one chapter at a time...take one part of a chapter at a time. I have red the book every way I can think of! Sure, some of it is hard to follow...don't dismiss it just because you don't understand it! I have been practicing both Kendo and Iado for a long time. Believe me, the more you learn, the more you realize that you don't know anything! Musashi Knew!
Rating: 
Summary: Musishi is a great swordsman -- not a good writer
Review: With much anticipation I ordered this book. I had read some good things about it and was glad to finally have it in my hands. However, I was quickly disappointed with what it conatined. It's literally a book about his sword fighting belief/school. If that is what you want then that is what you'll get. I wanted more of a philosophical read with Zen gems but I found only one or two (not even memorable). For the philosophically inclined, I highly Recomend Takuan's "Unfettered Mind" -- it's three letters from a Zen master to a Sword Master. If you are interested in Zen aspects of the princiapals and techniques of sword fighting this is for you. I have only read the first letter and am eager to read the other two. This is one you will want to re-read. As for my Book of Five Rings, I gave it to an friend in case he may find something in it I did not. I am studying Kendo (Japanese fencing) and will start Iado (the Samurai art of drawing the sword and killing your opponent in one move)and have been practicing Zazen (Zen meiditation)... so I think I know a good book about Zen and the way of the sword a little more than your average layman. Trust me on this one.
Rating:
Summary: Captivating AND Thought Provoking
Review: I don't know how I'll apply the principals in this book, but I will reread it many times - mostly, I enjoyed it as literature, and value the translator's notes! Maybe it is only unique because of who the author is, and when it was written, but that's enough! The book is priced so low as to be practically free, and is valuable even if you're not an executive or a swordsman. It is a classic in every sense.
Rating:
Summary: A very Misunderstood book
Review: Wow, what a misunderstood book. A business book that's deliberately written to be obscure, with deep hidden meaning. Hmmmm. The way I see it, it can be applied to business, since Musashi said his way of strategy is about winning at all things, but obscure no. Musashi himself (if you care to read the book thoroughly) actually decried the other schools of martial arts around in his day that told about secrets of martial arts. Secret teachings, eh? Sounds just like the present day doesn't it? He said their were no secrets, just practise (the way is in training). The primary theme to the book is that you must focus on the end result you want, and take steps to achieve that. for example in a sword fight, the desired end result is to kill your opponent, every move you make should be intended to accomplish that. Everyting in the book is so straight forward I can't understand anyone not being able to comprehend it, but that's life.
Rating:
Summary: A sword-fighter's bible.
Review: I've read several books on sword techniques, methods, philosophies, etc... This book takes all that knowledge and adds an edge to it I haven't found anywhere else. It makes you think about your movements, and style of fighting... and answers the questions on things like why the samurai used a long and short sword instead of two long blades. Musashi fought back when it meant living or dying, and never lost. He wrote the book years after he retired from fighting and tried to capture the very essense of how to win in any situation. This book does not have any pictures of techniques, but it makes you evaluate every technique. It offers a great deal of knowledge for every day life and even if you never pick up a sword or raise your fists, this book can teach you how to win in life's battles by way of your mind. A great book, and I feel lucky to have it on my shelf... available when I need it.
Rating: 
Summary: Have sword, will fight
Review: Everybody should read this book. That's all there is to it. Musashi takes the reader into a world filled to the brim with devotion, self-respect, disciplin, honesty and purity of thought. Even though this book was written by and for warriors and samurai, and in a completely different time and culture, it is a remarkabe source of inspiration for selv-developement. Musashi's teachings are concise and to the point. He uses phrases like "you must understand this" and "you must practice diligently" and explains only general, but unquestionable and fundamental, concepts of the Way of the Warrior. These guidelines are not directly applicable in our time and age, but what is applicable are the things this book contains about working with yourself. Striving to achieve improvement on the inside as well as the outside. It would be a lie to say that this book is a "positive" book. Taken litterally it's about how to become an efficient, albeit enlightened, killer. The value of this book comes from reading between the lines, and let me tell you: Those lines could fill volumes.
Rating:
Summary: Referred to this book as a business text?
Review: I saw this book referred to in two or three business publications and couldn't resist getting a hold of it to find the connection between samurai and capitalist warrior. Boy, was I surprised! The other day I was cornered in the food court by members of a rival firm, and used Musashi's techniques to defend myself with a foot long deli sandwich. Seriously, the parallels between the two worlds are difficult to draw. Call me myopic. This seems to be an excellent manual for a samurai. But if you insist on extrapolating business principles from it, I also recommend "Taming and Training Cockatoos" (the similarities between nesting and portfolio analysis are flagrant!) as well as "Please To The Table" which appears to be a Russian cookbook, but also serves up a delicious recipe for managing sycophants! Seriously, if you're looking for a thoughtful, educating management book, read Drucker, if you want corporate strategy, read Porter, for economics, try Krugman. This is an old warrior manual that doesn't offer any new insight for the budding capitalist. If you absolutely have to find a classic and derive insight into managing for success, then go ahead and read Niccolo Machiaveli's "The Prince". Cheers, and good luck
| 
