Travel to Japan

The Book of Five Rings

Format: Hardcover
Author: Miyamoto Musashi
ReleaseDate: 15 June, 2002
Publisher: Kodansha International
Rating:

This guy knows Japanese
I highly recommend this translation. I've read several versions of this book and William Scott Wilson seems to have the best understanding of the Japanese language and desire to keep it as "word for word" as he can keep it without making the text obscure. Oh yeah, and this book is highly valuable for philosophers and martial artists alike. Musashi was a genius of both martial arts and life.

Best translation available
The William Scott Wilson translation is by far the best. I have studied this book for years, and have read five different translations. I always get the feeling that other translators are putting too much of themselves or their ideas about what Musashi is saying into the translations. Wilson's translation is clear and concise and yet does not feel filtered.

Here is a passage from the Thomas Cleary translation "Upset happens in all sorts of things. One way it happens is through a feeling of being under acute pressure. Another is through a feeling of unreasonable strain. A third is through a feeling of surprise at the unexpected. "
Here is the same passage translated by Wilson "There are many kinds of agitation. One is a feeling of danger, a second is a feeling that something is beyond your capability and a third is a feeling of the unexpected. This should be investigated thoroughly. "

They say the same thing, but Wilson is clearer.

As for the book itself, it is a classic masterpiece that describes not only a style of swordsmanship, but a way of living.

Master
The "Way" is the only way to assure victory in any engagement, at anytime, anywhere, with anyone. There is only one reason to fight an apponent and that is to cut him down and win. One must dedicate and commit all one has to living the "Way" and then one can reach the level of complete mastery over oneself. Nothing else matters. Not fighting stances, thoughts, beliefs, but only the single determintion to cut down your opponent and win. Nothing can come between your goal and the outcome you desire. If you think about doing anything, you have lost before you have started. While the other person is thinking about how to strike, or how to stand, or where to look, you have already cut him down. He's dead or close to it.

There is a similarity in Bruce Lee's "Dao of Jeet Ken Do" where there is no "style", only response to action. One must be water. Musashi flows like water. To do so one must practice and attain spirit, awareness, and discipline.

Being self-taught, Musashi wasn't bound by the rigid formality that binds all minds (and it is the mind that wins) in any endeavor. He was free of form and could respond accordingly to any situation. You should investigate this and also read this book. .

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