Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Flamingo
Date Published: 1984-01-01
ISBN-13:9780006540311ISBN:0006540317
Description: Good. Pages are clean, though tanned; contain very minor marking/highlighting. Cover shows some wear and creasing.; 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed! Free Delivery Confirmation! Ships same or next business day! read more
Edition: Reprint
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Barnes & Noble, New York
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9780760704448ISBN:0760704449
Description: Very Good+ in Very Good+ jacket. 4to-over 9¾"-12" tall. Written more than 350 years ago, this remarkable Japanese classic focuses on both the technical and spiritual elements of the confrontational skills of the martial arts. The Book of Five Rings can yield surprising benefits on all levels of human interaction--from the actual practice of martial arts to the waging of war on the corporate battlefields of the modern business world. A new translation by Thomas Cleary including The Book of ... read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: The Overlook Press, Woodstock, NY
Date Published: 1974
Description: Good. Folio. Cover is torn by spine, worn, sunned, & soiled. Spine is bumped & rubbed. Pgs. are tight & browning with age. A Classic Guide To Strategy-Miyamoto Musashi. read more
Edition: Fifth Printing
Binding: Cloth
Publisher: The Overlook Press, Woodstock, NY
Date Published: 1974
Description: Good. No Jacket. 8 1/2 X 7. 96pp. Illustrated with twenty-eight B/W photos and reproductions. Pages are tight and clean. Binding firm and straight. Board edges and corners good-, slight warp. If needed for reference, analysis, or just enjoyment this is the one. hundred Contents: Introduction, The Ground Book, The Water Book, The Fire Book, The Wind Book, The Book of The Void. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Flamingo
Date Published: 1984
ISBN-13:9780006540311ISBN:0006540317
Description: Good. EXCELLENT value for money and ready for dispatch. Delivery usually within 3/5 days. Our reputation is built on our Speedy Delivery Service and our Customer Service Team. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: ALLISON & BUSBY Country = UNITED KINGDOM
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9780749006587ISBN:0749006587
Description: BRAND NEW PAPERBACK. 112 pages. (112 pages) written by the most famous and unconquerable of all samurai, this work presents a guide to kendo swordsmansh1p and a distillation of the philosophies of zen, shinto and confucius. (Paperback) read more
Edition: Translated by Ashikaga Yoshiharu, edited by Rosemary Brant
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Barnes and Noble Publishing, New York
Date Published: 2006
ISBN-13:9780760784570ISBN:0760784574
Description: New. No dust jacket as issued. clean text, tight binding, minor shelf wear to covers/corners, nice reading copy, absolutely gorgeous book, help support indpendent booksellers! 200 p. Includes illustrations. read more
Edition: Reprint
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: The Overlook Press, Woodstock, NY
Date Published: 1974
Description: Fine in Good jacket. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. A clean, crisp later printing of Victor Harris's translation of this classic of kendo. Dust jacket has closed tear on spine and two closed tears bottom egde. read more
"Pay no attention to my rating, as this is not a judgement on Musashi's book, but rather the audio version of the book. For me, Musashi's Book of Five Rings is a book that, after listening to it, I learned that I could only truly understand his writings by reading it and then, rereading it.
The Book of Five Rings is similar to Sun Tsu's Art of War, in that it was a book written in a different time for a different situation, but even so, it is timeless in it's applications to life, business, martial arts and other areas.
Five Rings seperates itself into Five Books : Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Void. Each of these books deals with a seperate aspect of the whole Way that Musashi teaches.
This book, especially the audio version, is not meant to be understood, let alone applied or mastered upon first venture. This is a study material to return to and reflect upon time and time again.
Because of this, for Miyamoto Musashi's Book of Five Rings I cannot truly give a rating."
"I'll be honest, I only read about halfway through the book. I had wanted to read it because I thought it was about the history and legend of the samurai period of Japan. In actuality, it is a book on strategy and technique for sword fighting, war, and the samurai code. In some ways it is similar to Sun Tzu's The Art of War. The publishers of this edition of the book mentioned several times that businessmen in today's world could use the teachings of Miyamoto to "vanquish" the competition and make their businesses do well. Well yay for them. I just wanted some cool stories of samurai challenges and battles and whatnot. Which I didn't find here."
"Unlike Sun Tzu, this is a very cryptic and almost a purist's philosophical text. Very introspective in nature.
It is infinitely easier to comprehend and process (or at least begin to) with at least a basic understanding of the Kendo martial art before going into it... the psychological disciplines involved moreso than the actual swordsman techniques, though knowledge of both seems like an obvious requirement as some of the examples assume the reader knows how the mind & body flows through certain sword movements.
If one of the following applies to you, it will completely go over your head: 1) You have a politically-correct-knee-jerk-reaction to anything that is pro-warfare 2) You have a morbid fear of the concept of hermitage 3) You're one of those "martial artists" that trains just to feel "tough" about yourself
oh, and skip the intro... read a bio about Musashi somewhere else if need be, but skip it. It is so nullifying (and littered with inaccuracies) that you will need to step away from the book for at least a few hours before feeling purged and fresh again."
"Look, if you don't carry around two swords and challenge other masters, this book may seem like a stretch...but as you gathered I am not dual-sword carrying master and I really enjoyed the short text.
Take-away thesis: - If you choose to engage someone in battle do it entirely, with every intent to vanquish your opponent...this seems like a good rule for anything in life - The Way is beset by many distractions, but all may be overcome with practice, discipline and introspection.
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