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The Book of Five Rings

A Classic Text on the Japanese Way of the Sword

By Miyamoto Musashi
Translated by Thomas Cleary

$14.95
SKU
9781611806403
- Paperback
Available
Shambhala Publications
10/23/2018
Pages: 200
Size: 4.25 x 6.75
ISBN: 9781611806403
Details

This book is also included in our Reader's Guide on The Samurai and Zen where you will find other important Zen classics.

One of the most insightful texts on the subtle arts of confrontation and victory to emerge from Asian culture, The Book of Five Rings analyzes the process of struggle and mastery over conflict that underlies every level of human interaction. Written by the renowned Japanese warrior Miyamoto Musashi in 1643, its principles for achieving success in combat have long been lauded not only for their applicability to the martial arts but to all aspects of life. This acclaimed translation from Thomas Cleary is immediately accessible, with an introduction that presents the spiritual background of the warrior tradition. Along with Musashi’s text, Cleary also translates another revered Japanese classic on leadership and strategy, The Book of Family Traditions on the Art of War by Yagyu Munenori, which highlights the ethical and spiritual insights of Taoism and Zen as they apply to the way of the warrior.
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Samurai
Swordsmanship
Author Bio
Miyamoto Musashi
Miyamoto Musashi, who lived in Japan in the 1600s, was an undefeated dueler, a masterless samurai, and an independent teacher. He spent the last decades of his life refining and teaching his military science.
Thomas Cleary
Dr. Thomas Cleary (1949–2021), one of the most celebrated translators of spiritual classics into English, earned a PhD in East Asian Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University and a JD from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. He is the translator of over seventy volumes of Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian, and Islamic texts from Sanskrit, Chinese, Japanese, Pali, and Arabic.
Selected Reader Reviews