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ayla_derammelaere's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I read this book many years ago and looked for it for a long time. This time, it was even more impressing than the first.
The story is about the ronin Musashi (born as Takezo). When he is young, he has problems with containing himself : he lives by his own rules and only follows his own urges. He has one friend and they decide to go to war to show everyone how great they are. Their side loses. They go into hiding and Matahachi (his friend) finds another woman to live with (eventhough he is betroved to Otsu) and runs off. Takezo goes back to his hometown to explain what has happened but Osugi (Matahachi's mother) doesn't want to believe her son has no honor and decides Takezo is lying and needs to die. Takezo runs but gets caught by Takuan, a monk. This moment is what changes Takezo's life.
After running away again, Takezo is thought by Takuan what is means to be a real human being : he studies what it means to be a samurai, learns about history and morals. They then decide to give him another name : Musashi.
As Musashi, he travels to world ; learning by his surroundings, challenging other samurai and trying to become a complete human being.
By learning from all and everyone, Musashi creates a fighting style of his own : he uses swords on both hands as he came to see that 1 body has 2 arms, so 2 become 1.
The reason why this book appeals to me so much, is because it shows us that personal growth is always possible. This is a love story but in a delicate and respectful way. A story about taking responsibility but remaining forgiving to others and yourself. Musashi became a great man but always remained 'ordinary' : he didn't care about becoming rich, he cared about people. He wanted to share his knowledge and was eager to learn. He knew that the Way of the Samurai was a long way but he was devoted to walk it.
Some quotes from the book that really left a mark on me :
1. "That was Takezo's nature ; he was a creature of extremes. Even when he was a small child, there had been something primitive in his blood, something harking back to the fierce warriors of ancient Japan, something as wild as it was pure." -> Musashi learns how to control his temper while still accepting his nature, trusting his instincts. He knew there are times when he needed to be among people but understood he also needed time by himself, so he could really try and understand what he had learned.
2. "You let that one act of loyalty convince you of your righteousness. The more convinced you became, the more harm you caused yourself and everyone else." -> It is important to look at your actions and see them for what they are. Sometimes we act out of loyalty and think that that itself means our actions are good. But every action has consequences and we need to take up our responsibilities.
3. "I want to lead an important life. I want to do this because I was born a human being." -> After reading and learning for 3 years, Takezo begins to understand what Takuan has done for him, he understands that being 'human' means more than just being born as one : you need to study and become a person with morals, high standards, responsibility, love, compassion,.. Understanding this, Musashi was born and he tried his best to become great and teach this to others.
4."I will do nothing that I will regret." -> On New Years day, Musashi wants to make a resolution that he can live by. He realizes that 'only doing good' isn't something you can live up to since your vision of what is good, can change over the years. He decides that when he always does the best he can, he will not have anything to regret.
5. "He had come to see the Way of the Sword in a new light. A year or two earlier, he had wanted only to conquer all rivals, but now the idea that the sword existed for the purpose of giving him power over other people, was unsatisfying. To cut people down, to triumph over them, to display the limits of one's strength, seemed increasingly vain. He wanted to conquer himself, to make life itself submit to him, to cause people to live rather than die. The Way of the Sword should not be used merely for his own perfection. It should be a source of strength for governing people and leading them to peace and happiness." -> Musashi realizes that the world is a place for every human and he wants to take part in helping create a better world.
6. "It's only leaves and branches." -> When Musashi feels stuck in his growth, he goes searching for his sensei. He knows he will not get out of this darkness by himself. When he finds his sensei, he doesn't give him the answer. Following his sensei in desperation, he stumbles upon a poem and realizes that all and everything are part of the universe. There is no reason to be getting stuck in details since it is the whole that matters. Understanding this, he breaks through his darkness and continues his path.
philodora's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
gio74's review against another edition
5.0
A great read, worth the 1000ish pages of the book. It transports you to a different era, you can almost feel yourself living in the 1600's Japan.
What can I say that other reviewers didn't? The application and mindset of martial arts that go beyond it's movements. A love story that isn't a cliché. A very deep book with great passages of the Eastern Buddhism of the times, I found myself highlighting them to study their structure and composition. This is a masterpiece of writing and story telling and I feel very fortunate to have stumbled upon this book. Go and read it, you will not be disappointed. 10/10
What can I say that other reviewers didn't? The application and mindset of martial arts that go beyond it's movements. A love story that isn't a cliché. A very deep book with great passages of the Eastern Buddhism of the times, I found myself highlighting them to study their structure and composition. This is a masterpiece of writing and story telling and I feel very fortunate to have stumbled upon this book. Go and read it, you will not be disappointed. 10/10
dawe's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
pizzamcpin3ppl3's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
vctr's review against another edition
5.0
Boa descrição de mundo, passa o sentimento de estarmos no Japão Antigo. Os personagens são bem desenvolvidos com ênfase em Matahachi e Musashi, com exceção de Sasasi Kojiro que podia ter sido mais bem desenvolvido. O final meio aberto também deixa um pouco a desejar. 9/10
raerae's review against another edition
5.0
Musashi is one of the most exciting books I have read in a long time – it packs an incredible amount of story and character development throughout its length. The book is also injected with elements of philosophy and reflections on the human condition – adding a greater depth to the novel which can be both humorous and quite serious at times.
Waking on the losing side of a battlefield among the corpses of his defeated brethren – Musashi and his friend Matahachi embark on a quest to become men and samurai of renown that will lead them in wildly different directions and inevitably create a deep enmity in Matahachi. Musashi, intent on following The Way and becoming a samurai and swordsman of great skill, develops a life of discipline and studied self-awareness that enriches his natural talent with the sword. Though he accumulates an almost obscene amount of enemies throughout his journeys in Japan – no one can be harder on Musashi than he is on himself.
With an array of deeply developed characters and concise yet poignant storytelling – Musashi is an epic novel of discipline and resolve along the arduous journey of the ordinary becoming the extraordinary.
Waking on the losing side of a battlefield among the corpses of his defeated brethren – Musashi and his friend Matahachi embark on a quest to become men and samurai of renown that will lead them in wildly different directions and inevitably create a deep enmity in Matahachi. Musashi, intent on following The Way and becoming a samurai and swordsman of great skill, develops a life of discipline and studied self-awareness that enriches his natural talent with the sword. Though he accumulates an almost obscene amount of enemies throughout his journeys in Japan – no one can be harder on Musashi than he is on himself.
With an array of deeply developed characters and concise yet poignant storytelling – Musashi is an epic novel of discipline and resolve along the arduous journey of the ordinary becoming the extraordinary.
kavinay's review against another edition
5.0
Serialization is underrated. Yoshikawa makes it work to his advantage with stories that interleave like both a play and epic.
shiva's review against another edition
5.0
The last time I had a fleeting fascination for the Samurai was in middle school. With almost no existing interest in Japanese history, I started reading Musashi. And am I glad I did! I didn't put it down for three weeks. Even now, I return frequently to reread passages.
True. The plot has a few (very few) bits that might bore and seem almost forced, sometimes even vex - but a reading of this book deserves that you cast aside such trivialities, because it is a breathtaking story of one man's becoming. A friend told me recently, "The best of feelings are the ones you can’t quite express as well as you’d like to, the ones that lead your words to fail." That is how strongly I felt for this one.
I have read very few books more than once, and almost no other at one stretch. Very rarely do you come across the right book you need to read at just the right time in your life. Even as the story unfolded in this epic saga, I found myself backstepping time and again, attempting to grasp at ideas and thoughts in the minds of Musashi and those around him. Eiji Yoshikawa has a masterpiece here. It reads like a breeze and the imagery is fantastic. For all its Zen seriousness, it is also laugh out loud hilarious. I can say outright that this book will have a tremendous impact on the Way I live the rest of my days.
True. The plot has a few (very few) bits that might bore and seem almost forced, sometimes even vex - but a reading of this book deserves that you cast aside such trivialities, because it is a breathtaking story of one man's becoming. A friend told me recently, "The best of feelings are the ones you can’t quite express as well as you’d like to, the ones that lead your words to fail." That is how strongly I felt for this one.
I have read very few books more than once, and almost no other at one stretch. Very rarely do you come across the right book you need to read at just the right time in your life. Even as the story unfolded in this epic saga, I found myself backstepping time and again, attempting to grasp at ideas and thoughts in the minds of Musashi and those around him. Eiji Yoshikawa has a masterpiece here. It reads like a breeze and the imagery is fantastic. For all its Zen seriousness, it is also laugh out loud hilarious. I can say outright that this book will have a tremendous impact on the Way I live the rest of my days.