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4.31 AVERAGE
4.31 AVERAGE
Really solid the whole way through. It was like reading Stephen Fry's retelling of myths; a retelling of a story that has clear impact on the culture of a country and therefore a little of the world. All people were real and most events really happened.
Got many pieces of Japanese wisdom, probably the best part of the book aside from reading something culturally significant. Much meditation on the Way of the Sword and what it meant to be a samurai - much more that proficiency of the sword but an enriched soul (This was the difference between Musashi and Kojiro). Another overall theme was the difference between Musashi and Matahachi, the former spending years, a decade by the end, constantly growing and pushing himself along his path even if the progress was extremely slow. Matahachi took Kojiro's name and was always looking for shortcuts to becoming a "real human".
Some of my favorite excerpts:
"[Musashi] knew well that to live was more than merely to survive. The problem was how to imbue his life with meaning, how to ensure that his life would cast a bright ray of light into the future, even if it became necessary to give up that life for a cause. If he succeeded in doing this, the length of his life - twenty years or seventy - made little difference. A lifetime was only an insignificant interval in the endless flow of time." p.509
"...by painting a picture of carving an image of the Buddha, [priests] draw closer to him. A swordsman can purify his spirit in the same way. We human beings all look up at the same moon, but there are many roads we may travel to reach the top of the peak nearest it. Sometimes, when we lose our way, we decided to try someone else's, but the ultimate aim is to find fulfillment in life." p. 533
"'It'll be a test of strength between a man who's a genius, but really somewhat conceited, and an ordinary man who's polished his talents to the utmost, won't it?' [Koetsu]
'I wouldn't call Musashi ordinary' [Gonnosuke]
'But he is. That's what's extraordinary about him. He's not content with relying on whatever natural gifts he may have. Knowing he;s ordinary, he's always trying to improve himself. No one appreciates the agonizing effort he's had to make. Now that his years of training have yielded such spectacular results, everybody's talking about his 'god-given talent'. That's how men who don't try very hard comfort themselves'[Koetsu]." p. 926
"The little fishes, abandoning themselves to the waves, dance and sing and play, but who knows the heart of the sea, a hundred feet down? Who knows its depth?" p. 970
To be anything or anyone takes effort. Relying on shortcuts and natural ability means nothing. Musashi began his effort towards becoming a real human by reading all day for three years and then traveled and challenged himself for a decade. Including woodcutting, farming, calligraphy, being a sensei, painting and of course fighting. His meaning came from the fight to be something, follow a path of betterment and not give it up. Living exactly how he wanted to with no compromise.
Got many pieces of Japanese wisdom, probably the best part of the book aside from reading something culturally significant. Much meditation on the Way of the Sword and what it meant to be a samurai - much more that proficiency of the sword but an enriched soul (This was the difference between Musashi and Kojiro). Another overall theme was the difference between Musashi and Matahachi, the former spending years, a decade by the end, constantly growing and pushing himself along his path even if the progress was extremely slow. Matahachi took Kojiro's name and was always looking for shortcuts to becoming a "real human".
Some of my favorite excerpts:
"[Musashi] knew well that to live was more than merely to survive. The problem was how to imbue his life with meaning, how to ensure that his life would cast a bright ray of light into the future, even if it became necessary to give up that life for a cause. If he succeeded in doing this, the length of his life - twenty years or seventy - made little difference. A lifetime was only an insignificant interval in the endless flow of time." p.509
"...by painting a picture of carving an image of the Buddha, [priests] draw closer to him. A swordsman can purify his spirit in the same way. We human beings all look up at the same moon, but there are many roads we may travel to reach the top of the peak nearest it. Sometimes, when we lose our way, we decided to try someone else's, but the ultimate aim is to find fulfillment in life." p. 533
"'It'll be a test of strength between a man who's a genius, but really somewhat conceited, and an ordinary man who's polished his talents to the utmost, won't it?' [Koetsu]
'I wouldn't call Musashi ordinary' [Gonnosuke]
'But he is. That's what's extraordinary about him. He's not content with relying on whatever natural gifts he may have. Knowing he;s ordinary, he's always trying to improve himself. No one appreciates the agonizing effort he's had to make. Now that his years of training have yielded such spectacular results, everybody's talking about his 'god-given talent'. That's how men who don't try very hard comfort themselves'[Koetsu]." p. 926
"The little fishes, abandoning themselves to the waves, dance and sing and play, but who knows the heart of the sea, a hundred feet down? Who knows its depth?" p. 970
To be anything or anyone takes effort. Relying on shortcuts and natural ability means nothing. Musashi began his effort towards becoming a real human by reading all day for three years and then traveled and challenged himself for a decade. Including woodcutting, farming, calligraphy, being a sensei, painting and of course fighting. His meaning came from the fight to be something, follow a path of betterment and not give it up. Living exactly how he wanted to with no compromise.
What an amazing read this was....After reading vagabond first I was skeptical at first whether it was worth it or not, but I am glad now that I read it. It's more detailed but in a simple way.
This book is going to become my whole personality. I’ve already bought a Musashi poster. I’m finally gonna read Vagabond. I’m gonna watch the movies. I am the sword. The sword is me.
Dropped at 49.5%
If I keep reading this I'll become a xenophobic maniac. Such is the utter pervasive ugliness of every character in this book. Not just of character but of spirit and circumstances too. Disgusting drivel.
If I keep reading this I'll become a xenophobic maniac. Such is the utter pervasive ugliness of every character in this book. Not just of character but of spirit and circumstances too. Disgusting drivel.
adventurous
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I struggle putting into words why I enjoyed this book so much, despite having no real desire to read it again (atleast for a very long time), and due to its flaws. I am just very glad I read it and would definitely recommend it.
Let's start with the pros:
- Musashi is a genuinely amazing character. My favourite parts of the novel are not when he is fighting or when he is being a badass, it's the moments where we get insight into his character and how he thinks, the moments where he is at his worst but perseveres. His entire journey is a real delight to read and I somewhat wish that there were more chapters from his perspective, as I think the novel is at its best when we are seeing Japan during the Edo period through his eyes.
- I want to highlight a few of the side characters who I did enjoy: Takuan, Matahachi, Iori and a few of the other smaller characters who I found interesting such as Koetsu. I really liked these characters, especially Iori who surprised me after having to suffer through Jōtarō (more on him later). Takuan was also really fun to read about and his role as a teacher figure to Musashi. Matahachi was a genuine rollercoaster of a character.
- The antagonist of the whole thing, Kojirō served very well as a foil to Musashi – both respect the Way of the Sword but go about it in vastly different ways. Musashi thinks the Way is more than just swordsmanship, but a genuine answer to life, whereas I think Kojirō looks at it more pragmatically, caring mostly for the strength it brings him. This isn't to say he doesn't respect it, but that his motive is different. In some ways, I think a lot of the flaws I have with this novel could have been solved if the only perspectives we read about were Musashi's and Kojirō's.
- The historical and cultural aspects are easily one of my favourite parts, I loved learning about Japan and its history. I loved anytime I pulled out good old Wikipedia to learn more and dig deeper. This novel is not a 100% accurate historical account of Musashi's life, but I think if you're a history buff, there is value in what you learn about the era itself, especially with the tensions between Osaka and Edo.
- Fight scenes were good as hellll
- Satisfying ending too
- dash
Cons:
- The characters I really did not like. Let's start with Jōtarō. My God, I feel like I've never felt more annoyance with a character than with him. He is annoying on a Jar Jar Binks. There was a part later on when he'd grown older that at the time I felt like redeemed him but I think it says a lot that I have now actually forgotten what that moment was. Must have been good though.
- Continuing on, I think all the female main characters were pretty flat. We have Otsū, a character who is actually fairly likable, whose moments I did enjoy when she communicated with other characters, but my God, why is she so obsessed with Musashi? Where is the chemistry? When was there ever even a spark? I honestly don't get it and every time she decided to leave a place where she'd settled and was well liked to go after Musashi, I rolled my eyes. I somewhat wish her arc was more about letting go of Musashi rather than where it ended with them getting together. Osugi is a repugnant individual and she did not deserve forgiveness at the end, nor the weirdly rushed redemption arc. I just remembered the Jōtarō moment I liked which is when he shouted at her and gave her a wake up call. That's how vile Osugi is, she somehow made Jōtarō likable just by the virtue of shouting at her. Then there's Akemi who I guess is overall fine but I just felt sorry for her time and time again. Perhaps that's the point. I guess she's happy at the end? Not entirely sure. Hope so.
- Maybe its length? Idk I'm going back and forth on this. I think there were parts that could have gone faster, especially the beginning, but looking back I really did enjoy pretty much all of it
So, I think although I'm being fairly harsh, it does deserve its 4 stars. It's excellently written and although I wouldn't consider it a favourite by any means, I'm glad to have read and experienced it.
Let's start with the pros:
- Musashi is a genuinely amazing character. My favourite parts of the novel are not when he is fighting or when he is being a badass, it's the moments where we get insight into his character and how he thinks, the moments where he is at his worst but perseveres. His entire journey is a real delight to read and I somewhat wish that there were more chapters from his perspective, as I think the novel is at its best when we are seeing Japan during the Edo period through his eyes.
- I want to highlight a few of the side characters who I did enjoy: Takuan, Matahachi, Iori and a few of the other smaller characters who I found interesting such as Koetsu. I really liked these characters, especially Iori who surprised me after having to suffer through Jōtarō (more on him later). Takuan was also really fun to read about and his role as a teacher figure to Musashi. Matahachi was a genuine rollercoaster of a character.
- The antagonist of the whole thing, Kojirō served very well as a foil to Musashi – both respect the Way of the Sword but go about it in vastly different ways. Musashi thinks the Way is more than just swordsmanship, but a genuine answer to life, whereas I think Kojirō looks at it more pragmatically, caring mostly for the strength it brings him. This isn't to say he doesn't respect it, but that his motive is different. In some ways, I think a lot of the flaws I have with this novel could have been solved if the only perspectives we read about were Musashi's and Kojirō's.
- The historical and cultural aspects are easily one of my favourite parts, I loved learning about Japan and its history. I loved anytime I pulled out good old Wikipedia to learn more and dig deeper. This novel is not a 100% accurate historical account of Musashi's life, but I think if you're a history buff, there is value in what you learn about the era itself, especially with the tensions between Osaka and Edo.
- Fight scenes were good as hellll
- Satisfying ending too
- dash
Cons:
- The characters I really did not like. Let's start with Jōtarō. My God, I feel like I've never felt more annoyance with a character than with him. He is annoying on a Jar Jar Binks. There was a part later on when he'd grown older that at the time I felt like redeemed him but I think it says a lot that I have now actually forgotten what that moment was. Must have been good though.
- Continuing on, I think all the female main characters were pretty flat. We have Otsū, a character who is actually fairly likable, whose moments I did enjoy when she communicated with other characters, but my God, why is she so obsessed with Musashi? Where is the chemistry? When was there ever even a spark? I honestly don't get it and every time she decided to leave a place where she'd settled and was well liked to go after Musashi, I rolled my eyes. I somewhat wish her arc was more about letting go of Musashi rather than where it ended with them getting together. Osugi is a repugnant individual and she did not deserve forgiveness at the end, nor the weirdly rushed redemption arc. I just remembered the Jōtarō moment I liked which is when he shouted at her and gave her a wake up call. That's how vile Osugi is, she somehow made Jōtarō likable just by the virtue of shouting at her. Then there's Akemi who I guess is overall fine but I just felt sorry for her time and time again. Perhaps that's the point. I guess she's happy at the end? Not entirely sure. Hope so.
- Maybe its length? Idk I'm going back and forth on this. I think there were parts that could have gone faster, especially the beginning, but looking back I really did enjoy pretty much all of it
So, I think although I'm being fairly harsh, it does deserve its 4 stars. It's excellently written and although I wouldn't consider it a favourite by any means, I'm glad to have read and experienced it.
adventurous
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Eiji Yoshikawa’s Musashi is not merely a biography of Japan’s most legendary swordsman—it is a deeply human epic about what it means to seek mastery, both of the blade and of the self. Based on real events and people, the novel follows Miyamoto Musashi’s journey from wild youth to revered warrior-philosopher. Rather than glorify violence, Musashi delves into its consequences, its philosophy, and its role in shaping personal integrity. The writing is poetic yet accessible, and the journey is as internal as it is external.
The book’s pacing is meditative and reflective; readers expecting nonstop action may be surprised by its philosophical tone. Characters can embody ideals more than flaws, making some interactions feel stylized or symbolic. Additionally, while romantic subplots exist, they take a distant backseat to personal growth and the pursuit of mastery.
The book’s pacing is meditative and reflective; readers expecting nonstop action may be surprised by its philosophical tone. Characters can embody ideals more than flaws, making some interactions feel stylized or symbolic. Additionally, while romantic subplots exist, they take a distant backseat to personal growth and the pursuit of mastery.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I Liked It 🙂
-★★★✮☆- (3.50/5.00)
My Grading Score = 70% (B-)
I am someone who holds Vagabond by Takehiko Inoue as one of the best written manga of all time, even if it never gets completed, it doesn't remove itself as being one the best in the medium and not just in writing but in art as well. As someone who is knowledgeable on Sengoku/Edo Era related details and Musashi Miyamoto in particular, the idea of reading the novel that popularized him as the greatest samurai of all time was always something I liked the idea of reading and knowing about. When this new edition of Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa with Takehiko Inoue's art as the new cover came out, I felt as though it was calling for me to finally give it a read
Firstly, I'll say that this translation by Charles S. Terry (and the audio performance by Brain Nishii) was wonderful. I almost want to give additional points to them, but I want to focus on the book itself even though they both made the reading experience much better.
I think for a book that was written almost one hundred years ago from now (ninety years), it actually holds up pretty well. If there's anything that it did open my eyes to (and it should have long ago) is that this is through and through a character driven story and that comes with both the pros and cons of that when done well and not so well.
When you're writing a character driven story, it is obviously expected and assumed that there might not even be an overarching plot that is apparent. Musashi definitely will take its time for better or for worse when it comes to progression throughout the story. And when the chapters aren't focused on Musashi (and especially when it's multiple chapters), its weaker portions start to show very heavily. The total amount of POVs I lost count and mostly these chapters did not assist in the story of Musashi, the characterization on most of (if not all) the characters outside of maybe Takuan felt very one dimensional, once you've figured out what this character is about there is no character growth, or change to them for the entire story.
There is two characters that act as antagonists for majority of the story and in the final chapters finally stop being so (Matahachi and Osugi) and by the time they do the switch felt unearned and it was executed in such a rushed way that it felt out of character for them to finally stop acting the way they have been for almost one thousand pages. It felt as though it was most definitely dragged out when it came to them, and the only reason they changed was because it was finally time to end the book. The characters just all just felt like there were chasing Musashi out of jealously, admiration, love, to tag along, or to kill him, it started to get repetitive for a while when clones (writing wise) like Akemi for Otsu and Iori for Jotaro, start to pop up and do basically the same things the original characters did with slight variations, it all felt like fluff that could have been cut to make the overall story tighter. I wonder if since these volumes (which I've rated below) were originally released in a Japanese newspaper, there was a certain popularity and serialization that occurred which caused Eiji Yoshikawa to meander more than the story needed to. Book Three, Book Five, and the start of Book Seven all felt like they could be removed, and the overall story could have been better paced, in my opinion. For me the best part of this book was the character development for Musashi when Takuan was assisting in him getting executed, same for when he did the same thing with Matahachi, one of the reasons I believe he's probably the best written character in the book.
Book 1 Earth = 4/5
Book 2 Water = 4.00/5
Book 3 Fire = 3.25/5
Book 4 Wind = 4.50/5
Book 5 Sky = 2.50/5
Book 6 Sun & Moon = 4.00/5
Book 7 The Perfect Light = 4.25/5
Verdict
Before reading this, I remember reading a Reddit post about people comparing Musashi to Vagabond and which one they thought was better, and I recall a nice chunk of them saying Musashi was better. I wholeheartedly disagree with that opinion. Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa is good, a classic, I'll admit, but Vagabond is an outstanding masterpiece even if it's not completed by every metric. I don't regret reading Musashi, but I would be lying if it said I wasn't disappointed, I personally think it has aged when it comes to it's writing in characterization and character development, things that should be strengths for a character driven story. And the final fight against Sasaki Kojirō, although not bad, not the best bout in the book and for the amount of buildup it had, for it to only last a half a page on page 969/970, I would also be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed as well. Nonetheless, once again, like I said, even with my many criticisms and frustrations, I do not think this is a terrible book, far from it, but I wouldn't say it's amazing either, far from it. For 1935, it probably was amazing, but for 2025, and for me, I will go away at the most, saying, at the very least,
I Liked It
-★★★✮☆- (3.50/5.00)
My Grading Score = 70% (B-)
I am someone who holds Vagabond by Takehiko Inoue as one of the best written manga of all time, even if it never gets completed, it doesn't remove itself as being one the best in the medium and not just in writing but in art as well. As someone who is knowledgeable on Sengoku/Edo Era related details and Musashi Miyamoto in particular, the idea of reading the novel that popularized him as the greatest samurai of all time was always something I liked the idea of reading and knowing about. When this new edition of Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa with Takehiko Inoue's art as the new cover came out, I felt as though it was calling for me to finally give it a read
Firstly, I'll say that this translation by Charles S. Terry (and the audio performance by Brain Nishii) was wonderful. I almost want to give additional points to them, but I want to focus on the book itself even though they both made the reading experience much better.
I think for a book that was written almost one hundred years ago from now (ninety years), it actually holds up pretty well. If there's anything that it did open my eyes to (and it should have long ago) is that this is through and through a character driven story and that comes with both the pros and cons of that when done well and not so well.
When you're writing a character driven story, it is obviously expected and assumed that there might not even be an overarching plot that is apparent. Musashi definitely will take its time for better or for worse when it comes to progression throughout the story. And when the chapters aren't focused on Musashi (and especially when it's multiple chapters), its weaker portions start to show very heavily. The total amount of POVs I lost count and mostly these chapters did not assist in the story of Musashi, the characterization on most of (if not all) the characters outside of maybe Takuan felt very one dimensional, once you've figured out what this character is about there is no character growth, or change to them for the entire story.
There is two characters that act as antagonists for majority of the story and in the final chapters finally stop being so (Matahachi and Osugi) and by the time they do the switch felt unearned and it was executed in such a rushed way that it felt out of character for them to finally stop acting the way they have been for almost one thousand pages. It felt as though it was most definitely dragged out when it came to them, and the only reason they changed was because it was finally time to end the book. The characters just all just felt like there were chasing Musashi out of jealously, admiration, love, to tag along, or to kill him, it started to get repetitive for a while when clones (writing wise) like Akemi for Otsu and Iori for Jotaro, start to pop up and do basically the same things the original characters did with slight variations, it all felt like fluff that could have been cut to make the overall story tighter. I wonder if since these volumes (which I've rated below) were originally released in a Japanese newspaper, there was a certain popularity and serialization that occurred which caused Eiji Yoshikawa to meander more than the story needed to. Book Three, Book Five, and the start of Book Seven all felt like they could be removed, and the overall story could have been better paced, in my opinion. For me the best part of this book was the character development for Musashi when Takuan was assisting in him getting executed, same for when he did the same thing with Matahachi, one of the reasons I believe he's probably the best written character in the book.
Book 1 Earth = 4/5
Book 2 Water = 4.00/5
Book 3 Fire = 3.25/5
Book 4 Wind = 4.50/5
Book 5 Sky = 2.50/5
Book 6 Sun & Moon = 4.00/5
Book 7 The Perfect Light = 4.25/5
Verdict
Before reading this, I remember reading a Reddit post about people comparing Musashi to Vagabond and which one they thought was better, and I recall a nice chunk of them saying Musashi was better. I wholeheartedly disagree with that opinion. Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa is good, a classic, I'll admit, but Vagabond is an outstanding masterpiece even if it's not completed by every metric. I don't regret reading Musashi, but I would be lying if it said I wasn't disappointed, I personally think it has aged when it comes to it's writing in characterization and character development, things that should be strengths for a character driven story. And the final fight against Sasaki Kojirō, although not bad, not the best bout in the book and for the amount of buildup it had, for it to only last a half a page on page 969/970, I would also be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed as well. Nonetheless, once again, like I said, even with my many criticisms and frustrations, I do not think this is a terrible book, far from it, but I wouldn't say it's amazing either, far from it. For 1935, it probably was amazing, but for 2025, and for me, I will go away at the most, saying, at the very least,
I Liked It
Absolutely loved this book. I didn’t think I would sail through it’s 970 pages with such swiftness, but I could hardly put it down. It paints a picture of Japanese culture around the beginning of the Tokugawa reign, is filled with poetic observations, action, insights and drama. Especially if you’ve visited (or better yet are visiting) Japan, it is a great way to get in the mood -and the history. I think I might just start reading it again right away.