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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
I've finished both books, they are very similar in style and an interesting read on the Art of War and Swordsmanship.
I've also read Hagakure: The Secret Wisdom of the Samurai Yamamoto Tsunetomo this year which is also in a similar vain.
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/12409489
I've also read Hagakure: The Secret Wisdom of the Samurai Yamamoto Tsunetomo this year which is also in a similar vain.
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/12409489
informative
medium-paced
informative
fast-paced
Fascinating old treatise on strategy. I enjoyed this more than the Art of War.
Never read anything written before the 19th century is a rule of mine which a rarely break. Whatever wisdom these texts may contain, they are for someone else to hear.
Self-aware of the limits of my patience and how easily my thirst for knowledge gets quenched, I did everything I could to make the experience pleasant. Bought a more elaborate version with pictures on glossy paper, fat font and an introduction to provide context and highlight the value. Then I saw the graphic novel which should present the text, I thought, with more creativity and violence. Violence is Miyamoto Musashi's thing after all.
I cannot speak to the quality of the translation but certainly this edition is valuable for the introduction in two parts - Japan during the Musashi period and Concerning the life of Miyamoto Musashi. It paints a picture of the world in which he was roving and accounts for the brutality of his ways.
Musashi was a ronin at a time when the samurai were formally considered to be the elite but actually had no means of livelihood. The hope of a ronin was to defeat the students and master of a dōjō and increase his fame. This way he might get noticed and employed by a one of the lords who sponsored the Kendo schools. Basically the predecessors of Gracie in Action and with swords.
The samurais wore two swords and Musashi talks about using both the short and the long one, even though underline it is mentioned that when fighting a serious opponent he actually used only the long one.
The warrior courts of Japan encouraged the study of Zen among the samurai and Musashi was very much a product of the times. The last chapter of the book is called Void. The student is required to study many techniques (which he practices in the morning and trains in the afternoon) until eventually the technique becomes no technique, the sword becomes no sword, intention becomes no intention, and they acquire spontaneous knowledge for every situation. At the end the beginner and the teacher perform the same basic movements.
"Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water."
http://slpssm.blogspot.com/2021/02/the-book-of-five-rings.html
Self-aware of the limits of my patience and how easily my thirst for knowledge gets quenched, I did everything I could to make the experience pleasant. Bought a more elaborate version with pictures on glossy paper, fat font and an introduction to provide context and highlight the value. Then I saw the graphic novel which should present the text, I thought, with more creativity and violence. Violence is Miyamoto Musashi's thing after all.
I cannot speak to the quality of the translation but certainly this edition is valuable for the introduction in two parts - Japan during the Musashi period and Concerning the life of Miyamoto Musashi. It paints a picture of the world in which he was roving and accounts for the brutality of his ways.
Musashi was a ronin at a time when the samurai were formally considered to be the elite but actually had no means of livelihood. The hope of a ronin was to defeat the students and master of a dōjō and increase his fame. This way he might get noticed and employed by a one of the lords who sponsored the Kendo schools. Basically the predecessors of Gracie in Action and with swords.
The samurais wore two swords and Musashi talks about using both the short and the long one, even though underline it is mentioned that when fighting a serious opponent he actually used only the long one.
The warrior courts of Japan encouraged the study of Zen among the samurai and Musashi was very much a product of the times. The last chapter of the book is called Void. The student is required to study many techniques (which he practices in the morning and trains in the afternoon) until eventually the technique becomes no technique, the sword becomes no sword, intention becomes no intention, and they acquire spontaneous knowledge for every situation. At the end the beginner and the teacher perform the same basic movements.
"Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water."
http://slpssm.blogspot.com/2021/02/the-book-of-five-rings.html
Okay
Good book. I think I was expecting something different though. Recommend to anyone interested in swordsmanship or traditions of swordspeople
Good book. I think I was expecting something different though. Recommend to anyone interested in swordsmanship or traditions of swordspeople
Per quando diventerò una spadaccina o uno squalo nella grande mela, nel frattempo - sfornita di spada lunga e spada corta - ne applicherò i principi cardine come meglio potrò
informative
reflective
slow-paced