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A review by jroberts1995
Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa
5.0
Musashi found its way to my bookshelf after I heard it being discussed on one of my favourite podcasts. My experience with Japanese literature is minimal: I've read Shūsaku Endō's Silence, I'll soon be reading The Samurai by the same author -- and that's all. Committing to a 970 page epic set in a time and place that I'm only faintly familiar with was quite a bold move. But, as my five-star rating indicates, it was a wise decision.
The foreword to Eiji Yoshikawa's novel is provided by Edwin Reischauer. For readers whose acquaintance with the book (including its themes and setting) is comparable to my own, I'd strongly recommend starting with the foreword. I'm guilty of frequently skipping prefaces and forewords, but Reischauer's brief guide to Musashi definitely enriched my experience of the book.
Each of us will take something away from Yoshikawa's masterpiece; and, given the magnitude of the book, your experience of it will probably be quite different to mine.
Despite serving as our protagonist, Miyamoto Musashi remains enigmatic and elusive. Yoshikawa keeps his reader at a distance from the title character, drawing us in before reminding us that, like many of the secondary characters in the novel, we really don't know Musashi. I believe this is why I kept turning the pages with increasing eagerness. Each scene - be it an encounter with an old friend, a duel with another samurai, or a lesson imparted to a keen student - adds to the intrigue of Miyamoto Musashi. Almost a thousand pages after being introduced to one of history's most enduring warriors, I believe Yoshikawa accomplished one of the most ambitious characterisations of the 20th century.
The foreword to Eiji Yoshikawa's novel is provided by Edwin Reischauer. For readers whose acquaintance with the book (including its themes and setting) is comparable to my own, I'd strongly recommend starting with the foreword. I'm guilty of frequently skipping prefaces and forewords, but Reischauer's brief guide to Musashi definitely enriched my experience of the book.
Each of us will take something away from Yoshikawa's masterpiece; and, given the magnitude of the book, your experience of it will probably be quite different to mine.
Despite serving as our protagonist, Miyamoto Musashi remains enigmatic and elusive. Yoshikawa keeps his reader at a distance from the title character, drawing us in before reminding us that, like many of the secondary characters in the novel, we really don't know Musashi. I believe this is why I kept turning the pages with increasing eagerness. Each scene - be it an encounter with an old friend, a duel with another samurai, or a lesson imparted to a keen student - adds to the intrigue of Miyamoto Musashi. Almost a thousand pages after being introduced to one of history's most enduring warriors, I believe Yoshikawa accomplished one of the most ambitious characterisations of the 20th century.