CompleteMartialArts.com - Miyamoto Musashi: His Life and Writings
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List Price: $35.00
Our Price: $23.10
Your Save: $ 11.90 ( 34% )
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Manufacturer: Weatherhill
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 952.025092
EAN: 9780834805675
ISBN: 0834805677
Label: Weatherhill
Manufacturer: Weatherhill
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 528
Publication Date: 2006-06-20
Publisher: Weatherhill
Release Date: 2006-06-20
Studio: Weatherhill
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Editorial Reviews:
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Miyamoto Musashi, who lived in Japan in the fifteenth century, was a renowned samurai warrior. He has become a martial arts icon, known not just as an undefeated dueler, but also as a master of battlefield strategy. Kenji Tokitsu turns a critical eye on Musashi's life and writings, separating fact from fiction, and giving a clear picture of the man behind the myth. Musashi's best-known work, The Book of Five Rings , provides timeless insight into the nature of conflict. Tokitsu translates and provides extensive commentary on that popular work, as well as three other short texts on strategy that were written before it, and a longer, later work entitled "The Way to Be Followed Alone." Tokitsu is a thoughtful and informed guide, putting the historical and philosophical aspects of the text into context, and illuminating the etymological nuances of particular Japanese words and phrases. As a modern martial artist and a scholar, Tokitsu provides a view of Musashi's life and ideas that is accessible and relevant to today's readers and martial arts students.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Analytical yet readable
Comment: This is perhaps the most complete review of the Gorin no Sho. Tokitsu not only offers a very well thought out and complete translation, he also gives an unbelievably in depth view of the Master's life. The notations for the translation are, to say the very least, quite thorough and very well written. Tokitsu used the two original existing copies to create his english translation, along with adding every known work that the Master is known to have written himself. The first section covers the Master's life and duels. The second is the translations of his writing, covering more than just the Gorin no Sho (however the full documents are not fully translated, only the parts which differ in tone or line from the Gorin no Sho). The final section of the book contains an amazing look at modern kendo, as well as other Japanese martial arts, and how Musashi's specific art can be related to them. Included in this are several observations of early 20th century kendo matches, in which the level of control and ability documented have yet to occur again. The sheer amount of research and sources cited, with the differing views and conflicting arguments make for a fascinating read from a fair and balanced point of view. For any individual who studies any martial art, or is interested in Japanese history, this book should considered to be essential.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Pretty good
Comment: It's an excellent biography, it told me everthing I needed to know. It also includes a copy of the Book of Five Rings, which is nice, although I didn't notice and had already bought a copy, but having two different translations of a book is nice.
Overall, a nicely organized book full of useful info and such-not.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great book and a fantastic price
Comment: Having come to this book without any prior knowledge of Musashi, I was deeply impressed by this work, especially the biographical part. It also includes the Book of Five Rings which certainly adds weight to this addition, although I would've given the book 5 stars anyway if it only included the biographical/historical parts.
Customer Rating:
Summary: If you read one book you know everything...
Comment: Well, I read one book on the subject and thought that I knew everything about the man... I was wrong.
I especially like this book because the author tries his best to show the different points of view and include sometimes contradicting documents. Also he included much needed (for me at least) background data that helped to better understand the realities of that time.
It definitely cured me from my "I know everything" attitude.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Japanese Warriors
Comment: Once I started reading 'Miyamoto Musashi: His Life and Writings' I could not put it down and found myself reading until the next morning... This is a well written informative and detailed account of Miyamoto Musashi's life, his training, his teaching, his paintings and his writings. Various sources are cited and comparative analysis is rendered. We are given more than a glimpse into Musashi the warrior, the father, the artist and the man. I place this book on the top of the list of books regarding Miyamoto Musashi and his writing on Strategy as presented in Go Rin no Sho. It is a must for every military professional and devoted martial artists.
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