Customer Reviews
GREAT 17th CENTURAY SAMURAI SWORDSMAN'S ADVICE ON STRATEGY - By: F. Sweet, 12 Nov 2008 
Based on my readings, Musashi's motive in writing his Book of Five Rings had been to correct misrepresentations of his views on swordsmanship by his contemporaries. Having become a legend in his own time, Musashi's reputation was being exploited by ambitious rivals claiming to have adopted the master's martial techniques & philosophies. Thus Book of Five Rings was intended by its author to establish his point of view for correcting misconceptions.
Those in America who've been advocating since 1974 to study Book of Five Rings to gain some business advantage over Japanese businessmen are barking up the wrong tree. Musashi's writings are poetic & thought provoking. Indeed, one can even learn something new & ancient about strategy from the master. It is, however, doubtful that Musashi's words can make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. So then those in the 1970s who had originallly marketed the book as "the alternative to the Harvard MBA" were barking up the wrong tree.
In addition to the charming & useful writings, the original (1974 English translation) Book of Five Rings includes photos of the master swordsman's quite beautiful art work, now residing in Japan in a museum dedicated to Musashi works.
Old Wisdom with New Lessons - By: Terry Tozer, 01 Jul 2007 The Book of Five Rings (Go Rin No Sho) is a GREAT book, if you take time to properly absorb & understand ALL of its teachings. It's not a very long book & so would be easy to read a few times over so that you get a proper flavour of the important message being presented.
A better & easier to digest version (IMHO) of this smalll book is "Samurai Strategies: 42 Martial Secrets" by by Boye De Lafayette Mente, who very cleverly summarises this book into 42 easy to digest & understand & apply chapters.
The ideas in this book are NOT dangerous to anyone in the least, IF you balance & apply ALL of the lessons within it - that's the idea that the great undefeated warrior Musashi was trying to put across. The life saving principles he expounds here are designed to help us alll have a better, easier & more fulfilled life, Martial Artist or not. His strategies can be applied & used by anyone.
"A knife is dangerous for anyone - you just have to learn how to use is safely & intelligently"
We are alll so lucky & truly blessed that, nearly 400 years ago, someone callled Lord Hosokawa had the foresight to ask the ageing Musashi to write down his secrets of success. Musashi himself was not only extremely talented but must have been a very intelligent man for his time to write such a treatise.
The comment (else ware) about this book not being for beginners is misleading I think, it isn't that hard to understand & extrapolate the true meaning & intentions that Musashi was trying to put across.
Don't be put off by ANY of the negative criticisms (in other reviews), it's only because they've missed the point or just quickly scanned & glossed over the book.
Although we are not entirely certain of Musashi's religious bent, Musashi bases his book [loosely] on the Zen Buddhist philosophies of the Five Elements - Earth, Water, Fire, Wind & Emptiness. One of his close associates was Takuan Soho, author of "The Unfettered Mind".
Old Wisdom with New Lessons - By: Terry Tozer, 01 Jul 2007 The Book of Five Rings (Go Rin No Sho) is a GREAT book, if you take time to properly absorb & understand ALL of its teachings. It's not a very long book & so would be easy to read a few times over so that you get a proper flavour of the important message being presented.
A better & easier to digest version (IMHO) of this smalll book is "Samurai Strategies: 42 Martial Secrets" by by Boye De Lafayette Mente, who very cleverly summarises this book into 42 easy to digest & understand & apply chapters.
The ideas in this book are NOT dangerous to anyone in the least, IF you balance & apply ALL of the lessons within it - that's the idea that the great undefeated warrior Musashi was trying to put across. The life saving principles he expounds here are designed to help us alll have a better, easier & more fulfilled life, Martial Artist or not. His strategies can be applied & used by anyone.
"A knife is dangerous for anyone - you just have to learn how to use is safely & intelligently"
We are alll so lucky & truly blessed that, nearly 400 years ago, someone callled Lord Hosokawa had the foresight to ask the ageing Musashi to write down his secrets of success. Musashi himself was not only extremely talented but must have been a very intelligent man for his time to write such a treatise.
The comment (else ware) about this book not being for beginners is misleading I think, it isn't that hard to understand & extrapolate the true meaning & intentions that Musashi was trying to put across.
Don't be put off by ANY of the negative criticisms (in other reviews), it's only because they've missed the point or just quickly scanned & glossed over the book.
Although we are not entirely certain of Musashi's religious bent, Musashi bases his book [loosely] on the Zen Buddhist philosophies of the Five Elements - Earth, Water, Fire, Wind & Emptiness. One of his close associates was Takuan Soho, author of "The Unfettered Mind".
Old Wisdom with New Lessons - By: Terry Tozer, 01 Jul 2007 The Book of Five Rings (Go Rin No Sho) is a GREAT book, if you take time to properly absorb & understand ALL of its teachings. It's not a very long book & so would be easy to read a few times over so that you get a proper flavour of the important message being presented. Thomas Cleary is a prolific writer & well qualified to produce such a translation.
A better & easier to digest version (IMHO) of this smalll book is "Samurai Strategies: 42 Martial Secrets" by by Boye De Lafayette Mente, who very cleverly summarises this book into 42 easy to digest & understand & apply chapters.
The ideas in this book are NOT dangerous to anyone in the least, IF you balance & apply ALL of the lessons within it - that's the idea that the great undefeated warrior Musashi was trying to put across. The life saving principles he expounds here are designed to help us alll have a better, easier & more fulfilled life, Martial Artist or not. His strategies can be applied & used by anyone.
"A knife is dangerous for anyone - you just have to learn how to use is safely & intelligently"
We are alll so lucky & truly blessed that, nearly 400 years ago, someone callled Lord Hosokawa had the foresight to ask the ageing Musashi to write down his secrets of success. Musashi himself was not only extremely talented but must have been a very intelligent man for his time to write such a treatise.
The comment (else ware) about this book not being for beginners is misleading I think, it isn't that hard to understand & extrapolate the true meaning & intentions that Musashi was trying to put across.
Don't be put off by ANY of the negative criticisms (in other reviews), it's only because they've missed the point or just quickly scanned & glossed over the book.
Although we are not entirely certain of Musashi's religious bent, Musashi bases his book [loosely] on the Zen Buddhist philosophies of the Five Elements - Earth, Water, Fire, Wind & Emptiness. One of his close associates was Takuan Soho, author of "The Unfettered Mind"
cryptic - By: john, 26 Jul 2005 
this book is only helpful if you are trying to supplement an already extensive knowledge of martial arts, if your intensions are combat related. if you are trying to apply its strategy in a contemporary sense dont bother buying it, it was deliberately written to be obscure, & as such only worth reading if you are willing to invest an awful lot of time into it.
