This book describes the individual’s role to obtain mastery. As the era of the book is encompassed in a warrior culture, the epitome of any individual is to obtain warrior skills as they will help in every endeavor. The martial way is to excel in everything. Most of the book is about proper sword techniques but there are many general lessons. When facing opponents, it is generally recommended that actions are preemptive and are not expected by the opponents. Putting the opponents on the defensive and making sure their actions are useless while making sure to take advantage of all their weaknesses. Missing openings created by vulnerabilities will increase the chance of counterattack. Preventing opponent’s recovery is essential.

Knowledge of the opponents is necessary in the art of war. If there is no information of the opponent, making a pretend powerful attack is a tactic used to obtains information. That information should be adapted to the strategy. Actions should be diverse and nonrepetitive. Manipulating opponent’s attention so as to confuse their ideas about the potential future actions is a way of obtaining advantageous information. Appearances can alter opponent’s mood which can be taken advantage of. Defeat does not mean that any side has gained victory. To win, defeat must be felt with no ambition for retaliate.

The books keep pressing the superiority of a particular method over others. In some parts, the same method can be used to defeat many opponents at the same time. The issue with this logic is that if the method is best and starts to be used by others due to its superiority, that means that the opponents possess the same knowledge and skill which would negate many of the advantageous ideas. The book is fairly easy to read but should be considered in context of the culture.
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Abstraction before technicality. Very cool. ( )

Thoroughly enjoyable historical texts that represent the Taoist perspectives of the samurai warriors of the 17th century. ( )

Një nga tekstet më të sakta të kulturës aziatike, për artin e sofistikuar të betejës dhe triumfit.

A short, functional book, Miyamoto Musashi's The Book of Five Rings offers some rather basic philosophical tenets – know yourself, be calm, live in harmony with things, etc. – alongside extensive and specific instructions on various weapons and fighting stances and so on. The latter is, of course, less useful to a modern reader, and the former is elevated in many readers' eyes by its context. I believe ancient instruction manuals like this are elevated by some to the level of philosophy, when in truth they are nowhere near, simply because people like the aesthetic of learning from a samurai and following a 'warrior's path' or somesuch.

My Shambhala edition, translated by Thomas Cleary, also included a second short manual, The Book of Family Traditions on the Art of War by Yagyū Munenori, which is more of the same. It was a little bit more lively in its writing style, but in truth both books are a bit turgid. Ultimately, these books are shallow pools whereas real works of philosophy can be like great brawling oceans when you read them. The Book of Five Rings does have one profound line about expanding your knowledge beyond your own discipline, because "if you have wide knowledge of the ways, you encounter them in everything" (pg. 18). I only wish the books themselves had done more to show us. ( )