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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 181
EAN num: 9780595301249
ISBN number: 059530124X
Label: iUniverse
Manufacturer: iUniverse
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 104
Printing Date: 2004-01
Publishing house: iUniverse
Sale Popularity Level: 321229
Studio: iUniverse
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Brief Book Summary:
For centuries, The Book of Five Rings has been a resource for gaining insight into the mind of the warrior spirit.
The famous Samurai, Miyamoto Musashi, originally wrote the work in 1645. Musashi, the Sword Saint, as he is known in Japan, killed his very first man in a duel when he was only thirteen. He went on to fight in over sixty duels and never once lost.
In The Book of Five Rings, Musashi recorded his secrets to sucess which are applicable to martial arts and any modern situation involving confrontation. Until The Book of Five Rings, the many translations of his original work are written from an academic standpoint because the authors have little with the sword or martial arts.
D.E. Tarver brings a lifetime of experience in sword training, martial arts and business to this version, and the result is a highly motivating and easy to understand book. If you are serious about winning in any area of your life, The Book of Five Rings is the definitive guide to victory.
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Rated by buyers 
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The book written by the samurai warrior Miyamoto Musashi circa 1645 is considered a classic treatise on military strategy, and it enjoys an audience considerably broader than only that of martial artists: for instance, some business leaders find its discusion of conflict and taking the advantage to be relevant to their work.
The term "Ichi School", which is referred to in the book, Go Rin No Sho, when referring to such books, refers to "Niten No Ichi Ryu", or "Ni Ten Ichi Ryu", which literally translated, means "Two Swords, one heaven".
Throughout the book it is clear: what is primary for Musashi is The Goal, while the means of achieving the goal are secondary. He wrote "According to this Ichi school, you can win with a long weapon, and yet you can also win with a short weapon. In short, the Way of the Ichi school is the spirit of winning, whatever the weapon and whatever its size."
The same is in business: the leaders who are attracted by the goal rather than by embellishments are the true leaders. For example, the dot-com bubble of 2000 was caused by the managers who forgot about the primary goal of the business: net income. Those who were obsessed by their stock prices regarding of massive losses and the lack of revenue became bankrupt. They put attention to the fancy office buildings and furniture rather than to the assets that generate earning. Musashi wrote about it: "Just as a horse must have endurance and no defects, so it is with weapons. Horses should walk strongly, and swords and companion swords should cut strongly. Spears and halberds must stand up to heavy use: bows and guns must be sturdy. Weapons should be hardy rather than decorative".
Musashi also encourages to maintain a balance of your skills throughout your life. This balance could be thought of as Yin and Yang. The balance is to be neither over-familiar with something nor under-familiar. The over-familiarity or over-use of one weapon is not recommended by Musashi, as it would be seen to reveal your spirituality to your enemy, and thus your boisterousness, or over-calm. The over-familiarity makes you stick to a conviction. This is a very important for the business. Take, for example, mr. Warren Buffet. A quality standing out about Mr. Buffett is his ability to morph. If you read his materials from the 1960s, he said very different things than in the 1970s and early-1980s. Early on he was buying dirt-cheap stocks by simple statistical standards and typically smaller stocks (smallcap), later he bought "franchises", then he entered a period of buying great managements of big companies and being a long-term holder, then, amazingly, he was buying smaller things dirt cheap again just as value came back into play as the twenty-first century began. He tactically morphed steadily over the decades. Trying to freeze his tactics from any decade and replicate them in the subsequent few would never have led you to his actual actions. Musashi wrote about that this way: "You should not have a favourite weapon. To become over-familiar with one weapon is as much a fault as not knowing it sufficiently well. You should not copy others, but use weapons which you can handle properly. It is bad for commanders and troops to have likes and dislikes."
Rated by buyers 
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I recently purchased The Book of 5 Rings, and was expecting something a little different. This short book is a very easy read. However, this book is more on fighting tactics and strategy as opposed to general life teachings. I'm a 1st degree grey belt in Shotokan Karate and have been studying for 15 years (I also studied some Jujitsu during that time too). I labeled this book "The Chess Game" for it details various ways to engage your opponent. I can relate to what this book signifies, and I understand the intricate methods being taught here. I think once you reach a certain level in martial arts, one can learn from this book, and apply these tactics effectively. For beginners - it would be difficult to comprehend certain passages, and put them into effect.
There are a few sections that discuss how to be a leader, and teach some general lessons about life (something that everyone can learn). I also purchased The Hagakure by D.E. Tarver, and found this book to be broader, and more interesting. I will be writing a review on that book shortly.
In closing, if you are a dedicated martial artist studying for years, and you have the reached level where you can begin to soak in this material, then I say along with your constant practice, this book can be a useful tool as well. I will read The Book of 5 Rings again in the future to digest it some more. Again, the book is a very nice, easy read that is translated well.
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This is a very thorough and detailed translation. It is very honest and upfront about facts and speculations. Don't expect to be taught hand-to-mouth, but read this book and discover for yourself what one must strive for on one's own.
*** In addition, in response to Cynthia cn1134: I do NOT understand how one can claim to have an understanding of Musashi and Eastern philosophy when one does NOT know some very basic key points. i.e. The text on the cover are Chinese characters "Hàn Zì". They are called "Kanji" in Japan, "Hanja" in Korea, "Hán Tự" in Vietnam. The characters are read "Wú Lún Shu" in Chinese, "Go Rin No Sho" in Japanese, and "Ngũ Luân Thư" in Vietnamese. Technically, any book or text can be read in any of these languages if written in Chinese Hàn Zì. Chinese written language is to East Asia as Latin is to Europe. The main difference is Chinese is still a living written and spoken language.
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the other two being The Art of War and Prince. It speaks of conditioning your body, mind and spirit, the weapons, the timing, stance, fighting strategies. For instance, one of my favorites is "To Injure the Corners", which says "It is dificult to move strong things by pushing directly, so you should, injure the corners". This is so true, not just on a battlefield..
Rated by buyers -
This book by Miyamoto Musashi is really cool. It tells you about fighting tecniques, how to keep your cool in battle, and alot more. If you're into feudal Japan, bushido, or samurai, then you'll love this book. Also, be sure to check out The Hagakure, (I have the edition translated by D.E. Tarver), and Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa. I myself am in the middle of reading Musashi, which I highly reccomend you buy, but don't let the books large size scare you, it's great.
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