Do you like a story about swordsmen? Swordsmen are men who are excel at sword fights, just like Miyamoto Musashi, the finest warrior ever.
Musashi story comes from an era of an endless war in Japan. This classic samurai novel is going to take you back to 1960. There was a war between two armies of East and West Japan. They decided who’s deserved to rule Toyotomi or Tokugawa.
Before known as Miyamoto Musashi, he was called Shinmen Takezo in his hometown. He was a wandering samurai within the Edo period of feudal Japan. He’s a great swordsman and a writer of The Book of Five Rings. He has a friend named Mutatachi. He fights with his friend in the battle of Sekigahara.
Table of Contents
Musashi Book
Miyamoto Musashi is the product of a long period of civil conflict actually. He’s tricked by the military to get involved in Sekigahara war. In the end, they were defeated. He found himself as one of those dying fellows. He was taken captive by some unarmed monk. Otsu helps him free from the punishment. He was recaptured and held captive though.
He’s released again and spends years searching for his objective afterward. He endeavors to hone his crafts constantly. And he’s mastered a unique, two-sword fighting style. He embarks on a journey taking on warriors afterward. He thrives in his battles. After that, he finds the way to deal and get a peace for himself.
Why Should Read Musashi
It’d be one of the best historical books you could have ever read. It beautifully tells a story about Japanese history along with the life of samurai as well. It’s also filled up with a love story. It’d restore your faith with true love. It does exist out there. You’ll get inspired by the story of a callow young man into becoming a great samurai.
Miyamoto Musashi Quotes
Musashi miyamoto quotes, the commandment of Samurai
Do not, under any circumstances, depend on a partial feeling
Do not regret what you have done
Do not hold on to possessions you no longer need
Do not seek to possess either goods or fiefs for your old age
Do not let yourself be guided by the feeling of lust or love
Do not pursue the taste of good food
Do not collect weapons or practice with weapons beyond what is useful
Do not fear death
Do not seek pleasure for its own sake
Do not act following customary beliefs
Do nothing that is of no use
Do not waste time idling or thinking after you have set your goals
Never be jealous
Never stray from the Way
Never let yourself be saddened by a separation
Samurai quotes musashi for your discipline
Anger. Control your anger. If you hold anger toward others, they have control over you.Your opponent can dominate and defeat you if you allow him to get you irritated.
Be detached from desire your whole life long.
There is nothing outside of yourself that can ever enable you to get better, stronger, richer, quicker, or smarter. Everything is within. Everything exists. Seek nothing outside of yourself.
If you wish to control others you must first control yourself
You should not have any special fondness for a particular weapon, or anything else, for that matter. Too much is the same as not enough. Without imitating anyone else, you should have as much weaponry as suits you.
The ultimate aim of martial arts is not having to use them.
The primary thing when you take a sword in your hands is your intention to cut the enemy, whatever the means. Whenever you parry, hit, spring, strike or touch the enemy’s cutting sword, you must cut the enemy in the same movement. It is essential to attain this. If you think only of hitting, springing, striking or touching the enemy, you will not be able actually to cut him.
You can only fight the way you practice
Whatever the Way, the master of strategy does not appear fast….Of course, slowness is bad. Really skillful people never get out of time, and are always deliberate, and never appear busy.
Get beyond love and grief: exist for the good of Man.
The true science of martial arts means practicing them in such a way that they will be useful at any time, and to teach them in such a way that they will be useful in all things.
In battle, if you you make your opponent flinch, you have already won.
There is no one way to salvation, whatever the manner in which a man may proceed. All forms and variations are governed by the eternal intelligence of the Universe that enables a man to approach perfection. It may be in the arts of music and painting or it may be in commerce, law, or medicine. It may be in the study of war or the study of peace. Each is as important as any other. Spiritual enlightenment through religious meditation such as Zen or in any other way is as viable and functional as any “Way.”… A person should study as they see fit.
The important thing in strategy is to suppress the enemy’s useful actions but allow his useless actions
Aspire to be like Mt. Fuji, with such a broad and solid foundation that the strongest earthquake cannot move you, and so tall that the greatest enterprises of common men seem insignificant from your lofty perspective. With your mind as high as Mt Fuji you can see all things clearly. And you can see all the forces that shape events; not just the things happening near to you.
When you decide to attack, keep calm and dash in quickly, forestalling the enemy…attack with a feeling of constantly crushing the enemy, from first to last.
Miyamoto musashi book of five rings quotes
It may seem difficult at first, but everything is difficult at first.
To win any battle, you must fight as if you are already dead
from one thing, know ten thousand things
Today is victory over yourself of yesterday; tomorrow is your victory over lesser men.
Accept everything just the way it is
Resentment and complaint are appropriate neither for oneself nor others
In all things have no preferences
Be indifferent to where you live.
Know your enemy, know his sword.
Fixation is the way to death. Fluidity is the way to life.
Musashi quotes and sayings about Believe
Respect Buddha and the gods without counting on their help
Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world
You may abandon your own body but you must preserve your honor
You must understand that there is more than one path to the top of the mountain
Perceive that which cannot be seen with the eye.
It is difficult to understand the universe if you only study one planet
Musashi Trivia
Charles S. Terry was the man who translated Musashi into English in 1981. The original book was first published in 1935. You need to be patient to enjoy this slow pacing novel.
It’s a 984-page book after all. But I’ll highly recommend Musashi book for you who are interested in Japanese swordmen story in particular.