Miyamoto Musashi

His Life and Writings

By: Kenji Tokitsu

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Paperback | 20 June 2006 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Paperback
528 Pages

Edition Type
New edition

Dimensions(cm)
22.6 x 15.1 x 3.6

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$60.40

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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.

Industry Reviews

"Miyamoto Musashi is a close look at the legendary swordsman and his treatises on swordsmanship and strategy by a Japanese martial artist. Deeply informed, and with direct and extensive knowledge of martial arts, the book, to my knowledge, has no parallel in Japan--or elsewhere."--Hiroaki Sato, author of Legends of the Samurai

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Introduction	p. ix
A Legendary Figure	p. ix
The Main Periods in the History of Japanese Schools of Swordsmanship	p. xxiii
Chronology of Musashi's Life	p. xxix
The Life of Miyamoto Musashi
Introduction to the Life of Musashi	p. 3
Childhood and Training	p. 7
The Birth of Musashi	p. 7
Musashi's Childhood and His First Duel	p. 12
The Founding of the School of Two Swords	p. 22
The Two Sources of Musashi's Art	p. 26
The Schools of Two Swords	p. 41
Musashi's Duels	p. 46
Duels and Wars from Age Fifteen to Twenty	p. 47
Studying the Arts of Other Schools through Duels	p. 61
The Duel against Sasaki Kojiro	p. 70
Musashi at the Battle of Osaka	p. 89
Deepening the Way	p. 92
Maturity	p. 92
Musashi's Last Years	p. 112
Composition of the Gorin no sho and Musashi's Death	p. 128
Musashi's Writings
"Writings on the Five Elements" (Gorin no sho)	p. 137
The Scroll of Earth	p. 137
The Scroll of Water	p. 150
The Scroll of Fire	p. 168
The Scroll of Wind	p. 185
The Scroll of Heaven	p. 195
The Texts Preceding the Gorin no sho	p. 197
"The Mirror of the Way of Strategy" (Hyodokyo)	p. 197
"Thirty-five Instructions on Strategy" (Hyoho sanju go kajo)	p. 199
"Forty-two Instructions on Strategy" (Hyoho shiju ni kajo)	p. 209
"The Way to Be Followed Alone" (Dokkodo)	p. 216
Notes of Musashi's Disciples on the Practice of His School	p. 227
Notes on Mind, Energy, and the Body in Strategy (Hyoho shin ki tai oboe gaki)	p. 228
Attitude toward Training	p. 231
The School of the Fighters of the Two Heavens (Senki niten ryu)	p. 232
The State of Mind of Those Devoted to the School of Musashi (Musashi ryu shugyo kokoroe no koto)	p. 233
Miyamoto Musashi and the Martial Arts
The School of Musashi (Hyoho niten ichi ryu)	p. 239
Branches of the School	p. 239
The School of Musashi Today	p. 242
The Transmission of Musashi's Art	p. 245
The Role of Musashi's Writings in the Transmission of His Art	p. 245
The Transmission of Musashi's Art through Practice	p. 254
Musashi Today: The Practice of a Contemporary Adept	p. 262
The Labyrinth Created by the Way of Holding the Sword	p. 263
The Nen ryu and Its Lineage	p. 274
Weapons and Ethics in Swordsmanship Training	p. 280
The Status of Warriors	p. 281
Technique and the Status of the Body	p. 286
Integration of the Religious Element into the Art of the Sword	p. 292
The Formation of Katas	p. 296
Budo	p. 302
The Meiji Turning Point and the Modern Notion of Budo	p. 302
The Evolution of Budo in the Twentieth Century	p. 309
The Relationship between Adversaries	p. 315
The Complexity of Combat in Budo	p. 317
The Significance of the Quest for Kizeme	p. 323
Confrontation and Harmony	p. 326
One Life, One Art	p. 333
The Translation of the Gorin no sho	p. 337
Sen--Taking the Initiative	p. 348
External Influences on the Japanese Art of the Sword	p. 355
Notes	p. 358
Glossary	p. 442
Bibliography	p. 460
Index	p. 468
Table of Contents provided by Rittenhouse. All Rights Reserved.

Miyamoto Musashi

His Life and Writings

At a Glance

Paperback

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

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