Publisher's Synopsis
This piece of writing by famed samurai Musashi (1584-1645) is the single-most influential work on samurai swordsmanship, offering insights into samurai history, the Zen Buddhist state of no-mind that enables warriors to triumph and the philosophical meaning of Bushido- the way of the warrior. Until now, most English translations of The Book of Five Rings have been based on a single inaccurate copy of Musashi's long-lost original, transcribed twenty-two years after his death. Bennett's translation is the first to be based on a careful reconstruction of the text by Japan's foremost Musashi scholar. By identifying discrepancies among the existing copies, adding missing text and correcting over 150 miscopied characters, this source is the closest representation of Musashi's original work possible. Utilizing this new source, Bennett captures the subtle nuance of the classic Japanese text, resulting in the most accurate English translation of The Book of Five Rings available.
