Musashi

Rating:
Summary: A woman's undying love and a man's relentless quest
Review: My favorite book of all time. It is the most famous version of Musashi (Japanese author Eiji Yoshikawa) - a book and story on a grand scale. A piece of fiction based on the real life Miyamoto Musashi (not enough was known about the real Musashi to account for all the details used in the book to illustrate his life - but many of the battles were).

I first read this book 20 years ago. Every page held me entranced. Many a night I vowed to read but one section, only to find myself hours behind my normal sleep time still hungry for more.

It is the story of a man's journey to maturity and mastery over himself through his sword. After many setbacks and sidetracks he embarks on a difficult mission of complete mastery of swordfighting by traveling, and challenging the best weapons fighters, throughout Japan. Musashi becomes the greatest swordsman of his era while a close friend falls behind by giving in to a hedonistic lifestyle. Of course, no great book is complete without a great love being central to the story. A young woman who grows to love Musashi after seeing him mature, ends up following him no matter how far he travels -for her this is her mission. Her love for him stands as an example of true love and loyalty.

The story ends with a final battle between Musashi and his nemisis - another Samurai on a similar mission. An epic tale - one of the most famous in all of Japan.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing! I need a thesarus!
Review: This is one of the best books I have ever read! It takes place after the Battle of Sekigahara and centers on the adventures of Miyamoto Musashi, the greatest swordsman who ever lived in Japan. The reader follows him from his beginnings as a rash, brutal young man who is tricked into captivity by an itinerant monk. Musashi is locked in a small room filled with books for a period of a year and emerges as a real, genuine human being who seeks to better himself. This story has many different sub-plots: the revenge Musashi's best friend's mother is seeking from him(due to a misunderstanding), a one-sided love from a tragic young woman, his deep feelings for another woman named Otsu who waits patiently for him, his quest as a wandering swordsman, and ultimately his battle with Sasaki Kojiro(I've actually seen the statue dedicated to him in Iwakuni, Japan). This is the ultimate samurai epic, and is somewhat based on history. This was a very interesting tale that had me genuinely concerned for the many diverse characters.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, Entertaining Tale
Review: Eiji Yoshikawa did a marvelous job combining the figures from that era in Japan's history into an exciting and thought provoking book. I first read this when I was in elementary school and I must say it has partly influenced me from that point forward. It made me think about my work ethics in school and appreciate the benefits of hard work and staying focused. Now I'm a few years out of University and I still think back to the lessons I learnt from this book.