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Summary: This work shines passion and wisdom
Review: The life and philosophy of the greatest warrior ever narrated in a powerful and captivating style by the supreme authority in japanese literature. Eiji Yoshikawa conveys through myths and historical facts about this superb samurai, the essence of true martial arts.
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Summary: Countless stories chronicle the deeds of brave warriors.
Review: Few are as poignant as Musashi.Musashi is the tale of Japan's greatest samurai, and as such has its necessary share of blood and battles. What sets Musashi apart, however, is that it provides the complete picture of a man who, beginning life as an impetuous brute, rose to legendary status through his use of the sword. Therein lies the quintessential theme of the book - not one of death, but rather one of growth. In Musashi's trials and tribulations, I found a strange mirror of my own life, and perhaps the life of every other young person who has ever had to struggle to mature in the world.
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Summary: More than mere entertainment...
Review: I think this is one of the best sagas i've ever read. I read the book in the Indonesian translation (which was published in 7 serial books) several times and i'm truly inspired by Musashi's character, by his faith and perseverance in following the way of the sword to reach his soul enlightment, and his desire to become a full person...to have a meaningfull life...not to become a "rice-eating worm" (this expression from the book strikes me hard).
All the characters in the story are well-described by the author, the story plot is excellent, and the settings (cultural,social,politics) are also well described.
I think this book will give you more than just mere entertainment because it gives you lessons about life, ideas to be contemplated, and some historical information about feudal Japan. Off course, some part of the book which related to Musashi's battle and martial things will also satisfies you martial art fans.
I can assure you that you'll love this book very much and it will pull you more and more for come-back reading.
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Summary: Magnificent, Profound, Inspiring....etc
Review: I read this book two years ago, and I still return to this review page occasionally to see what people are saying. As Im sure you have noticed, the rewiews are consistently glowing. There is good reason for such a trend; the book is truly magnificent. The characters are nearly all perfect, I found a part of myself in each of them. The plot is wonderful and really brings all the characters to life.
At almost 1000 pages it seems intimidating, but I found it hard to put down and was sorry when it ended. It opened my eyes to a whole new way of looking at things, and inspired me read A Book of Five Rings and several books on Zen.
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Summary: My favourite Book !
Review: I'm french so I can't tell you if the english version of this book is well translated etc....But I can tell you that I loved reading this book.It is the story of a man ,who choses a way of live and a philosophy a behaviour ,in 17th century Japan.
This book contains :Philosophy,Love story,Fights,Trips,Deep characters....all that you dream about a book !That's simple when I came back from school everyday,I was hurry to go back home and to read it,you know ,when you read this book ,it did that to me ,you can imagine all ,the landscapes ,the characters everything...It's pretty hard to write down but all I can tell you is that this book is ansome,when I finished it (in France it is published in two split books :"la pierre et le sabre" and "la parfaite lumiere" both of around 700pages.But I finished this book I was sad,because I loved reading it and happy ,because I loved it !(I even cryed a little,just a little tear but that is confidential ...oh oh we are on a website with a million of visitors AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! :))
So YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK,you'll like it (it even made me buy a book on the Zen philosophy)and it will make you think about a lot of things in life in general......Well I really loved it,So read it !:) (...)BR>I hope it helped you
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Summary: Samurai Sensibilities
Review: 17th Century Japan is the setting for this novel about ten years in the life of the celebrated historical Japanese swordsman, Miyamoto Musashi. The depiction of the Japan in which Musashi grew up is at odds with the modern, orderly society we in the West think of as characteristic of Japan. The class structure which had been in place for hundreds of years previous put the samurai warrior class, a hereditary military aristocracy, in governing position. It is to this class that Musashi belongs. He is a ronin, or masterless samurai warrior abroad in a provincial Japan that is, at the time, politically unstable in the wake of a war in which young Musashi was a participant on the losing side. Throughout the course of the story there are hints of political intrigue and espionage, all of which are nicely integrated into the plot. The story, however, is not primarily about politics, intrigue, love or combat, even though those elements all appear. The author focuses primarily on Musashi's spiritual and character development as he pursues the Way. The Way, a sort of samurai code of ethics and yet something more, involves Buddhist mystical concepts. Musashi is depicted as striving to gain perfect harmony with the Universe. Mastery of the sword is the means by which he hopes to achieve that harmony. And Musashi suffers for his enlightenment through a series of self trials. Musashi is clearly a character apart.
The book does not dwell on philosophy, though religion and religious figures are crucial to the development of the plot, and are the source of Musashi's metamorphosis from the bullying, undisciplined youth , to the more charitable, disciplined warrior of his young adulthood. For Musashi the sword becomes not just a weapon, but a symbol of order. In one important character, Kojiro, we sense a match for Musashi in terms of physical skills, although we see Kojiro as a spiritually stunted individual, interested only in his own aggrandizement. He fails to take that additional step in the direction of spiritual awareness and development. The sword, for him, is only an instrument, an appliance. We know that he and Musashi will inevitably clash.Fight scenes described in the narrative are particularly well done. Continual action is assured through vendetta, as Musashi is faced with intermittent attacks by various assailants who,inexplicably, underestimate his prowess. The plot includes an unfolding love story, complete with a love triangle of a very distorted type. It is love of Musashi that permits the girl Otsu to go on living (how melodramatic!). Yoshikawa is skillful in his descriptive development of not only the primary character, but also some of the secondary characters. Osugi and Matahatchi are particularly well developed. One understands their motivations, perhaps their psyches. Curiously, Otsu, a principal character, seems only superficially developed. One admires her nobilityand loyalty, but cannot become viscerally involved in her plight. One marvels at the karma that binds all the major characters together in this work. Can life and human relationships really be this complex ? Charles Terry's translation from the Japanese is rendered in a clear, modern colloquial English. The language is not stilted.
It is the ending of the novel that disappoints. Despite the 1000 or so pages the author uses to develop the story and its characters,the ending is abrupt. There is no epilogue, no satisfying resolution to minor concerns involving major characters. Was Yoshikawa intending a sequel? One might be written from the point where this work left off.
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Summary: Better than Shogun.
Review: This was an incredibly entertaining story about a Japanese legend. Musashi's utter devotion to the way is finely portrayed here. He seems a little lighter in personality than one would glean from The Book of Five Rings, but that is fine with me. I got hooked on the Samurai by reading Shogun (Clavell) but this book was much more "authentic". After all, this is written by a Japanese author as opposed to an American one.
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Summary: Immersive, engrossing tale of Japan's most famous swordsman
Review: This book is long, but never dull. It is a thoroughly engrossing tale of swashbuckling swordsmanship Japanese-style, along with some Zen-based soul-searching. The translation is very Western in its phrasing and pacing, so people in search of a good adventure tale shouldn't be put off by the fact that the original text was written in Japanese by master samurai storyteller Eiji Yoshikawa. The book follows the exploits of Miyamoto Mushashi as he duels his way from roughneck peasant to the most revered swordsman in all of feudal Japan, learning to be more and more humble the more he wins. It also features a host of unforgettable -- though a little one-dimensional -- characters that Musashi meets along the way.
The book was turned into three motion pictures in the late 1950s (search Samurai I - Musashi Miyamoto in VHS or DVD); but, while those movies are pretty good, this book is far, far better.
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Summary: Musashi is a great book.
Review: Musashi is a great book that not only readers interested in Japan will enjoy, but also readers who just want a rousing read. I totally enjoyed this book. Although it sticks close to history, it is filled with enough adventure and suprising happenings to make anybody love it.
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Summary: Not just a book, but a life lesson!
Review: When I first saw this book on a bookstore shelf I thought with myself, "People must be crazy to read such a big book", well, two volumes, 1808 pages (Portuguese edition), it's not a weekend book. I don't know why but I bought it, when I finished reading the first 100 pages, I couldn't let the book go, If I went to the bathroom it was surely to be under my arm, compulsive reading it's what it is, I finished reading the first volume and I didn't wait a single day to buy the second one. And now that I finished it I spend long hours searching the net for information s about Musashi's life. This book is not just a martial arts book, nor an ordinary story, it's a great introdution to oriental values and virtues as well as to Zen Buddhism. Musashi is a book about life, about the search of a meaning to life itself. Every page, every sentence, every Musashi word is a lesson, a true lesson from a man that spent his life searching his goals, his perfection and spiritual fulfillness. I'd spend days recommending this book and it wouldn't be enough, so get your copy now!!
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