Musashi

Rating:
Summary: Musashi is a great book to read. I learned a lot of things.
Review: I like reading the book. I saw so many things about this book.It's about a samurai who learned " The Way of the Sword." He started to travel and met alot of characters.

Rating:
Summary: A must read for anyone interested in enlightening themselves
Review: If you are at all interested in swordsmanship or competition of any kind, this book is required reading. One of the few books that has truly changed the way that i view the world.

Rating:
Summary: I've been looking for this book for over 10 years!!!
Review: If I'm not mistaken I read this book back in 1982 the year before I began law school -- a former employer had it in his office (given to him by a Japanese client); and, he gave it to me. Is this that wonderful Samauri saga told in exquisitely short chapters? I hope so because I'm ordering it now and look foward to reading this fabulous story again. I remember only allowing myself to read 2 or 3 sections each night in order to make the book,(full of romance, action, morality lessons, excitement, history and vivid verbal paintings), last a little bit longer. This time when I get my hands on a copy, I will never lend it to ANYONE!!!

Rating:
Summary: A Great Spiritual Adventure Story
Review: One of the most popular books ever written in Japan, it is more than a swashbuckling adventure. Musashi starts out life as a bully trying to prove himself as a samurai. But his quest to perfect the art of swordsmanship turns into a spiritual quest for self-perfection. This is a great book - great entertainment but something more as well. You will learn a lot about the spirit of Japan when you read this book - and perhaps, too, something about yourself. I couldn't recommend Musashi more enthusiastically.

Rating:
Summary: This book has it all
Review: Military bravado, strategy, suspense, intrigue, treachery, betrayal, and its even touched with romance. Miyamoto Musashi can very well be considered Japan's equivalent to King Aurthur. Except of course that it is a true story. Never have I read a book with such superb character and story developement. This true life story of Miyamoto Musashi is what fantasy novels only aspire to be.

Rating:
Summary: Much better than Shogun, and a hell of a lot less boring
Review: Miyamoto Takezo, the village brute of the Miyamoto prvince, and his best friend venture out to take part in a provincial battle hoping that if they are victorious they can earn the title of "Samuri." The honors and privilages of being a Samuri in feudal Japan can be compared to being the CEO of any modern day corporation. However, their side lost the battle and Takezo and his companion have to take refuge in the home of a nearby widow. Soon after his friends wounds begin to heal, Takezo decides to go home and face the consequences and disgrace of a lost battle. At the city gates the guards mistake him to being an enemy spy and attack. Using a wooden sword Takezo kills the guards and flees into the nearby mountainside. Several days later after fighting off attacks by Samuri and Ronin alike, he is single handedly captured by a budist monk and tied to a tree to face the elements until dead. Three days into his punishment, his friend's fiancee helps him escape. Soon after he is captured again by the same monk and then sent to prison where he is tutored by the monk on "The Way". Takezo emerges from prison as the reborn MUSASHI, which happens to be a similar pronunciation of his name. Musashi is offered a position at the castle as a retainer but politely refuses so that he may go out into the world to find "The Way". And the story begins.... If you have no interest in ancient feudal Japan, this book will provide you with one. If you do have an interest, this book is a must read ! By the way, did I mention that this is also a true story? Happy reading......

Rating:
Summary: An entertaining book that makes you crave for more
Review: It is a fabolous book!!! It is a kind of book that takes you to another world. The story is beautifully written and it has a great depth on human personality and passion. I must admit that I cancelled my date with a beautiful woman because of this book! Edward Ken Tirtadarma.

Rating:
Summary: Musashi: a must read for fans of old Japan
Review: If you're into ancient Japanese culture/Samurai and a good well rounded story...READ THIS BOOK!It's got it all........

Rating:
Summary: Musashi - one of the best books I've ever read.
Review: I read this book quite some time ago, but the story is still with me now - a testiment to any great book. Eiji Yoshikawa is a master of story-telling and prose, and Charles Terry's translation is, as any good translation should be, undiscernible. The book could very well have been thought written in english, and beautifully so. The 970 page (over-sized page) epic is difficult to sum-up in a few short sentences... but the basis of the book is the life of the greatest warrior (calling him a 'swordsman' would be like calling Shakespeare s 'scribe') of Feudal Japan. Close your eyes... envision a full moon on a clear night in ancient Japan, a soft wind caresses your face and cherry blossoms float upon the wind. In the distance, a nightingale's golden voice penetrates the silence as easily as a pebble passes through the water of a pond... soon the soft snow of winter will be upon the fields and and trees... the seasons continue to flow, such is the way of nature... of life. Musashi is the story of one man's remarkable seasons, of not 'finding', but rather 'making' his place in the world, told with the imagination, subtleness, humour and drama that is life.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, Romantic, and Heroic. A Classic!
Review: What a fabulous read! Having lived in Sagami Hara, Kujukuri, and other places on Honshu for over ten years, I could almost close my eyes and see the blood-tinged dust settling on the plains after a battle. I have read Lao Tsu's "The Art of War," and was a Buddhist for a while as well. Every part of this book was just fabulous, absorbing, and I heartily recommend it to anyone and everyone who is interested in old Japan