The Book of Five Rings

Musashi Miyamoto’s "The Book of Five Rings" is a classic Japanese text of samurai sword strategy written around 1643. Yet, it is so much more than just a manual on how best to wield a sword. The principles discussed in Musashi Miyamoto’s masterpiece can, in many respects, be applied to life as a whole.  Even though most of us today may not carry around a samurai sword on a daily basis, a reader can still find great value in the observations of this great, innovative, and eccentric samurai. Musashi developed what is called ni to ichi ryu or the “two as one way.” In short, it is Musashi’s preferred way of fighting with two swords simultaneously, instead of the traditional, two-handed fighting style of Japanese samurai.  We can find meaning in Musashi’s text beyond that of just sword fighting because, in both in Japanese and in other cultures, the sword is often used as a comprehensive metaphor for life.