A Book of Five Rings

The Book of Five Rings ( * Go Rin No Sho ) is a text

on kenjutsu and the martial arts in general, written by the samurai warrior

Miyamoto Musashi circa 1645. It is considered a classic treatise on military

strategy, much like Sun Tzu's The Art of War and Chanakya's

Arthashastra*. There have been various translations made over the years,

and it enjoys an audience considerably broader than only that of martial

artists: for instance, some business leaders find its discussion of conflict and

taking the advantage to be relevant to their work. The modern-day Hyoho Niten

Ichi-ryu employs it as a manual of technique and philosophy.

Musashi establishes a "no-nonsense" theme throughout the text. For instance,

he repeatedly remarks that technical flourishes are excessive, and contrasts

worrying about such things with the principle that all technique is simply a

method of cutting down one's opponent. He also continually makes the point that

the understandings expressed in the book are important for combat on any scale,

whether a one-on-one duel or a massive battle. Descriptions of principles are

often followed by admonitions to "investigate this thoroughly" through practice,

rather than try to learn by merely reading.

Excerpted from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.