Book Description: Miyamoto Musashi, who lived in Japan in the
fifteenth century, was a renowned samurai warrior. He has become
a martial arts icon, known not just as an undefeated dueler, but
also as a master of battlefield strategy. Kenji Tokitsu turns a
critical eye on Musashi's life and writings, separating fact
from fiction, and giving a clear picture of the man behind the
myth. Musashi's best-known work, The Book of Five Rings ,
provides timeless insight into the nature of conflict. Tokitsu
translates and provides extensive commentary on that popular
work, as well as three other short texts on strategy that were
written before it, and a longer, later work entitled "The Way to
Be Followed Alone." Tokitsu is a thoughtful and informed guide,
putting the historical and philosophical aspects of the text
into context, and illuminating the etymological nuances of
particular Japanese words and phrases. As a modern martial
artist and a scholar, Tokitsu provides a view of Musashi's life
and ideas that is accessibl