Product Description

The astounding transformation of tiny, resource-poor Japan into the world?s second largest economy in the span of less than 30 years was due to the ongoing influence of an ancient samurai code of ethics?a code that once made the Japanese unbeatable warriors in hand-to-hand combat and which now makes them formidable strategists in business and other fields. The most famous combat strategist in Japanese history was Musashi Miyamoto, a warrior who lived from 1584 to 1645. Musashi fought his first duel to the death when he was 13, killing a veteran warrior more than twice his age. By the time he was 29 he had killed over 60 other warriors in death duels and was a legend in his own time. Just before he died, Musashi recorded his philosophy, strategies, and tactics in a short treatise entitled Go Rin Sho ??The Book of Five Rings.? Samurai Strategies has extracted the fundamentals of Musashi?s tactics from this esoteric little book and explains them here in the modern context of business, politics, and war. Musashi?s strategies for winning are as valid today as they were in seventeenth century Japan and provide valuable insights for anyone in any field of endeavor?from business, war, and sports to the fields of art, love, and politics.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #89340 in Books
• Published on: 2006-03-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 128 pages

Customer Reviews

A Cracking Book and not just limited to Martial Artists!!
THE BOOK of FIVE RINGS (Go Rin No Sho) - Summarised!!

I really can not emphasise enough how BRILLIANT this version of The Book of Five Rings is. Most other translations of "Miyamoto Musashi's" book are long and hard to understand, or more precisely, you can read it, understand the words easily enough, but the meaning and the important LIFE saving lessons don't come though very well......

......but this book by Boye De Lafayette Mente is just so well written and laid out. He breaks down all the lessons from "Musashi" into small chapters. Once you've read the book a couple of times all you need to do is just look at the chapter headings for a quick refresher & apply these skills to your life.

THIS IS NOT JUST A BOOK FOR BUDO or MARTIAL ARTISTS!! It's for everyone. Musashi devoted & sacrificed his whole life into discovering how we should live successfully & conduct ourselves. He was the very best swordsman in Japan of his time, never once was he defeated (or even cut). This was all down to his unique approach to his fighting, from the lessons he learnt during duals he was asked at the end of his life to summarise and tell the world how he became so successful.

This really is a cracking book. It takes the "The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi" and summarises it (in plain easy to read & understandable English) into 42 easy to follow and understandable chapters & steps.

It can be easily read in a day or two, but its best if it's RE-READ a couple of times at least 'though. It gets straight to the point. Each chapter is dealt with in just a page or three.

Apply these important principles to your life and work, as well as to your chosen Martial Art. Samurai Secrets may have been a better title perhaps?

Do look out for Boye Lafayette de Mente's other titles. His style of writing is very easy going and precise. He makes the subject matter easy to absorb and understand.

For example try "The Japanese Samurai Code" and Enjoy!! If you buy the actual translation of "The Book of Five Rings" then Thomas Cleary's version I think is the best. I say this as there are many translations of the same book and most are in the old classical direct translation style and not easy (for me anyway) to digest.

I really am so surprised that there are no other reviews raving about this translation of this version of the Book of Five Rings.

You really WON'T be disappointed!!

A Cracking Book and not just limited to Martial Artists!!
THE BOOK of FIVE RINGS (Go Rin No Sho) - Summarised!!

I really can not emphasise enough how BRILLIANT this version of The Book of Five Rings is. Most other translations of "Miyamoto Musashi's" book are long and hard to understand, or more precisely, you can read it, understand the words easily enough, but the meaning and the important LIFE saving lessons don't come though very well......

......but this book by Boye De Lafayette Mente is just so well written and laid out. He breaks down all the lessons from "Musashi" into small chapters. Once you've read the book a couple of times all you need to do is just look at the chapter headings for a quick refresher & apply these skills to your life.

THIS IS NOT JUST A BOOK FOR BUDO or MARTIAL ARTISTS!! It's for everyone. Musashi devoted & sacrificed his whole life into discovering how we should live successfully & conduct ourselves. He was the very best swordsman in Japan of his time, never once was he defeated (or even cut). This was all down to his unique approach to his fighting, from the lessons he learnt during duals he was asked at the end of his life to summarise and tell the world how he became so successful.

This really is a cracking book. It takes the "The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi" and summarises it (in plain easy to read & understandable English) into 42 easy to follow and understandable chapters & steps.

It can be easily read in a day or two, but its best if it's RE-READ a couple of times at least 'though. It gets straight to the point. Each chapter is dealt with in just a page or three.

Apply these important principles to your life and work, as well as to your chosen Martial Art. Samurai Secrets may have been a better title perhaps?

Do look out for Boye Lafayette de Mente's other titles. His style of writing is very easy going and precise. He makes the subject matter easy to absorb and understand.

For example try "The Japanese Samurai Code: Classic Strategies for Success" and Enjoy!! If you buy the actual translation of "The Book of Five Rings: A Classic Text on the Japanese Way of the Sword" then Thomas Cleary's version I think is the best. I say this as there are many translations of the same book and most are in the old classical direct translation style and not easy (for me anyway) to digest.

I really am so surprised that there are no other reviews raving about this translation of this version of the Book of Five Rings.

You really WON'T be disappointed!!