Stepping away from the reality base I want to look at a piece of writing that I have enjoyed and learned from. We can learn a lot from old martial arts masters and there will be a few of those in my recommendations.
I am recommending: “Miyamoto Musashi: His Life and Writings” by Kenji Tokitsu.
I think most people have heard of Musashi’s “Book of Five Rings” (Gorin no Sho) or “Writings on the Five Elements” and I have read a number of different translations and sometime interpretations, but this book gives so much more.
To understand the “Book of Five Rings” we need to have context, such as that it was never meant for you and me to read it. It was written for Musashi’s students and they were to destroy it after they had read it. As it was written for his students it was not meant as an instruction manual. Musashi could make a reference in a few words and his students had years of teaching to know what that reference meant where we just have that reference. Which can make the writing seem unfinished where in fact it was finished – just not for us.
There are also many things that will resonate and some surprising such as even back then there were “McDojos” and Musashi has a few words for them and not polite ones.
This book gives as accurate a picture as it can of Musashi’s life. I say as accurate as it can because the author will present two or more versions of what may have happened or what Musashi may have done and then look for the most logical one.
As much fun as reading about his life this book also includes writings prior to the Book of Five Rings that I had never seen or read.
There is very good discussion of translation as well because translating is difficult and even more difficult when it is a technical subject being translated. There will be parts where the translation is discussed and explained as to why a particular translation was used. I found this very interesting.
All this is nice of course but the real benefit is the meat of the material itself and looking back into the mind of a sword master. Fascinating stuff.
I would call this a very scholarly work with a great deal of research and effort having gone into producing it.
There is so much more which makes this a truly interesting study of an interesting man.