musashi the way of the samurai eiji yoshikawa

He is supremely successful in his encounters, but in the Art of War he perceives the way of peaceful and prosperous governance and disciplines himself to be a real human being. Continually striving to perfect his technique, which leads him to a unique style of fighting with two swords simultaneously, he travels far and wide, challenging fighters of many disciplines, taking nature to be his ultimate and severest teacher and undergoing the rigorous training of those who follow the Way. When he is set free again, he rejects the position of samurai and for the next several years pursues his goal relentlessly, looking neither to left nor to right.Įver so slowly it dawns on him that following the Way of the Sword is not simply a matter of finding a target for his brute strength. During three years of solitary confinement, he delves into the classics of Japan and China.

The lovely Otsu, seeing in Musashi her ideal of manliness, frees him from his tortuous punishment, but he is recaptured and imprisoned. On his way home, he commits a rash act, becomes a fugitive and brings life in his own village to a standstill-until he is captured by a weaponless Zen monk.

Lured to the great Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 by the hope of becoming a samurai-without really knowing what it meant-he regains consciousness after the battle to find himself lying defeated, dazed and wounded among thousands of the dead and dying. Miyamoto Musashi was the child of an era when Japan was emerging from decades of civil strife.

And the setting is brilliant: 17th century Japan is almost more 'classically medieval' than a lot of the 'classically medieval' stuff that forms most fantasy backgrounds.Īnyone else read these? I'll definitely be chasing down the next few volumes.The classic samurai novel about the real exploits of the most famous swordsman. And the characters are all very good fun. It is a bit melodramatic, and I wish the action scenes were more detailed - but what it lacks in finesse it makes up for in gore. And, as you might expect, a great deal of swordplay. Very pleased to find this - pulpy but fun - fictionalised version of his life.ĭefinitely some fantastic elements to it, at least some supernatural / spiritual twists in book one. I've always been fascinated by Miyamoto Musashi since I read a brief bio of him in high school - one of history's most epic badasses. From what I gather from the introduction (and some Wikipedia snooping), it was first serialised in the 1930s, then later gathered into a mega novel (and broken down into a 5-part series when translated to English). I just picked up the first ( The Way of the Samurai) and got a kick out of it.

Musashi the way of the samurai eiji yoshikawa