五輪書

aka Go Rin no Sho

The Book of Five Rings

Author

Miyamoto Musashi

Language

Japanese

Year

1642

Country

Japan

Genre

Nonfiction / Essays / Treatise

0

The Book of Five Rings is a text on kenjutsu and the martial arts in general, written by the Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi between 1643 and 1645. The book title from the godai (五大) of Buddhist esotericism, thus has five volumes: "Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Sky." Many translations have been made, and it has garnered broad attention in East Asia and throughout the world. For instance, some foreign business leaders find its discussion of conflict to be relevant to their work. The modern-day Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū employs it as a manual of technique and philosophy.