Miyamoto Musashi
Miyamoto Musashi
Miyamoto Musashi, also known as Shinmen Takezō, Miyamoto Bennosuke or, by his Buddhist name, Niten Dōraku, was an expert Japanese swordsman and rōnin. Musashi, as he was often simply known, became renowned through stories of his excellent and unique double bladed swordsmanship and undefeated record in his 60 duels. He was the founder of the Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū or Niten-ryū style of swordsmanship and in his final years authored The Book of Five Rings, a book on strategy, tactics, and...
NationalityJapanese
ProfessionSoldier
CountryJapan
With your spirit open and unconstricted, look at things from a high point of view.
Perception is strong and sight weak. In strategy it is important to see distant things as if they were close and to take a distanced view of close things.
Develop intuitive judgement and understanding for everything.
Approach the enemy with the attitude of defeating him without delay.
Do not act following customary beliefs.
In strategy your spiritual bearing must not be any different from normal. Both in fighting and in everyday life you should be determined though calm. Meet the situation without tenseness yet not recklessly, your spirit settled yet unbiased.
It is said the warrior's is the twofold Way of pen and sword, and he should have a taste for both Ways. Even if a man has no natural ability he can be a warrior by sticking assiduously to both divisions of the Way.
Do not let the body be dragged along by mind nor the mind be dragged along by the body
When your spirit is not in the least clouded, when the clouds of bewilderment clear away, there is the true void.
You should not have any special fondness for a particular weapon, or anything else, for that matter. Too much is the same as not enough. Without imitating anyone else, you should have as much weaponry as suits you.
All things entail rising and falling timing. You must be able to discern this.
As if with the nut and flower, the nut has become less than the flower... both those teaching and those learning are concerned with colouring and showing off their technique, trying to hasten the bloom of the flower.
from one thing, know ten thousand things
Do not let your opponent see your spirit