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
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. An elevated spirit is weak and a low spirit is weak. Do not let the enemy see your spirit.
In contests of strategy it is bad to be led about by the enemy. You must always be able to lead the enemy about.
Cutting down the enemy is the way of strategy, and there is no need for many refinements of it.
The important thing in strategy is to suppress the enemy's useful actions but allow his useless actions
When the enemy starts to collapse you must pursue him without the chance of letting go. If you fail to take advantage of your enemies collapse, they may recover.
If the enemy stays spirited it is difficult to crush him.
When you attack the enemy, your spirit must go to the extent of pulling the stakes out of a wall and using them as spears and halberds.
If the enemy thinks of the mountains, attack like the sea; and if he thinks of the sea, attack like the mountains.
If you fail to take advantage of your enemies' collapse, they may recover.
Approach the enemy with the attitude of defeating him without delay.
Do not let your spirit be influenced by your body, or your body be influenced by your spirit. Be neither insufficiently spirited or over spirited. An elevated spirit is weak and a low spirit is weak. Do not let the enemy see your spirit.
To become the enemy, see yourself as the enemy of the enemy
Know your enemy, know his sword.
If you do not control the enemy, the enemy will control you