Customer Reviews

Musashi's Book of Five Rings: The Definitive Interpretation of Miyamoto Musashi's Classic Book of Strategy

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have no doubt about the author's sincerity in offering this personal interpretation of Musashi's original work, "Book of 5 Spheres" (or "The Book of 5 Rings"). The problem I have with what Stephen F. Kaufman has done to Musashi's book deals more with his implied suggestion that this edition is the result of an actual ~translation~ which he was responsible for (see pages xi-xii, "Translator's Note"). In fact, when asked Mr. Kaufman has admitted that this volume (and some others he has written) are not translations at all, but rather his own personal interpretations of English translations done by other authors--something he DOESN'T bother to communicate to his readers. The title of this volume, at odds with the "translator's note" on pgs xi -xii, is actually "...The Definitive _Interpretation_ of Miyamoto Musashi's Classic Book of Strategy". I fail to understand why Kaufman confuses his readers by mixing and matching interpretation with translation. It should be noted that Mr Kaufman himself does NOT speak or read Japanese, and in fact innocently named his own martial arts school "Dojo no Hebi" ("Place of Practice's Snake"), when he was trying for "Dojo of the Snake" (which in Japanese would have been "Hebi no Dojo", meaning "The Snake's Place of Practice"). Innocent mistakes yes, but one would expect a Black belt of the 10th Dan (degree grade) and a proclaimed "Hanshi" (master practitioner) to at least check his spelling with someone who _could_ speak the language he was borrowing.

Kaufman doesn't bother to provide a bibliography of which English translations he used, nor does he include notes explaining _how_ he drew his conclusions from the texts he studied. I am bothered by the fact that many of Musashi's original words have been heavily edited, re-arranged, or deleted altogether by this author until they have been removed entirely from their original context. In doing this, Mr. Kaufman has actually ALTERED the _meaning_ of Musashi's work! What remains appears to be little more than a new age self-help guide for modern martial artists which has retained a smidgeon of flavor from Musashi's original work.

A brief example illustrating Kaufman's tendancy to put his own words in Musashi's mouth is in the fourth paragraph on page 6 of Kaufman's book. Kaufman reworks Musashi's words regarding Merchants as a class to read, "Merchants are a ridiculed class because they produce nothing except profit from the work of others." Two other men who have actually translated Musashi's work from the original Japanese suggest nothing sinister in Musashi's original work concerning the merchant class.

Victor Harris in his translation of "A Book of Five Rings" offers: "The way of the merchant is always to live by taking profit" (page 41, 1974). Translator Thomas Cleary offers the same sentence as: "Whatever the business, merchants make a living from the profits they earn acording to their particular status" (page 7, 1993).

This is a minor demonstration of the differences between Kaufman's work and those offered by actual QUALIFIED translators--the translators make an effort to convey to the reader the actual meaning of Musashi's words in English, while Kaufman crafts a new meaning which never existed in Musashi's original work. Suffice to say, Kaufman's interpretation seems heavily influenced by his modern view of martial arts and his concept of what he feels samurai may have been like four centuries ago. It bears little resemblance to competent translations of Musashi's writings. Or perhaps it is Kaufman's guilt over his own attempt to exploit the expertise and writings of a respected master.

I recommend two excellent translations of Musashi's work which stay true to the original Japanese. The first is "A Book of Five Rings" translated by Victor Harris, a mechanical engineer and technical interpreter of Japanese language who not only practiced kendo (Japanese fencing), but studied this art in Japan for 3 years under Ito Kyoitsu at the Seijudo Dojo. A second recommendation is "The Book of Five Rings" by Thomas Cleary, another professional translator. Unlike Kaufman, I did not find translations by these men to be "intellectual exercises in translating Japanese to English" (pg xi). I found legitimate translations by competent translators who were clear and direct...I suspect most scholarly people, whether students of martial arts or not, will draw a similar conclusions upon comparing Kaufman's book to any actual translation.

This is the first translation of The Book of Five Rings that I read. I wasn't terribly impressed with it. After reading the translation by William Scott Wilson, I am even less impressed with Kaufman's translation. While Wilson's may be a bit harder to comprehend on the first read, much is lost in Kaufman's translation in terms of language and metaphor. Kaufman's translation may be better for someone looking for a more simple explanation of technique. However, Wilson's translation offers much more for a reader to wrap his/her mind around. Since I have never read the original text, I can in no way claim to know whose translation is is closer to the original. However for those looking for a more cerebral experience, I would suggest Wilson's translation.

I have enjoyed reading the reviews of Kaufman's interpretation. They have been insightful and in many cases extremely witty and thought provoking. The intelligence behind some of the comments verges on genius. Well done.

I have given this book 5 stars for one reason only. I am a full time sports coach and coach professional athletes at a world class level. Kaufman's interpretation is the only translation / interpretation that I have been able to use 'in the field' specifically to enhance the 'frame of mind' of the athletes I coach before the ultimate testing ground; competition. As a tool for learning and applying strategy as well as improving 'frame of mind' in the realm of professional sport I have found it invaluable. Since I am not an academic I really couldn't care less about who's translation / intrepretation is the most accurate. I only use what works.

As an aside, I am also a martial artist and martial arts instructor. I have recently published a book about my martial arts Master. It is entitled 'Raoul Kent: A Life of Mastery' and will be available at Amazon soon. Master Raoul is a true master of Japanese karate, ju jitsu and judo. He has been bodyguard to the rich and famous as well as the criminal underworld. He went undefeated in martial art competitions of all forms for 7 years straight. Master Raoul also values Kaufman's interpretation and since he is truly the most battle tested warrior I have ever known I value his opinion. Intellectuals may be great wordsmiths and ardent critics but at the end of the day they remain just that. No brilliant intellectual will ever help you win a fight or conquer the battlefield of professional sport.

I suggest purchasing and reading all versions of Book of Five Rings and making up your own mind. The litmus test ultimately will be whether or not the book fulfilled the purpose for which you bought it.

I have mixed feelings about this 'interpretation' of Musashi's classic. It would ring more true to me if the author had titled it "Thoughts on Musashi's Book of Five Rings", or something that indicated the fact that this is not a translation, but rather the author's own words based on Mushashi's writings. A paragraph by paragraph comparison to Cleary's translation made it clear that the author was putting words and thoughts into the text that never were part of the original. To then call it "The Definitive Interpretation" seems pretty smug and arrogant, not to mention that the author has designated himself a 10th Dan in his own system, something not even Ueshiba, Okazaki or Bruce Lee claimed.

On the other hand, there are some good thoughts and principles laid out by the author, and I can't really find fault with the content. If it had been presented more honestly, I'd have given it five stars for content. The guise in which it is presented, however, left me a little sour on the project, as if the author is intentionally misleading readers in order to sell a few more copies. Worth a read, but not the true words and thoughts of Musashi.

As someone who collaborated with a Japanese friend to produce a couple articles for well-known Black Belt magazine, which were actual translations from feudal Japanese, I think I'm fairly well qualified to critique this effort from "Hanshi" (I use the title loosely, just like he does) Steve Kaufman. First of all, let's immediately get rid of any nonsense that this is an actual "translation"; Kaufman knows as much about feudal Japanese culture as I do about knitting quilts- that is, NADA.

Errors abound in Kaufman's "interpretation" of Musashi's Gorin no Sho, too many to expound on here. Readers will no doubt want some kind of confirmation that this is indeed so, but all I can say here is, if any reader thinks this book should be taken seriously and any critique needs to be substantiated, you're past my attention span.

Oh--you're still here? OK, let's get one point perfectly clear here- even Japanese experts on the culture of the Tokugawa Period have no real idea what some of the allusions mean in these works of old swordsmen. Not only do expert Japanese historians have little clue, even traditional martial artists belonging to contemporary Japanese Ryu (which still exist in Japan) can't be sure they're practicing the exact system their founders were doing. Chances aren't great that they are, alas. But how about us- why can't we, Joe/Jane average-reader-slash-martial-artist, figure it out for ourselves? Simply because of the nature of these texts themselves...which are a product of a swordman's own lifetime of experiences, not to mention a desire to keep certain strategies "secret", which would not be available to anyone outside the specific Ryu in question. Hence, one will find in any feudal swordman's text certain cryptic passages that were never meant to be grasped by the general public...much less a white guy living on the East Coast today, who doesn't read even modern Japanese, much less feudal Japanese (hard for even natives)...and without a legitimate lineage of his own.

Musashi's own grammar, in particular, was not the educated grammar of a cultured statesman; it was rather an ackward, hodge-podge, seat-of-the-pants grammar peculiar to Musashi's own self-education (ask anyone who can actually read feudal Japanese). You could say Musashi's philosophies were in the same boat- which will be a shock to anyone who considers Musashi some kind of philosophical genius...(comparisons of his patchwork philosophy vs. his contemporary Yagyu Munenori's sophisticated discourse come to mind, but I'll refrain here). Note this well, reader. In view of the current popularity of anything connected to Musashi, probably the first clue a biographer should be taken with a grain of salt is when they start seeing utterly profound philosophical sophistication in Musashi's writing...
Add to this grammar difficulty the fact that Musashi's own sword style had no outstanding successor down-the-line because of the same problems- i.e., his swordsmanship was a result of his own unique experiences and not a system that could be transmitted completely to successors- and you have a real problem interpreting what Musashi's system was really like. (Note: yes, Musashi's style continues even today...what we're talking about here is lack of a successor who was even close to being as distinguished as he was. Didn't happen).
All this to say- any white guy living today claiming to have the "definitive interpretation" of Musashi's "heiho" (strategy)-even superior to modern native Japanese researchers, evidently- is blowing smoke, plain and simple.

A word to the gullible: "Hanshi" isn't part of somebody's name, it's a type of appreciatory title, given by others, to someone who has been recognized for extended contributions in a particular field. It isn't meant to be used outside a specific environment, much less among the general public. And one isn't supposed to tack it onto one's name, which is an oddball kind of self-promotion that shows no tact, something Kaufman is evidently oblivious of. Tacking a pretentious title onto your name is something I suppose we could all do to write a book, say something like "World Champion Joe Jockey", or "Sensei Bertha Bingo", or "Master Mickey McDonald". I think if I ever write a book my name will be "Lord Jim". Let's go for the grandiose. "Hanshi" is, like, so yesterday.
Look like a trend YOU want to get on? Wait! you say...all this sounds rather odd... Congrats, it IS odd. That's exactly the feeling *I* have after reading these types of books...welcome to my world.

Ever notice when you thumb through the Yellow Pages on martial arts schools in your home town how many guys have "Sensei" or "Grandmaster" for a first name? Or notice how many "World Champions" there are? It's amazing they're all centered in YOUR city- and also in every OTHER city... I didn't realize we had so many world champs hanging around small-town America, did you? Maybe you can get a certificate in a cereal box. Or do you notice how many "10th dan grandmaster" teachers there are, in schools which have made-up names with no lineages? What's even more humorous is guys in some kind of "Chinese" (I use the word loosely) system claiming "dan" ranks, which is a Japanese word? Or claiming an nth-degree "black belt", which is a Japanese color system? Or how about schools with creative mix-and-match Chinese and Japanese buzzwords, such as "Chi-Zen-Do", or "Tao-Wudang-Shin-Karate:, etc, etc,. Make up your own here in these blanks: ____-______-____. Usually these types of schools have some trophies in the front display, looking suspiciously like bowling-tournament trophies with the ball sawed off. Also look for a pair of "samurai swords" on the wall, purchased from a local pawn shop for the bargin price of $29.99. Yes, we're talking some quality weapons, probably made by a traditional swordsmith in Japan just for the pawn shop. You'll probably also find some throwing stars (shuriken) on display too, as if the teacher (we'll call him "Spike") has some mysterious secret training direct from feudal ninja clans living in the 1600s. Ah, the comedy material for the current martial arts scene is a goldmine...
But nevermind that problem, what bothers me no end is we have a logical problem in how more than one guy in the same town can be a "world champion"- there's only one world, unless one of them is from an alien planet. Enough on all that- let's get back to the lengthening-your-name phenomenon. Personally, I'm waiting for Kaufman specifically to upgrade his name to "World Champion Steve Kaufman" so it has four words in it. "Hanshi Steve Kaufman" only has three, which is completely unacceptable.

Let's talk about Kaufman's "dojo". Dojo no Hebi ("snake school", or better, "school of a snake") isn't a martial arts school with any real lineage. SIT DOWN - I realize this is a shocker! But not only is the name stupid, it's solely the creation of Kaufman himself, who promoted himself to "10th dan". But 10th dan of what- the "snake school"? What does that mean? What does karate have to do with a snake, anyway? How can somebody be a judan (10th) in a style with no lineage? Who gave him a rank- a ghost? Maybe a rattlesnake bit him on the butt and he hallucinated the whole thing...I dunno, I'm trying to work the snake angle in here. For that matter, what does a fake karate school have to do with speculations on feudal martial arts in Japan? Or how to interpret Musashi's book?

Nice work. Fake 10th dan, fake school, fake commentary. We're on a fake roll here...
I'm curious how many students Kaufman has, and why they haven't entered MMA tourneys...after all, these superior insights into Musashi's fightin' strategy should turn Kaufman's students into fightin' wonders...think modern-day white-guy samurai, complete with do-rags on their head with Japanese kanji, I guess. (At this point, I'm thinking of that classic clip of comedian Jim Carey as a karate instructor on the old TV show In Living Color- still available on YouTube).

At any rate, if Kaufman really wants to imitate Musashi, he should teach his students not to bathe often, just like Musashi's reported habit. Maybe this legend about Musashi should be taken with a grain of salt (of course it should, Musashi hung around some feudal lords, hardly likely if he always stunk), but maybe not...we assume here the legend is true so I can use it, we don't care about accuracy for a lousy book like this anyway.
So, if none of Kaufman's dojo ever takes a bath, we no longer have dojo-no-hebi, we have instead dojo-no...er..yes-stinko. There IS something to be said about stinking so bad your opponent can't get within two blocks of you...yes, you pretty much own the neighborhood with this routine. Yeah, baby!

But let's not get into a hurry to get rid of that original white-guy name- dojo no hebi, "school of a snake".
I mean, it would be truly difficult to find a better metaphor of what we're dealing with here.

What, you say? Kaufman won't like this review? Who cares?
The dude has a lot of "chutzpah" to write something this outrageous.
He knows he is making outlandish claims - but now you know too.

The current English-language books on Musashi run the gauntlet from pretty good to campfire-starter material, so it can be somewhat tricky for folks to pick out a decent bio or translation. Personally, I like William Scott Wilson's bio and translation ("The Lone Samurai") better than most, and for more detail using native source material by a Japanese author, look for Kenji Tokitsu's "Miyamoto Musashi: His Life and Writings". There is nothing else quite like the latter in English; it's not perfect but Western fans of Musashi should be glad this is available. Musashi's kenjutsu style - Niten Ichi Ryu - is still being taught in Japan, and there are branches of it scattered around Europe and one in Toronto, Canada. Maybe there are some prospective students out in our Amazon audience! Just don't be pulling two swords on me, buddy- I watched those Musashi movies too, LOL.

Ah, back to this dog. In short, let's sum up the situation. Kaufman is to legitimate Musashi research what Lindsay Lohan is to alcohol abstinence. Books like this one need a new Amazon rating system, where we go into negative numbers...

Every martial artist should own this book. If you truly consider your self a warrior, then I highly recommend you read it!

It made for some deep reading. The philosophy of the man was excellent. It will give anyone a better understanding of the oriental mind. Its well written and will give one 'the edge' in life's personal 'encounters'.

I recommend that readers reread the book couple of times for writing to show true nature of things to you. While the writing is on the art of sword fighting, principles laid out in the book can be applied in war, business and craftsmanship in a Zen like ways. Especially, if you are a student of martial arts, you may pickup one or two things on what it takes to win the fights.

5 Rings is AWESOME----NOT for those who are content to stay mediocre. Straight no chaser and no prettiness about getting ones shallac together and KEEPING in together. My text book for life.