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Musashi Hardcover – May 15, 1995

by Eiji Yoshikawa (Author), Charles S. Terry (Translator), Edwin O. Reischauer (Foreword)

355 customer reviews

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The classic samurai novel about the real exploits of the most famous swordsman.

Miyamoto Musashi was the child of an era when Japan was emerging from decades of civil strife. 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. 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.

The lovely Otsu, seeing in Musashi her ideal of manliness, frees him from his tortuous punishment, but he is recaptured and imprisoned. During three years of solitary confinement, he delves into the classics of Japan and China. 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.

Ever 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. 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. 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.

He becomes a reluctant hero to a host of people whose lives he has touched and been touched by. And, inevitably, he has to pit his skill against the naked blade of his greatest rival.

Musashi is a novel in the best tradition of Japanese story telling. It is a living story, subtle and imaginative, teeming with memorable characters, many of them historical. Interweaving themes of unrequited love, misguided revenge, filial piety and absolute dedication to the Way of the Samurai, it depicts vividly a world Westerners know only vaguely. Full of gusto and humor, it has an epic quality and universal appeal.

The novel was made into a three-part movie by Director Hiroshi Inagai. For more information, visit the Shopping area.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"... A stirring saga ... not only for readers interested in Japan but also for those who simply want a rousing read." -Washington Post

About the Author

EIJI YOSHIKAWA was born in 1892 in Kanagawa Prefecture, near Tokyo. He began his literary career at the age of twenty-two. During his thirties he worked as a journalist while continuing to write stories and novels, reaching a large and appreciative readership through having his work published, often serially, in newspapers and popular magazines. At the time of his death in 1962, he was one of Japan's best-known and best-loved novelists. He received the Cultural Medal, the highest award for a man of letters, and other cultural decorations, including the Order of the Sacred Treasure.

CHARLES S. TERRY, the translator, was born in Mississippi in 1926 and graduated from Duke University. He first studied Japanese in the U.S. Navy during WW II and after the war received a master's degree from Columbia University in Japanese history. Resident in Japan since 1952, he also received a master's degree in Chinese history from the University of Tokyo and has since been active as a translator of works on Japanese art, architecture and history. He died in 1982.

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Product details

Hardcover: 970 pages
Publisher: Kodansha USA (July 14, 1995)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 4770019572
ISBN-13: 978-4770019578
Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 1.5 x 6.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 355 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #910,876 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #335 in Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Asian > Japanese
- #498 in Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > Regional & Cultural > Asian
- #2637 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Biographical

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Mad Max

Brilliant

February 9, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

True masterpiece, unique in its kind, and superbly written. This is one of the few books which I've read in a long time that I didn't want the story to end. Despite seeming a dauntingly long and hefty novel, the story flows at a neckbreaking pace, full of surprises and clever plots at every turn. The book I would most compare it to is James Clavell's epic "Shogun", but besides the fact that both stories take place more or less in the same time period in Japan (beginning of Edo period), the comparison ends there. Whereas "Shogun" describes Japan from the eyes of a foreigner, and deals with high-court intrigues, Musashi's fictional story (albeit loosely based on events in his life including all his ill-fated duels) deals with the common day-to-day life in Japan, the peasantry, the samurai, the secret lives of Geishas and pleasure quarters, Buddhist priests and itinerant monks, of families torn by the everlasting conflicts that was raging between North and South daimyo factions at that time (Osaka vs Edo courts), the tribulations of ronin who were left masterless after the battle of Sekigahara and who were roaming the country incessantly in search of odd jobs or who would become evil doers. Such a man was Musashi, who being on the losing side of the Sekigahara battle, started a life long wandering journey throughout Japan, perfecting his sword techniques and becoming, slowly, the most prestigious swordsman of all time. Although the book only recounts 12 years of this journey, these were without doubt his formative years, and the characters he meets, loves or fights with along the way all edge him, little by little, towards achieving his goal, the Way of the Sword. Every encounter Musashi goes through is a lesson of life and death, something that even we, as readers, can apply in our daily lives centuries later. It's timeless advice.
The second thing I thoroughly enjoyed about the book was the translation. The way the story flows, the vocabulary used as well as the dialogues are very well rendered to the point where I was actually believing the text to be written originally in English. There's also quite a lot of light-hearted, downright comical dialogues, which give the story a lighter tone despite the somber aspect and seriousness of the background story. I actually wonder if this is the work of the translator (by the mere fact that eastern languages are not always easy to transpose into western ones) or if Eiji Yoshikawa himself inserted those funny passages. In any case, this novel was a hidden gem that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for brilliant historical fiction or simply who wants to learn more about Japanese culture during the Edo period.

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stuartb

probably the greatest book written on the samurai

June 29, 2018

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

probably the greatest book written on the samurai. it helps that he was a real person. not for the faint of heart, this book is over 1000 pages long. I've read it four times now and could easily read it again. One of Japan's greatest hero's, this story is about his life and beliefs. A must read for anyone interested in Japanese culture and lifestyle.

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Dogen

Japanese culture, history, travel, philosophy with heads rolling.

November 21, 2012

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Read it after seeing the movie series adapted from the book (Samurai I-III) and the book was so much better! Every chapter is short and filled with a wide range of Japanese history, marshal arts philosophy, travel through little post towns, economic history and engaging characters. How dare they insult this book by calling it the Gone With the Wind of Japan as if Musashi were a ruffly skirted "fiddledeedee" uttering idiot. For some reason, the writing in the first two or three chapters was a little campy and slow, but stick with it as the payoff after that is huge. In western culture, we are used to the Errol Flynn prolonged sword fighting up and down the castle stairs, not the swish-headroll-next... but the later gets your attention. And while the different schools of swordsmanship and military science are discussed, this book is much more than a fencing tale about one legendary man. In fact, Musashi himself is not in a significant part of the book.

I am still reeling as to how the film rendition of Ichijoji temple completely watered down and missed the conflict with the Yoshioka school, how Sasaki was not in film the complex (and somewhat evil) man he was in the book, the military, socio economic context (increasingly wealthy merchants, vs royalty vs the military factions) was completely lost in the film it took a toll on the impact of the story (book wins hands down). You don't have to worry about the movie spoilers because different people live and die in different ways in the book.

Some of the translation was humorously dated- one would not imagine samurai insulting other with retro American epithets, but this was outweighed by the rich cultural aspects that were captured in vivid detail.Be prepared for a lot of characters and settings, they add to movement and conflict in a good way. I agree with the "best book ever" reviewers and ordered his Daimyo book because I liked this one so much.

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Mitchell

At its best, the very fine esthetic senses of Mishima combine with Dickensian narrative

March 8, 2013

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Quite often the descriptions of physical scenes are as if seen suspended in a perfect crystal, yet Yoshikawa balances this esthetic with robust episodes of humor, adventure, romance, and the "roller coaster" changes in fortune that drive the narrative, all the while adhering to the culture, politics and social mores of early 17th century Japan, a major turning point in the nation's history.

This is a big, epic book, with many characters, almost all of whom, as in Dickens or Balzac, represent a familiar or very particular type, whether loyal and long-suffering, painfully ethical, misguided and clumsy but well-meaning, or
cruel and heartless. The many faces of human nature are well represented.

The key characters all have some development, but I felt that, at nearly 1000 pages, the epic still did not give me as much of the lives of the most interesting
characters -- including Musashi himself -- as I wanted to experience (ie it was too short!)

Yoshikawa may have felt the the smart thing to do is to always leave the reader
eager for more, before the narrative becomes repetitive. My only serious criticism is that a one-page map of 17th century Japan would have enhanced the reading experience.

Mitchell

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