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samurai swords

Miyamoto Musashi

Contemporaneous portrait of Miyamoto Musashi (Edo period)

When it comes to martial arts and strategy, only a few books are considered must-reads. One of them is The Book of Five Rings(Gorin-no-sho) by Miyamoto Musashi. Written between 1643 and 1645, it remains a source of ageless wisdom.

The recent publication of The Complete Musashi: The Book of Five Rings and Other Works, translated by Alexander Bennett, includes the well-known text along with other important writings by the famed samurai.

The book’s release seemed like the perfect opportunity to find out why, after hundreds of years, the philosophy of the master swordsman is still studied and why it still rings true. Luckily, Alexander Bennett was able to speak with me about his martial arts career, the legend of Miyamoto Musashi and why Musashi is still relevant today.

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