The Book of Five Rings - (Audiobook) - by Miyamoto Musashi (Go Rin No Sho)

göran no show a book of five rings written by Miyamoto Musashi and addressed to Tara Omegan Oh Jo translated by Victor Harris and narrated by Robin Homer introduction I have been many years training in the way of strategy called Nitin ichi ryu and now i think i will explain it in writing for the first time it is now during the first 10 days of the tenth month of the 20th year of kanae 1645 i have climbed mount a Watteau of he go in Kyushu to pay homage to heaven pray to Qin on and kneel before Buddha I am a warrior of harima province shinmin Musashi no kami Fujiwara no Gatien aged 60 years from youth my heart has been inclined toward the way of strategy my first jewel was when I was 13 I struck down a strategist of the shinto school one oedema Kihei when i was 16 nice struck down and able strategists Tanna Shima Akiyama when I was 21 I went up to the capital lands met all manner of strategists never once failing to win in many contests after that I went from province to province dueling with strategists of various schools and not once failed to win even though I had as many as 60 encounters this was between the ages of 13 and 28 or 29 when I reached 30 I look back on my past the previous victories were not due to my having mastered strategy perhaps it was natural ability or the order of heaven or that the other school strategy was inferior after that I studied morning and evening searching for the principle and came to realize the way of strategy when I was 50 since then I have lived without following any particular way thus with the virtue of strategy I practice many arts and abilities all things with no teacher to write this book I did not use the lure of Buddha all the teachings of Confucius neither old war chronicles nor books on martial tactics I take up my brush to explain the true spirit of this itchy school as it is mirrored in the way of heaven and Quan on the time is the night of the tenth day of the tenth month and the hour of the tiger three to five a.m. the ground book strategy is the craft of the warrior commanders must enact the craft and troopers should know this way there is no warrior in the world today who really understands the way of strategy there are various ways there is the way of salvation by the law of Buddha the way of Confucius governing the way of learning the way of healing as a doctor as a poet's teaching the way of waka T archery and many arts and skills each man practices as he feels inclined it is said the Warriors 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 generally speaking the way of the warrior is resolute acceptance of death although not only warriors but priests women peasants and lowly ofoh have been known to die readily in the cause of duty or out of shame this is a different thing the warrior is different in that studying the way of strategy is based on overcoming men by victory gained in crossing swords with individuals or in joining battle with large numbers we can attain power and fame for ourselves or for our Lord this is the virtue of strategy the way of strategy in China and Japan practitioners of the way have been known as masters of strategy warriors must learn this way recently there have been people getting on in the world as strategists but they are usually just sword fencers the attendance of the Kashima cantore shrines of the province atashi received instruction from the gods and made schools based on this teaching traveling from country to country instructing men this is the recent meaning of strategy in olden times strategy was listed among the ten abilities and seven arts as a beneficial practice it was certainly an arts but as beneficial practice it was not limited to sword fencing the true value of sword fencing cannot be seen within the confines of sword fencing technique if we look at the world we see arts for sale men use equipment to sell their own selves as if with the nuts and the flour the nut has become less than the flower in this kind of way of strategy both those teaching and those learning the way are concerned with coloring and showing off their technique trying to hasten the bloom of the flower they speak of this dojo and that dojo they are looking for profits someone once said immature strategy is the cause of grief that was a true saying there are four ways in which men pass through life as gentlemen farmers artisans and merchants the way of the farmer using agricultural instruments he see Springs through to autumns with an eye on the changes of season second is the way of the merchant the winemaker obtains his ingredients and puts them to use to make his living the way of the merchant is always to live by taking profits this is the way of the merchant thirdly the gentleman warrior carrying the weaponry of his way the way of the warrior is to master the virtue of his weapons if a gentleman dislikes strategy he will not appreciate the benefit of weaponry so must he not have a little taste for this fourthly the way of the artisan the way of the carpenter is to become proficient in the use of his tools first to lay his plans with a true measure and then perform his work according to plan thus he passes through life these are the four ways of the gentleman the farmer the artisan and the merchant comparing the way of the carpenter to strategy the comparison with carpentry is through the connection with houses houses of the nobility houses of warriors the four houses ruin of houses thriving of houses the style of the house the tradition of the house and the name of the house the carpenter uses a master plan of the building and the way of strategy is similar in that there is a plan of the campaign if you want to learn the craft of war ponder over this book the teacher is as a needle the disciple is as thread you must practice constantly like the foreman carpenter the commander must know natural rules and the rules of the country and the rules of houses this is the way of the foremen the foremen carpenter must know the architectural theory of towers and temples and the plans of palaces and must employ men to raise up houses the way of the foremen carpenter is the same as the way of the commander of a warrior house in the construction of houses choice of woods is made straight are knotted timber of good appearance is used for the revealed pillars straight timber with small defects is used for the inner pillars Timber of the finest appearance even if a little weak is used for the thresholds lintels doors and sliding doors and so on good strong timber though it be gnarled and knotted can always be used discreetly in construction timber which is weak or knotted throughout should be used as scaffolding and later for firewood the foreman carpenter allots his men work according to their ability floor layers makers of sliding doors thresholds and lintels ceilings and so on those of poor ability lay the floor joist and those of lesser ability carved wedges and do such miscellaneous work if the former knows and deploys his men well the finished work will be good the foreman should take into accounts the abilities and limitations of his men circulating among them and asking nothing unreasonable he should know their morale and spirits and encourage them when necessary this is the same as the principle of strategy the way of strategy like a trooper the carpenter sharpens his own tools he carries his equipment in his toolbox and works under the direction of his Foreman he makes columns and girders with an axe shapes floor boards and shelves with the plane cuts fine openwork and carvings accurately giving as excellent a finish as his skill will allow this is the craft of carpenters when the carpenter becomes skilled and understands measures he can become a foreman the Carpenters attainment is having tools which will cut well to make small shrines writing shelves tables paper lanterns chopping boards and pot lids these are the specialities of the carpenter things are similar for the trooper you ought to think deeply about this the attainment of the carpenter is that his work is not warped that the joints are not misaligned and that the work is truly plain so that it meets well and is not merely finished in sections this is essential if you want to learn this way deeply consider the things written in this book one at a time you must do sufficient research outline of the five books of this book of strategy the way is shown in five books concerning different aspects these are ground water fire tradition wind and void the body of the way of strategy from the viewpoint of my itchy school is explained in the grounds book it is difficult to realize the true way just through sword fencing no the smallest things and the biggest things and the shallowest things and the deepest things as if it were a straight road mapped out on the ground the first book is called the ground book second is the water book with water as the basis the spirit becomes like water water adopts the shape of its receptacle it is sometimes a trickle and sometimes a wild sea water has a clear blue colour by the clarity things of Itchy school are shown in this book if you master the principles of sword fencing when you freely beat one man you beat any man in the world the spirit of defeating a man is the same for ten million men the strategist makes small things into big things like building a great Buddha from a one-foot model I cannot write in detail how this is done the principle of strategy is having one thing to know ten thousand things things of eg school are written in this the water book third is the fire book this book is about fighting the spirits of fire is fierce whether the fire be small or big and so it is with battles the of battles is the same for man-to-man fights and for 10,000 decide battles you must appreciate that spirits can become big or small what is big is easy to perceive what is small is difficult to perceive in short it is difficult for large numbers of men to change position so their movements can be easily predicted an individual can easily change his mind so his movements are difficult to predict you must appreciate this the essence of this book is that you must train day and night in order to make quick decisions in strategy it is necessary to treat training as a part of normal life with your spirit unchanging thus combat in battle is described in the fire book fourthly the winds book this book is not concerned with my itchy school but with other schools of strategy by winds I mean old traditions present-day traditions and family traditions of strategy thus I clearly explained the strategies of the world this is tradition it is difficult to know yourself if you do not know others too always there are side tracks and if you study away daily and your spirit diverges you may think you are obeying a good way but objectively it is not the true way if you are following the true way and diverge a little this will later become a large divergence you must realize this other strategies have come to be thought of as mere sword fencing and it is not unreasonable that this should be so the benefit of my strategy although it includes sword fencing lies in a separate principle I have explained what is commonly meant by his strategy in other schools in the tradition wind book fifthly the book of the void by void I mean that which has no beginning and no end attaining this principle means not attaining the principle the way of strategy is the way of nature when you appreciate the power of nature knowing the rhythm of any situation you will be able to hit the enemy naturally and strike naturally all this is the way of the void I intend to show how to follow the true way according to nature in the book of the void the name ichi ryu Neto one school two swords warriors both commanders and troopers carry two swords of their belt in olden times these were called the longsword and the sword nowadays they are known as the sword and the companion sword let it suffice to say that in our land whatever the reason a warrior carries two swords at his belt it is the way of the warrior nito Ichi do shows the advantage of using both swords the spear and halberd are weapons that are carried out of doors students of the Itchy school way of strategy should train from the start with a sword and long sword in either hand this is the truth when you sacrifice your life you must make fullest use of your weaponry it is false not to do so and to die with a weapon yet undrawn if you hold a sword with both hands it is difficult to wield it freely - left and right so my method is to carry the sword in one hand this does not apply to large weapons such as the spear or halberd but swords and companion swords can be carried in one hand it is encumbering to hold a sword in both hands when you are on horseback when running on uneven roads on swampy grounds muddy rice fields stony ground or in a crowd of people to hold the longsword in both hands is not the true way for if you carry a bow or spear or other arms in your left hand you have only one hand free for using the longsword however when it is difficult to cut an enemy down with one hand you must use both hands it is not difficult to wield a sword in one hand the way to learn this is to train with two long swords one in each hand it will seem difficult at first but everything is difficult at first those are difficult to draw Hal birds are difficult to wield as you become accustomed to the bow so your pull will become stronger when you become used to wielding the longsword you will gain the power of the way and wield the sword well as I will explain in the second book the water book there is no fast way of wielding the longsword the longsword should be wielded broadly and the companion sword closely this is the first thing to realize according to this Itchy school you can win with a longsword and yet you can also win with a short weapon in short the way of the Itchy school is the spirit of winning whatever the weapon and whatever its size it is better to use two swords rather than one when you are fighting in a crowd and especially if you want to take a prisoner these things cannot be explained in detail from one thing no ten thousand things when you attain the way of strategy there will not be one thing you cannot see you must study hard the benefit of the two characters reading strategy masters of the longsword are called strategists as for the other military arts those who master the bow are called archers those who master the spear are called spearmen those who master the gun are called marksman those who master the halberd are called halberdiers but we do not call masters of the way of the longsword long swordsman nor do we speak of companion swordsman because bows guns Spears and Hal birds are all warriors equipment they are certainly part of strategy to master the virtue of the long sword is to govern the world and oneself thus the long sword is the basis of strategy the principle is strategy by means of the long sword if he attains the virtue of the long sword one man can beat ten men just as one man can be ten so are hundred men can beat a thousand and a thousand men can beat ten thousand in my strategy one man is the same as ten thousand so this strategy is the complete warriors craft the way of the warrior does not include other ways such as Confucianism Buddhism certain traditions artistic accomplishments and dancing but even though these are not part of the way if you know the way broadly you will see it in everything men must polish their particular way the benefit of weapons in strategy there is a time and place for use of weapons the best use of the companion sword is in a confined space or when you are engaged closely with an opponent the longsword can be used effectively in all situations the halberd is inferior to the spear on the battlefield with the spear you can take the initiative the halberd is defensive in the hands of one of two men of equal ability the spear gives a little extra strength spear and halberd both have their uses but neither is very beneficial in confined spaces they cannot be used for taking a prisoner they are essentially weapons for the field anyway if you learn indoor techniques you will think narrowly and forget the true way thus you will have difficulty in actual encounter the bow is tactically strong at the commencement of battles especially battles on a moor as it is possible to shoot quickly from among the spearmen however it is unsatisfactory in sieges or when the enemy is more than 40 yards away for this reason there are nowadays few traditional schools of archery there is little use nowadays for this kind of skill from inside fortifications the gun has no equal among weapons it is the supreme weapon on the fields before the ranks clash but once swords are crossed the gun becomes useless one of the virtues of the bow is that you can see the arrows in flight and correct your aim accordingly whereas gunshot cannot be seen you must appreciate the importance of this just as a horse must have endurance and no defects so it is with weapons horses should walk strongly and swords and companion swords should cut strongly Spears and Hal birds must stand up to heavy use bows and guns must be sturdy weapons should be Hardy rather than decorative you should not have a favorite weapon to become over familiar with one weapon is as much a fault as not knowing it sufficiently well you should not copy others but use weapons which you can handle properly it is bad for commanders and troops to have likes and dislikes these are things you must learn thoroughly timing in strategy there is timing in everything timing in strategy cannot be mastered without a great deal of practice timing is important in dancing and pipe or string music for they are in rhythm only if timing is good timing and rhythm are also involved in the military arts shooting bows and guns and riding horses in all skills and abilities there is timing there is also timing in the void there is timing in the whole life of the warrior in his thriving and declining in his harmony and discord similarly there is timing in the way of the merchants in the rise and fall of capital all things entail rising and falling timing you must be able to discern this in strategy there are various timing considerations from the outset you must know the applicable timing and the in applicable timing and from among the large and small things and the fast and slow timings find the relevant timing first seeing the distance timing and the background timing this is the main thing in strategy it is especially important to know the background timing otherwise your strategy will become uncertain you win in battles with the timing in the void born of the timing of cunning by knowing the enemy's timing and this using a timing which the enemy does not expect all the five books are chiefly concerned with timing you must train sufficiently to appreciate all this if you practice day and night in the above itchy school strategy your spirit will naturally broaden thus is large-scale strategy and the strategy of hand-to-hand combats propagated in the world this is recorded for the first time in the five books of ground water fire tradition wind and void this is the way for men who want to learn my strategy do not think dishonestly the way is in training become acquainted with every art know the ways of all professions distinguish between gain and loss in worldly matters develop intuitive judgment and understanding for everything perceive those things which cannot be seen pay attention even to trifles do nothing which is of no use he is important to start by setting these broad principles in your hearts and train in the way of strategy if you do not look at these things on a large scale it will be difficult for you to master strategy if you learn and attain this strategy you will never lose even to twenty or thirty enemies more than anything to start with you must set your heart on strategy and earnestly stick to the way you will come to be able to actually beat men in fights and be able to win with your eye also by training you will be able to freely control your own body conquer men with your body and with sufficient training you will be able to beat ten men with your spirit when you have reached this point will it not mean that you are invincible moreover in large-scale strategy the superior man will manage many subordinates dexterously bear himself correctly govern the country and foster the people thus preserving the rulers discipline if there is a way involving the spirits of not being defeated to help oneself and gain honor it is the way of strategy the second year of show ho 1645 the fifth month the twelfth day shinmin Musashi the water book the spirits of neat n itchy school of strategy is based on water and this water book explains methods of victory as the longsword form of the Itchy school language does not extend to explaining the way in detail but it can be grasped intuitively study this book read a word then ponder on it if you interpret the meaning loosely you will mistake the way the principles of strategy are written down here in terms of single combat but you must think broadly so that you can attain an understanding for 10,000 aside battles strategy is different from other things in that if you mistake the way even a little you will become bewildered and fall into bad ways if you merely read this book you will not reach the way of strategy absorb the things written in this book do not just read memorize or imitate but so that you realize the principle from within your own heart study hard to absorb these things into your body spiritual bearing in strategy 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 even when your spirit is calm do not let your body relax and when your body is relaxed do not let your spirit slacken do not let your spirit be influenced by your body or your body influenced by your spirit be neither insufficiently spirited nor over spirited an elevated spirit is weak and a low spirit is weak do not let the enemy see your spirit small people must be completely familiar with the spirit of large people and large people must be familiar with the spirit of small people whatever your size do not be misled by the reactions of your own body with your spirit open and unconstructed look at things from a high point of view you must cultivate your wisdom and spirits polish your wisdom learn public justice distinguish between good and evil study the ways of different arts one by one when you cannot be deceived by men you will have realized the wisdom of strategy stance in strategy adopt a stance with the head erect neither hanging down nor looking up nor twisted your forehead in the space between your eyes should not be wrinkled do not roll your eyes nor allow them to blink but slightly narrow them with your features composed keep the line of your nose straight with a feeling of slightly flaring your nostrils hold the line of the rear of your neck straight instill vigor into your hairline and in the same way from the shoulders down through your entire body lower both shoulders and without the buttocks jutting out put strength into your legs from the knees to the tops of your toes brace your abdomen so that you do not bend at the hips wedge your companion sword in your belt against your abdomen so that your belt is not slack this is called wedging in in all forms of strategy it is necessary to maintain the combat stance in everyday life and to make your everyday stance your combat stance you must research this well the gaze in strategy the gaze should be large and broad this is the two-fold gaze perception and sight perception is strong and sight weak in strategy it is important to see distant things as if they were close and to take a distance view of close things it is important in strategy to know the enemy's sword and not to be distracted by insignificant movements of his sword you must study this the gaze is the same for single combatant and for large-scale combat it is necessary in strategy to be able to look to both sides without moving the eyeballs you cannot master this ability quickly learn what is written here use this gaze in everyday life and do not vary it whatever happens hole the longsword grip the longsword with a rather floating feeling in your thumb and forefinger with the middle finger neither tight nor slack and with the last two fingers tight it is bad to have play in your hands when you take up a sword you must feel intent on cutting the enemy as you cut an enemy you must not change your grip and your hands must not cower when you - the enemy's sword aside or ward it off or force it down you must slightly change the feeling in your thumb and forefinger above all you must be intent on cutting the enemy in the way you grip the sword the grip for combat and force or testing is the same there is no such thing as a man cutting grip generally I dislike fixedness in both long swords and hands fixedness means a dead hand pliability is a living hand you must bear this in mind footwork with the tips of your toes somewhat floating tread firmly with your heels whether you move fast or slow with large or small steps your feet must always move as in normal walking I dislike the three walking methods known as jumping foot floating foot and fixed steps so called yin-yang foot is important to the way yin-yang foot means not moving only one foot it means moving your feet left right and right left when cutting withdrawing or warding off a cart you should not move one foot preferentially the five attitudes the five attitudes are upper middle lower right side and left side these are the five although attitude has these five dimensions the one purpose of all of them is to cut the enemy there are none but these five attitudes ever attitude you are in do not be conscious of making the attitude think only of cutting your attitude should be large or small according to the situation upper lower and middle attitudes are decisive left and right side attitudes are fluid left and right attitudes should be used if there is an obstruction overhead door to one side the decision to use left or right depends on the place the essence of the way is this to understand attitude you must thoroughly understand the middle attitude the middle attitude is the heart of the attitudes if we look at strategy on a broad scale the middle attitude is the seat of the commander with the other four attitudes following the commander you must appreciate this the way of the longsword knowing the way of the long sword means we can wield with two fingers the sword that we usually carry if we know the path of the sword well we can wield it easily if you try to wield the long sword quickly you will mistake the way to wield the long sword well you must wield it calmly if you try to wield it quickly like a folding fan or a short sword you will earn by using short sword chopping you cannot cut a man with a long sword using this method when you have cut downwards with the long swords lift it straight up words when you have cut sideways return the sword along the sideways path return the sword in a reasonable way always stretching the elbows broadly wield the sword strongly this is the way of the long sword if you learn to use the five approaches of my strategy you will be able to wield a sword well you must train constantly the five approaches the first approach is the middle attitude confront the enemy with the point of your sword against his face when he attacks - the sword to the right and ride it or when the enemy attacks deflect the point of his sword by hitting downwards keep your longsword where it is and as the enemy renews the attack cut his arms from below this is the first method the five approaches are this kind of thing you must train repeatedly using a longsword in order to learn them when you master my way of the long swords you will be able to control any attack the enemy makes I assure you there are no attitudes other than the five attitudes of the longsword of knee toll in the second approach with the longsword from the upper attitude cut the enemy just as he attacks if the enemy evades the cart keep your sword where it is and scooping from below cut him as he renews the attack it is possible to repeat the cut from here in this method there are various changes in timing and spirit you will be able to understand this by training in the Itchy school you will always win with the five longsword methods you must train repeatedly in the third approach adopt the lower attitude anticipating scooping up when the enemy attacks hit his hands from below as you do so he may try to hit your sword down if this is the case cut his upper arms horizontally with a feeling of crossing this means that from the lower attitudes you hit the enemy at the instant that he attacks you encounter this method often both as a beginner and in later strategy you must train holding a longsword in the fourth approach adopt the left-side attitude as the enemy attacks hit his hands from below if as you hit his hands he attempts to dash down your sword with the of hitting his hands Perry the path of his longsword and cut across from above your shoulder this is the way of the long sword through this method you win by parrying the line of the enemy's attack you must study this in the fifth approach the sword is in the right side attitude in accordance with the enemy's attack cross your sword from below at the side of the upper attitude then cut straight from above this method is essential for knowing the way of the longsword well if you can use this method you can freely wield a heavy longsword I cannot describe in detail how to use these five approaches you must become well acquainted with my in harmony with the longsword way learn large-scale timing understand the enemy's longsword and become used to the five approaches from the outset you will always win by using these five methods with various timing considerations discerning the enemy's spirit you must consider all this carefully the attitude no attitude teaching attitude no attitude means that there is no need for what are known as longsword attitudes even so attitudes exist as the five ways of holding the longsword however you hold the sword it must be in such a way that it is easy to cut the enemy well in accordance with the situation the place and your relation to the enemy from the upper attitude as your spirit lessens you can adopt the middle attitude and from the middle attitude you can raise the sword a little in your technique and adopt the upper attitude from the lower attitude you can raise the sword a little and adopt the middle attitudes as the occasion demands according to the situation if you turn your sword from either the left side or right side attitude towards the center the middle or the lower attitude results the principle of this is called existing attitude non-existing the primary thing when you take a sword in your hands is your intention to cuts the enemy whatever the means when you parry hit spring strike or touch the enemy's cutting sword you must cut the enemy in the same movement it is essential to attain this if you think only of hitting springing striking or touching the enemy you will not be able to actually cut him more than anything you must be thinking of carrying your movement through to cutting him you must thoroughly research this attitude in strategy on a larger scale is called battle array such attitudes are all for winning battles fixed formation is bad study this well to hit the enemy in one timing in one timing means when you have closed with the enemy to hit him as quickly and directly as possible without moving your body or settling your spirit while you see that he is still undecided the timing of hitting before the enemy decides to withdraw break or hit is this in one timing you must trained to achieve this timing to be able to hit in the timing of an instant the abdomen timing of - when you attack and the enemy quickly retreats as you see him tense you must feint a cut then as he relaxes follow up and hit him this is the abdomen timing of - it is very difficult to attain this merely by reading this book but you will soon understand with a little instruction no design no conception in this method when the enemy attacks and you decide to attack hits with your body and hit with your spirit and hit from the void with your hands accelerating strongly this is the no design no conception cut this is the most important method of hitting it is often used you must train hard to understand it the flowing water cards the flowing water cards is used when you are struggling blade to blade with the enemy when he breaks and quickly withdraws trying to spring with his longsword expand your body and spirit and cut him as slowly as possible with your longsword following your body like stagnant water you can cut with certainty if you learn this you must discern the enemy's grade continuous cuts when you attack and the enemy also attacks and your sword spring together in one action cuts his heads hands and legs when you cut several places with one sweep of the longsword it is the continuous cuts you must practice this car it is often used with detailed practice you should be able to understand it the fire and stones cut the fire and stones cards means that when the enemy's longsword and your longsword clashed together you cut as strongly as possible without raising the sword even a little this means cutting quickly with the hands body and legs all three cutting strongly if you train well enough you will be able to strike strongly the red leaves cut the red leaves cut means knocking down the enemy's sword the spirit should be getting control of his sword when the enemy is in a long sword attitude in front of you and intent on cutting hitting and parrying you should strongly hit the enemy sword with the fire and stones cut perhaps in the design of the no design no conception cut if you then beat down the point of his sword with a sticky feeling he will necessarily drop the sword if you practice this cut it becomes easy to make the enemy drop his sword you must train repetitively the body in place of the long sword also the longsword in place of the body usually we move the body and sword at the same time to cut the enemy however according to the enemy's cutting method you can dash against him with your body first and afterwards cut with the sword if his body is immovable you can cut first with the longsword but generally you hit first with the body and then cut with the longsword you must research this well and practice hitting cut and slash to cut and slash are two different things cutting whatever form of cutting it is is decisive with a resolute spirit slashing is nothing more than touching the enemy even if you slash strongly and even if the enemy dies instantly it is slashing when you cut your spirit is resolved you must appreciate this if you first slash the enemy's hands or legs you must then cut strongly slashing is in spirit the same as touching when you realize this they become indistinguishable learn this well Chinese monkeys body the Chinese monkeys body is the spirit of not stretching out your arms the spirit is to get in quickly without in the least extending your arms before the enemy cuts if you are intent upon not stretching out your arms you are effectively far away the spirit is to go in with your whole body when you come to within arm's reach it becomes easy to move your body in you must research this well glue and lacquer emulsion body the spirit of glue and lacquer emulsion body is to stick to the enemy and not separate from him when you approach the enemy stick firmly with your heads body and legs people tend to advance their head and legs quickly but their body Lankford's get between the enemy's body and your you must consider this carefully to strive for heights by to strive for height is meant when you close with the enemy to strive with him for superior height without cringing stretch your legs stretch your hips and stretch your neck face to face with him when you think you have won and you are the higher thrust in strongly you must learn this to apply stickiness when the enemy attacks and you also attack with the longsword you go in with a sticky feeling and fix your longsword against the enemies as you receive his cut the spirit of stickiness is not hitting very strongly but hitting so that the long swords do not separate easily it is best to approach as calmly as possible when hitting the enemy's longsword with stickiness the difference between stickiness and entanglement is that stickiness is firm and entanglement is weak you must appreciate this the body strike the body strike means to approach the enemy through a gap in his guard the Spirit is to strike him with your body turn your face a little aside and strike the enemy's breast with your left shoulder thrust out approach with a spirit of bouncing the enemy away striking as strongly as possible in time with your breathing if you achieve this method of closing with the enemy you will be able to knock him ten or twenty feet away it is possible to strike the enemy until he is dead train well three ways to parry his attack there are three methods to parry a cart first by dashing the enemy's longsword to your rights as if thrusting at his eyes when he makes an attack or to parry by thrusting the enemy's longsword towards his right eye with a feeling of snipping his neck or when you have a short longsword without worrying about parrying the enemy's long sword to close with him quickly thrusting at his face with your left hand these are the three ways of pairing you must bear in mind that you can always clench your left hand and thrust at the enemy's face with your fist for this it is necessary to train well to stab at the face to stab at the face means when you are in confrontation with the enemy that your spirit is intent on stabbing at his face following the line of the blades with the point of your longsword if you are intent on stabbing at his face his face and body will become rideable when the enemy becomes rideable there are various opportunities for winning you must concentrate on this when fighting and the enemy's body become as if rideable you can win quickly so you ought not to forget to stab at the face you must pursue the value of this technique through training to stab at the heart to stab at the heart means when fighting and there are obstructions above or to the sides and whenever it is difficult to can't to thrust at the enemy you must stab at the enemy's breasts without letting the point of your longsword waver showing the enemy the ridge of the blades square on and with the spirit of deflecting his longsword the spirit of this principle is often useful when we become tired or for some reason our longsword will not cut you must understand the application of this method to scold tarts tart scold means that's when the enemy tries to counter cut as you attack you counter cut again from below as if thrusting at him trying to hold him down with very quick timing you cut scolding the enemy thrust up cut and cut tart this timing is encountered time and timing in exchanges of blows the way to scold tarts tart is to time the cuts simultaneously with raising your longsword as if to thrust the enemy you must learn this through repetitive practice the smacking parry by smacking parry is meant that when you clash swords with the enemy you meet his attacking cut on your longsword with a tdum tdum and cutting him the spirit of the smacking Perry is not parrying or smacking strongly but smacking the enemy sword in accordance with his attacking cart primarily intent on quickly cutting him if you understand the timing of smacking however hard your long swords clash together your sword point will not be knocked back even a little you must research sufficiently to realize this there are many enemies there are many enemies applies when you are fighting one against many draw both sword and companion sword and assume a wide stretched left and right attitude the Spirit is to chase the enemies around from side to side even though they come from all four directions observe their attacking order and go to meet first those who attack first sweep your eyes around broadly carefully examining the attacking order and cut left and right alternately with your swords waiting is bad always quickly reassume your attitudes to both sides cut the enemies down as they advance crushing them in the direction from which they attack whatever you do you must drive the enemies together and as if tying a line of fishes and when they are seen to be piled up cut them down strongly without giving them room to move the advantage when coming to blows you can know how to win through strategy with the longsword but it cannot be clearly explained in writing you must practice delay in order to understand how to win oral tradition the true way of strategy is revealed in the longsword one cut you can win with certainty with the spirit of one cards it is difficult to attain this if you do not learn strategy well if you train well in this way strategy will come from your heart and you will be able to win that will you must train diligently direct communication the spirit of direct communication is how the true way of the neat or itchy school is received and handed down oral tradition teach your body strategy recorded in the above book is an outline of itchy school sword fighting to learn how to win with the longsword in strategy first learn the five approaches and the five attitudes and absorb the way of the longsword naturally in your body you must understand spirit and timing handle the longsword naturally and move body and legs in harmony with your spirits whether beating one man or two you will then know values in strategy study the contents of this book taking one item at a time and through fighting with enemies you will gradually come to know the principle of the way deliberately with a patient spirits absorb the virtue of all this from time to time raising your hand in combat maintain this spirit whenever you cross swords with an enemy step by step walk the thousand-mile Road study strategy over the years and achieve the spirit of the warrior today is victory over yourself of yesterday tomorrow is your victory over lesser men next in order to beat more skillful men trained according to this book not allowing your heart to be swayed along the side track if you attain this way a victory then you will be able to beat several tens of men what remains is sword fighting ability which you can attain in battles and jewels the second year of show ho the twelfth day of the fifth month 1645 shin men Musashi the fire book in this the fire book of the neato chi school of strategy I described fighting as fire in the first place people think narrowly about the benefit of strategy by using only their fingertips they only know the benefit of three of the five inches of the wrist they let a contest be decided as with the folding fan merely by the span of their forearms they specialized in the small matter of dexterity learning such trifles as hand and leg movements with the bamboo practice sword in my strategy the training for killing enemies is done by way of many contests fighting for survival discovering the meaning of life and death learning the way of the sword judging the strength of attacks and understanding the way of the edge and rid of the sword you cannot profit from small techniques particularly when full armor is worn my way of strategy is the shor method to win when fighting for your life one man against five or ten there is nothing wrong with the principle one man can beat ten so a thousand men can beat ten thousand you must research this of course you cannot assemble a thousand or ten thousand men for everyday training but you can become a master of strategy by training alone with a sword so that you can understand the enemy strategies his strength and resources and come to appreciate how to apply strategy to beat ten thousand enemies any who wants to master the essence of my strategy must research diligently training morning and evening thus can he polish his skill become free from self and realize extraordinary ability he will come to possess miraculous power this is the practical result of strategy depending on the place examine your environment stand in the Sun that is take up an attitude with the Sun behind you if the situation does not allow this you must try to keep the Sun on your right side in buildings you must stand with the entrance behind you or to your right make sure that your rear is unobstructed and that there is free space on your left your right side being occupied with your sword attitude at night if the enemy can be seen keep the fire behind you and the entrance to your right and otherwise take up your attitude as above you must look down on the enemy and take up your attitude on slightly higher places for example the camisa in a house is thought of as a high place when the fight comes always endeavor to chase the enemy around to your left side chase him towards awkward places and try to keep him with his back to awkward places when the enemy gets into an inconvenient position do not let him look around but conscientiously chase him around and pin him down in houses chase the enemy into the thresholds lintels doors verandas pillars and so on again not letting him see his situation always chase the enemy into bad footholds obstacles at the side and so on using the virtues of the place to establish predominant positions from which to fight you must research and train diligently in this the three methods to forestall the enemy the first is to forestall him by attacking this is called Ken to set him up another method is to forestall him as he attacks this is called ty no sin to wait for the initiative the other method is when you and the enemy attacked together this is called ty ty no sin to accompany him and forestall him there are no methods of taking the lead other than these three because you can win quickly by taking the lead it is one of the most important things in strategy there are several things involved in taking the lead you must make the best of the situation see through the enemy's spirit so that you grasp his strategy and defeat him it is impossible to write about this in detail the first can know sin when you decide to attack keep calm and dash in quickly for strolling the enemy or you can advance seemingly strongly but with the reserved spirits for stalling him with the reserve alternatively advance with us stronger spirit as possible and when you reach the enemy move with your feet a little quicker than normal unsettling him and overwhelming him sharply or with your spirit calm attack with a feeling of constantly crushing the enemy from first to last the Spirit is to win in the depths of the enemy these are all kenderson the second ty no sin when the enemy attacks remain undisturbed but feign weakness as the enemy reaches you suddenly move away indicating that you intend to jump aside then - in attacking strongly as soon as you see the enemy relaxed this is one way or as the enemy attacks attack more strongly taking advantage of the resulting disorder in his timing to win this is the ty no sin principle the third tyty no sin when the enemy makes a quick attack you must attack strongly in car aim for his weak point as he draws near and strongly defeat him or if the enemy attacks calmly you must observe his movements and with your body rather floating join in with his movements as he draws near move quickly and cut him strongly this is tight I know Sen these things cannot be clearly explained in words you must research what is written here in these three ways of force tolling you must judge the situation this does not mean that you always attack first but if the enemy attacks first you can lead him around in strategy you have effectively one when you forestall the enemy so you must train well to attain this to hold down a pillow to hold down a pillow means not allowing the enemy's head to rise in contests of strategy it is bad to be led about by the enemy you must always be able to lead the enemy about obviously the enemy will also be thinking of doing this but he cannot forestall you if you do not allow him to come out in strategy you must stop the enemy as he attempts to can't he must push down his thrust and throw off his hold when he tries to grapple this is the meaning of to hold down a pillow when you have grasped this principle whatever the enemy tries to bring about in the fight you will see in advance and suppresses the spirit is to check his attack at the syllable pads when he jumps check his advance at the syllable jure and check his cuts at scre the important thing in strategy is to suppress the enemy's useful actions but allow his useless actions however doing this alone is defensive first you must act according to the way suppress the enemy's techniques foiling his plans and thence command him directly when you can do this you will be a master of strategy you must train well and research holding down a pillow crossing get a Ford crossing at a ford means for example crossing the sea at a straight or crossing over a hundred miles of broad sea at a crossing place I believe this crossing at a Ford occurs often in a man's lifetime it means setting sail even though your friends stay in Harbor knowing the routes knowing the soundness of your ship and the favor of the day when all the conditions are met and there is perhaps a favorable wind or a tailwind then set sail if the wind changes within a few miles of your destination you must row across the remaining distance without sale if you attain this spirit it applies to everyday life you must always think of crossing at a Ford in strategy also it is important to cross at a ford discern the enemy's capability ends knowing your own strong points cross the Ford at the advantageous place as a good captain crosses a sea route if you succeed in crossing at the best place you may take your ease to cross at a Ford means to attack the enemy's weak points and to put yourself in an advantageous position this is how to win in large scale strategy the spirit of crossing at a Ford is necessary in both large and small scale strategy you must research this well to know the times to know the times means to know the enemy's disposition in battle is it flourishing or waning by observing the spirit of the enemy's men and getting the best position you can work out the enemy's disposition and move your men accordingly you can win through this principle of strategy fighting from a position of advantage when in a duel you must forestall the enemy and at when you have first recognized his school of strategy perceived his quality and his strong and weak points attack in an unsuspected manner knowing his meter and modulation and the appropriate timing knowing the times means if your ability is high seeing right into things if you are thoroughly conversant with strategy you will recognize the enemy's intentions and thus have many opportunities to win you must sufficiently study this to tread down the sword to tread down the sword is a principle often used in strategy first in large-scale strategy when the enemy first discharges bows and guns and then attacks it is difficult for us to attack if we are busy loading powder into our guns or notching our arrows the Spirit is to attack quickly while the enemy is still shooting with bows or guns the Spirit is to win by treading down as we receive the enemy's attack in single combats we cannot get a decisive victory by cutting with a tdum tdum filing in the wake of the enemy's attacking longsword we must defeat him at the start of his attack in the spirit of treading him down with the feet so that he cannot rise again to the attack treading does not simply mean treading with the feet tread with the body tread with the spirit and of course tread and cuts with the longsword you must achieve the spirit of not allowing the enemy to attack a second time this is the spirit of for strolling in every sense once at the enemy you should not aspire just to strike him but to cling after the attack you must study this deeply to know collapse everything can collapse houses bodies and enemies collapse when their rhythm becomes deranged in large-scale strategy when the enemy starts to collapse you must pursue him without letting the chance go if you fail to take advantage of your enemy's collapse they may recover in single combats the enemy sometimes loses timing and collapses if you let this opportunity pass he may recover and not be so negligent thereafter fix your eye on the enemy's collapse and chase him attacking so that you do not let him recover you must do this the chasing attack is with a strong spirit you must utter ly cut the enemy down so that he does not recover his position he must understand utterly how to cut down the enemy to become the enemy to become the enemy means to think yourself into the enemy's position in the world people tend to think of a robber trapped in a house as a fortified enemy however if we think of becoming the enemy we feel that the whole world is against us and that there is no escape he who is shut inside is a pheasant he who enters to arrest is a hawk you must appreciate this in large-scale strategy people are always under the impression that the enemy is strong and so tend to become cautious but if you have good soldiers and if you understand the principles of strategy and if you know how to beat the enemy there is nothing to worry about in single combat also you must put yourself in the enemy's position if you think here is a master of the way who knows the principles of strategy then you will surely lose you must consider this deeply to release four hands to release four hands is used when you and the enemy are contending with the same spirit and the issue cannot be decided abandon this spirit and win through with an alternative resource in large-scale strategy when there is a forehand spirit do not give up it is man's existence immediately throw away this spirit and win with a technique the enemy does not expect in single combats also when we think we have fallen into the four hands situation we must defeat the enemy by changing our mind and applying a suitable technique according to his condition you must be able to judge this to move the shades to move the shade is used when you cannot see the enemy spirit in large-scale strategy when you cannot see the enemy's position indicate that you are about to attack strongly to discover his resources it is easy then to defeat him with a different method once you see his resources in single combat if the enemy takes up a rear or side attitude of the longsword so that you cannot see his intention make a feint attack and the enemy will show his longsword thinking he sees your spirit benefitting from what you are showing you can win with certainty if you are negligent you will miss the timing research this well to hold down a shadow holding down a shadow is used when you concede the enemy's attacking spirit in large-scale strategy when the enemy embarks on an attack if you make a show of strongly suppressing his technique he will change his mind then altering your spirits defeat him by force stalling him with a void spirit or in single combats hold down the enemy strong intention with a suitable timing can defeat him by for stalling him with this timing he must study this well to pass on many things are said to be passed on sleepiness can be passed on and yawning can be passed on time can be passed on also in large-scale strategy when the enemy is agitated and shows an inclination to rush do not mind in the just make a show of complete calmness and the enemy will be taken by this and will become relaxed when you see that this spirit has been passed on you can bring about the enemies to feeds by attacking strongly with a void spirit in single combats you can win by relaxing your body and spirits and then catching on the moment the enemy relaxes attack strongly and quickly for stalling him what is known as getting someone drunk is similar to this you can also infect the enemy with a board careless or weak spirit you must study this well to cause loss of balance many things can cause a loss of balance one causes danger another is hardship and another is surprised you must research this in large scale strategy it is important to cause loss of balance attack without warning where the enemy is not expecting it and while his Spirit is undecided follow up your advantage and having the lead defeat him or in single combat starts by making a show of being slow then suddenly attack strongly without allowing him space for breath to recover from the fluctuation of spirit you must grasp the opportunity to win get to the feel of this to frighten fright often occurs caused by the unexpected in large-scale strategy you can frighten the enemy not by what you presents to their eyes but by shouting making a small force seem large or threatening them from the flank without warning these things all frighten you can win by making best use of the enemy's frightened rhythm in single combat also you must use the advantage of taking the enemy unawares by frightening him with your body long sword or voice to defeat him you should research this well to soak in when you have come to grips and are striving together with the enemy and you realize that you cannot advance you soak in and become one with the enemy you can win by applying a suitable technique while you are mutually entangled in battles involving large numbers as well as in fights with small numbers you can often win decisively with the advantage of knowing how to soak into the enemy whereas were you to draw a part you would lose the chance to win research this well to injure the corners it is difficult to move strong things by pushing directly so you should injure the corners in large-scale strategy it is beneficial to strike at the corners of the enemy's force if the corners are overthrown the Spirit of the whole body will be overthrown to defeat the enemy you must follow up the attack when the corners have fallen in single combat it is easy to win once the enemy collapses this happens when you injure the corners of his body and thus weaken him it is important to know how to do this so you must research this deeply to throw into confusion this means making the enemy lose resolve in large-scale strategy we can use your troops to confuse the enemy on the field observing the enemy spirit we can make him think here there like that like this slow fast victory is certain when the enemy is caught up in a rhythm that confuses his spirit in single combats we can confuse the enemy by attacking with vari techniques when the chance arises feint a thrust or cut or make the enemy thing you are going to close with him and when he is confused you can easily win this is the essence of fighting and you must research it deeply the three shouts the three shouts are divided thus before during and after shout according to the situation the voice is a thing of life we shout against fires and so on against the wind and the waves the voice shows energy in large-scale strategy at the start of battle we shout as loudly as possible during the fight the voice is low-pitched shouting out as we attack after the contest we shout in the wake of our victory these are the three shouts in single combats we make as if to cards and shalt a at the same time to disturb the enemy then in the wake of our shalt we cut with the longsword we shalt after we have cut down the enemy this is to announce victory this is called sin go no coy before and after voice we do not shout simultaneously with flourishing the longsword we shout during the fight to get into rhythm research this deeply to mingle in battles when the armies are in confrontation attack the enemy strongpoints and when you see that they are beaten back quickly separate and attack yet another strong point on the periphery of his force the spirit of this is like a winding mountain path this is an important fighting method for one man against many strike down the enemies in one quarter or drive them back then grasp the timing and attack further strong points to right and left as if on a winding mountain path weighing up the enemy's disposition when you know the enemy's level attack strongly with no trace of retreating spirits in single combat to use this spirit with the enemy strongpoints what is meant by mingling is the spirit of advancing and becoming engaged with the enemy and not withdrawing even one step you must understand this to crush this means to crush the enemy regarding him as being weak in large-scale strategy when we see that the enemy has few men or if he has many men but his spirit is weak and disordered we knock the hat over his eyes crushing him utterly if we crush lightly he may recover you must learn the spirit of crushing as if with a hand grip in single combat if the enemy is less skillful than yourself if his rhythm is disorganized or if he has fallen into evasive or retreating attitudes we must crush him straightway with no concern for his presence and without allowing him space for breath it is essential to crush him all at once the primary thing is not to let him recover his position even a little you must research this deeply the mountain sea change the melting see spirits means that it is bad to repeat the same thing several times when fighting the enemy there may be no help but to do something twice but do not try it a third time if you once make an attack and fail there is little chance of success if you use the same approach again if you attempt a technique which you have previously tried unsuccessfully and fail yet again then you must change your attacking method if the enemy thinks of the Melton's attack like the sea and Evie thinks of the sea attacked like the mountains you must research this deeply to penetrate the depths when we are fighting with the enemy even when it can be seen that we can win on the surface with the benefit of the way if his spirit is not extinguished he may be beaten superficially yet undefeated in spirits deep inside with this principle of penetrating the depths we can destroy the enemy spirits in its depths demoralizing him by quickly changing our spirits this often occurs penetrating the debt this means penetrating with the long sword penetrating with the body and penetrating with the spirits this cannot be understood in a generalization once we have crushed the enemy in the depths there is no need to remain spirited but otherwise we must remain spirited if the enemy remains spirited it is difficult to crush him you must train in penetrating the depths for large-scale strategy and also single combat to renew to renew applies when we are fighting with the enemy and an entangled spirit arises where there is no possible resolution we must abandon our efforts think of the situation in a fresh spirit then win in the new rhythm to renew when we are deadlocked with the enemy means that without changing our circumstance we change our spirits and win through a different technique it is necessary to consider how to renew also applies in large-scale strategy research this diligently rats head oxes neck rats head and oxes neck means that when we are fighting with the enemy and both he and we have become occupied with small points in an entangled spirit we must always think of the way of strategy as being both a rat's head and an ox's neck whenever we have become preoccupied with small details we must suddenly change into a large spirit interchanging large with small this is one of the essences of strategy it is necessary that the warrior think in this spirit in everyday life you must not depart from this spirit in large-scale strategy nor in single combat the commander knows the troops the commander knows of the troops applies everywhere in fights in my way of strategy using the wisdom of strategy think of the enemy as your own troops when you think in this way you can move him at will and be able to chase him around you become the general and the enemy becomes your troops you must master this to let go the hilt there are various kinds of spirit involved in letting go the hilt there is the spirit of winning without a sword there is also the spirit of holding the longsword but not winning the various methods cannot be expressed in writing you must train well the body of a rock when you have mastered the way of strategy you can suddenly make your body like a rock and ten thousand things cannot touch you this is the body of a rock you will not be moved oral tradition what is recorded above is what has been constantly on my mind about itchy school sword fencing written down as it came to me this is the first time I have written about my technique and the order of things is a bit confused it is difficult to express it clearly this book is a spiritual guide for the man who wishes to learn the way my heart has been inclined in the way of strategy from my youth onwards I have devoted myself to training my hand tempering my body and attaining the many spiritual attitudes of sword fencing if we watch men of other schools discussing theory and concentrating on techniques with the hands even though they seem skillful to watch they have not the slightest true spirit of course men who study in this way think they are training the body and spirit but it is an obstacle to the true way and it's bad influence remains forever thus the true way of strategy is becoming decadent and dying out the true way of sword fencing is the craft of defeating the enemy in a fight and nothing other than this if you attain and adhere to the wisdom of my strategy you need never doubt that you will win the second year of show ho the fifth month the twelfth day 16:45 shin men Musashi the winds book in strategy you must know the ways of other schools so I have written about various other traditions of strategy in this the wind book without knowledge of the ways of other schools it is difficult to understand the essence of my itchy school looking at other schools we find some that specialize in techniques of strength using extra-long swords some schools study the way of the short sword known as kodachi some schools teach dexterity in large numbers of sword techniques teaching attitudes of the sword as the surface and the way as the interior that none of these are the true way I show clearly in the interior of this book all the vices and virtues and rights and wrongs my itchy school is different other schools make accomplishments their means of livelihood growing flowers and decoratively coloring articles in order to sell them this is definitely not the way of strategy some of the world's strategists are concerned only with sword fencing and limit their training to flourishing the longsword and carriage of the body but is dexterity alone sufficient to win this is not the essence of the way I have recorded the unsatisfactory points of other schools one by one in this book you must study these matters deeply to appreciate the benefit of my Neto Ichi school other schools using extra long swords some other schools have a liking for extra long swords from the point of view of my strategy these must be seen as weak schools this is because they do not appreciate the principle of cutting the enemy by any means their preference is for the extra-long saw and relying on the virtue of its length they think to defeat the enemy from a distance in this world it is said one inch gives the hand advantage but these are the idle words of one who does not know strategy it shows the inferior strategy of a weak spirits that men should be dependent on the length of their sword fighting from a distance without the benefit of strategy I expect there is a case for the school in question liking extra long swords as part of its doctrine but if we compare this with real-life it is unreasonable surely we need not necessarily be defeated if we are using a short sword and have no long sword it is difficult for these people to cut the enemy when at close quarters because of the length of the long sword the blade path is large so the long sword is an encumbrance and they are at a disadvantage compared to the man armed with a short companion sword from olden times it has been said great and small go together so do not unconditionally dislike extra long swords what I dislike is the inclination towards the long sword if we consider large-scale strategy we can think of large forces in terms of long swords and small forces as short swords cannot few men give battle against many there are many instances of few men overcoming many your strategy is of no account if when called on to fight in a confined space your heart is inclined the longsword or if you are in a house armed only with your companion sword besides some men have not the strength of others in my doctrine I disliked preconceived narrow spirits you must study this well the strong longsword spirit in other schools you should not speak of strong and weak long swords if you just wield the longsword in a strong spirit your cutting will become coarse and if you use the sword coarsely you will have difficulty in winning if you are concerned with the strength of your sword you will try to cut unreasonably strongly and you will not be able to cut at all it is also bad to try to cut strongly when testing the sword whenever you cross swords with an enemy you must not think of cutting him either strongly or weakly just think of cutting and killing him and be intent solely on killing the enemy do not try to cut strongly and of course do not think of cutting weakly you should only be concerned with killing the enemy if you rely on strength when you hit the enemy's sword you will inevitably hit too hard if you do this your own sword will be carried along as a result thus the saying the strongest hand wins has no meaning in large-scale strategy if you have a strong army and are relying on strength to win but the enemy also has a strong army the battle will be fierce this is the same for both signs without the correct principle the fight cannot be won the spirit of my school is to win through the wisdom of strategy paying no attention to trifles study this well you of the shorter longsword in other schools using a shorter longsword is not the true way to win in ancient times Tachi and katana meant long and short swords men of superior strength in the world can wield even a long sword lightly so there is no case for their liking the short sword they also make use of the length of Spears and hal birds some men use a shorter longsword with the intention of jumping in and stabbing the enemy at the unguarded moment when he flourishes his sword this inclination is bad to aim for the enemies unguarded moment is completely defensive and undesirable in close quarters with the enemy furthermore you cannot use the method of jumping inside his defense with a short sword if there are many enemies some men think that if they go against many enemies with a shorter longsword they can unrestricted leaf risk around cutting in sweeps but they have to parry cuts continuously and eventually become entangled with the enemy this is inconsistent with the true way of strategy the sure way to win thus is to chase the enemy around in a confusing manner causing him to jump aside with your body held strongly and straight the same principle applies to large-scale strategy the essence of strategy is to fall upon the enemy in large numbers and to bring about his speedy downfall by their study of strategy people of the world get used to countering evading and retreating as the normal thing they become set in this habit so can easily be paraded around by the enemy the way of strategy is straight and true you must chase the enemy around and make him obey your spirit other schools with many methods of using the longsword I think it is held in other schools that there are many ways of using the longsword in order to gain the admiration of beginners this is selling the way it is a vile spirit in strategy the reason for this is that to deliberate over many ways of cutting down a man is an error to start with killing is not the way of mankind killing is the same for people who know about fighting and for those who do not it is the same for women or children and there are not many different methods we can speak of different tactics such as stabbing and mowing down but none other than these anyway cutting down the enemy is the way of strategy and there is no need for many refinements of it even so according to the place your longsword may be obstructed above or to the sides and you will need to hold your sword in such a manner that it can be used there are five methods in five directions methods apart from these five hand twisting body bending jumping out and so on to cut the enemy are not the true way of strategy in order to cut the enemy you must not make twisting or bending cuts this is completely useless in my strategy I bare my spirit and body straight and cause the enemy to twist and bend the necessary spirit is to win by attacking the enemy when his spirit is warped you must study this well use of attitudes of the longsword in other schools placing a great deal of importance on the attitudes of the longsword is a mistaken way of thinking what is known in the world as attitude applies when there is no enemy the reason is that this has been a precedent since ancient times that there should be no such thing as this is the modern way to do it dueling you must force the enemy into inconvenient situations attitudes are for situations in which you are not to be moved that is for garrisoning castles battle array and so on showing the spirit of not being moved even by a stronger salt in the way of dueling however you must always be intent upon taking the lead and attacking attitude is the spirit of a waiting an attack you must appreciate this in duels of strategy you must move the opponent's attitude attack where his spirit is lacks throw him into confusion irritate and terrify him take advantage of the enemy's rhythm when he is unsettled and you can win I dislike the defensive spirits known as attitude therefore in my way there is something called attitude no attitude in large-scale strategy we deploy our troops for battle bearing in mind our strengths observing the enemy's numbers and noting the details of the battlefield this is at the start of the battle the spirit of attacking is completely different from the spirit of being attacked bearing an attack well with the strong attitude and parrying the enemy's attack well is like making a wall of Spears and halbert's when you attack the enemy your spirits must go to the extent of pulling the stakes out of a wall and using them as Spears and Hal birds you must examine this well fixing the eyes in other schools some schools maintain that the eyes should be fixed on the enemy's long sword some schools fix the eyes on the hands some fix the eyes on the face some fix the eyes on the feet and so on if you fix the eyes on these places your spirit can become confused and your strategy thwarted I will explain this in detail footballers do not fix their eyes on the ball but by good play on the field they can perform well when you become accustomed to something you are not limited to the use of your eyes people such as master musicians have the music score in front of their nose or flourish the sword in several ways when they have mastered the way but this does not mean that they fix their eyes on these things specifically or that they make pointless movements of the sort it means that they can see naturally in the way of strategy when you have fought many times you will easily be able to appraise the speed and position of the enemy's sword and having mastery of the way you will see the weight of his spirit in strategy fixing the eyes means gazing at the man's heart in large-scale strategy the area to watch is the enemy strength perception and sights are the two methods of seeing perception consists of concentrating strongly on the enemy's spirit observing the condition of the battlefield fixing the gaze strongly seeing the progress of the fight and the changes of advantage this is the sure way to win in single combat you must not fix the eyes on details as I said before if you fix your eyes on details and neglect important things your spirit will become bewildered and victory will escape you research this principle well and train diligently use of the feet in other schools there are various methods of using the feeds floating firts jumping foot springing foot - treading foot crows foot and such nimble walking methods from the point of view of my strategy these are all unsatisfactory I dislike floating foot because the feet always tend to float during the finds the way must be trod firmly neither do I like jumping foot because it encourages the habit of jumping and a jumpy spirit however much you jump there is no real justification for it so jumping is bad springing foot caught is a springing spirit which is indecisive treading foot is a waiting method and I especially dislike it apart from these there are various fast walking methods such as crows foot and so on sometimes however you may encounter the enemy on marshland swampy ground river valleys stony ground or narrow roads in which situations you cannot jump or move the feet quickly in my strategy the footwork does not change I always walk as I usually do in the street you must never lose control of your feets according to the enemy's rhythm move fast or slowly adjusting your body not too much and not too little carrying the feeds is important also in large-scale strategy this is because if you attack quickly and thoughtlessly without knowing the enemy spirits your rhythm will become deranged and you will not be able to win or if you advance too slowly you will not be able to take advantage of the enemy's disorder the opportunity to win will escape and you will not be able to finish the fight quickly you must win by seizing upon the enemy's disorder and arrangement and by not according him even a little hope of recovery practice this well speed in other schools speed is not part of the true way of strategy speed implies that things seem fast or slow according to whether or not they are in rhythm whatever the way the master of strategy does not appear fast some people can walk as fast as a hundred or a hundred and twenty miles in a day but this does not mean that they can run continuously from morning till night unpracticed runners may seem to have been running all day but their performance is poor in the way of dance accomplished performers can sing while dancing but when beginners try this they slow down and their spirit becomes busy the old pine tree melody beaten on a leather drum is tranquil but when beginners try this they slow down and their spirit becomes busy very skillful people can manage a fast rhythm but it is bad to beat hurriedly if you try to beat too quickly you will get out of time of course slowness is bad really skillful people never get out of time and are always deliberate and never appear busy from this example the principle can be seen what is known as speed is especially bad in the way of strategy the reason for this is that depending on the place marsh or swamp and so on it may not be possible to move the body and legs together quickly still less will you be able to cut quickly if you have a long sword in this situation if you try to cut quickly as if using a fan or short sword you will not actually cut even a little you must appreciate this in large-scale strategy also a fast busy spirit is undesirable the spirit must be that of holding down a pillow then you will not be even a little late when your opponent is hurrying recklessly you must act contrary and keep calm you must not be influenced by the opponent train diligently to attain this interior and surface in other schools there is no interior nor surface in strategy the artistic accomplishments usually claim their inner meaning and secret tradition and interior and gate but in combat there is no such thing as fighting on the surface or cutting with the interior when I teach my way I first teach by training in techniques which are easy for the people to understand a doctrine which is easy to understand I gradually endeavour to explain the deep principle points which it is hardly possible to comprehend according to the pupils progress in any events because the way to understand is through experience I do not speak of in and gates in this world if you go into the mountains and decide to go deeper and yet deeper instead you will emerge at the gates whatever is the way it has no interior and it is sometimes a good thing to point out the gate in strategy we cannot say what is concealed and what is revealed accordingly I dislike passing on my way through written pledges and regulations perceiving the ability of my pupils I teach the direct way remove the bad influence of other schools and gradually introduce them to the true way of the warrior the method of teaching my strategy is with a trustworthy spirit you must train diligently I have tried to record an outline of the strategy of other schools in the above nine sections I could now continue to give a specific accounts of these schools one by one from the gates to the interior but I have intentionally not named the schools all their main points the reason for this is that different branches of schools give different interpretations of the doctrines in as much as men's opinions differ so there must be differing ideas on the same matter thus no one man's conception is valid for any school I have shown the general tendencies of other schools on nine points if we look at them from an honest viewpoints we see that people always tend to like long swords or short swords and become concerned with strength in both large and small matters you can see why I do not deal with the gates of other schools in my itchy school of the long sword there is neither gate nor interior there is no inner meaning in sword attitudes you must simply keep your spirit true to realize the virtue of strategy 12th day of the fifth month the second year of show ho 1645 shinmin Musashi the book of the void the neato itchy way of strategy is recorded in this the book of the void what is called the spirit of the void is where there is nothing it is not included in man's knowledge of course the void is nothingness by knowing things that exist you can know that which does not exist that is the void people in this world look at things mistakenly and think that what they do not understand must be the void this is not the true voice it is bewilderment in the way of strategy also those who study as warriors think that whatever they cannot understand in their craft is the void this is not the true void to attain the way of strategy as a warrior you must study fully other martial arts and not deviate even a little from the way of the warrior with your spirit settled accumulate practice day by day and hour by hour polish the twofold spirit heart and mind and sharpen the twofold gaze perception and sights when your spirit is not in the least clouded when the clouds of bewilderment clear away there is the true void until you realize the true way whether in Buddhism or in common sense you may think that things are correct and in order however if we look at things objectively from the viewpoint of laws of the world we see various doctrines departing from the true way no well this spirit and with forthrightness as the foundation and the true spirit as the way enact strategy broadly correctly and openly then you will come to think of things in a wide sense and taking the void as the way you will see the way as void in the void is virtue and no evil wisdom has existence principle has existence the way has existence spirit is nothingness 12th day of fifth month second year of show ho 16:45 shinmin Musashi you

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Keywords: miyamoto musashi, go rin no sho, book of five rings, The art of war, book of 5 rings, gorinnosho, gorin no sho, gorin no show, sun tzu, shinmen musashi, samurai, samurai philosophy, book of bushido, bushido philosophy, Japanese philosophy, samurai philosophy books, the book of five rings audiobook, martial arts books, books on fighting, books on martial arts, go rin no sho audiobook, the book of five rings, Vagabond manga, Vagabond, books on swordsmanship, books on samurai

Id: wJ57Jl01aT0

Length: 111min 55sec (6715 seconds)

Published: Fri Apr 19 2019