BookofFiveRings

HereisoneofthemostinsightfultextsonthesubtleartsofconfrontationandvictorytoemergefromAsianculture.Writtennotonlyformartialartistsbutforleadersinallprofessions，thebookanalyzestheprocessofstruggleandmasteryoverconflictthatunderlieseverylevelofhumaninteraction.TheBookofFiveRings—whichhasbecomeawell-knownclassicamongAmericanbusinesspeople，studiedforitsinsightsintotheJapaneseapproachtobusinessstrategy—wascomposedin1643bythefamedduelistandundefeatedsamuraiMiyamotoMusashi.UnlikepreviouseditionsofTheBookofFiveRings，ThomasCleary'sisanaccessibletranslation，freeofjargon，withanintroductionthatpresentsthespiritualbackgroundofthewarriortradition.AlongwithMusashi'stext，ClearytranslatesanotherimportantJapaneseclassiconleadershipandstrategy：TheBookofFamilyTraditionsontheArtofWarbyYagyuMunenori，whichhighlightstheethicalandspiritualinsightsofTaoismandZenastheyapplytothewayofthewarrior.