COUNTERSTROKE AT SOLTSY - Strategy & Tactics Press

56 #232
Kojiro’s razor sharp sword fell from his dead hand,
it cut through the hem of Musashi’s skirt. Those two
near misses made that fight the closest he ever came to
being wounded or killed.
In 1614, Musashi joined his old foes, the Tokugawas,
as a mercenary and fought in the bloody siege of
Osaka Castle. He continued to wander for another 20
years plying his deadly trade until in 1634 he returned
to Ogura and stayed with Lord Churi in Kumamoto. In
1638, Musashi was present as an officer in the army
that fought against the southern lords and the Japanese
Christians who had risen in rebellion. The rebellion
was ruthlessly crushed. Following that campaign, the
Japanese closed their countries to foreigners for the
next two centuries. Musashi once again chose his own
course, and in 1643 at the age of 59 he sought solitude.
He became a recluse living in a mountain cave called
Reigendo.
Go Rin No Sho –The Book of the Five Rings
It was in Reigendo that Musashi dictated Go Rin
No Sho, the Book of the Five Rings, to his student Teruo
Nobuyuki as a series of letters. Go Rin No Sho is
one of those cryptic books in which meaning is to be
found in the interpretation of the reader. Beginners and
Warrior elite: Samurai in full armor with bow.
masters can read the same passage and find different
meanings. Musashi himself stated he did not reach a
full understanding of the Way until 1634, at the age of
50, and that despite years of training and experience.
Musashi wrote: “When you have attained the Way
of strategy there will not be one thing that you cannot
understand. You will see the Way in everything.”
Musashi commanded no great armies and never
sought power for himself. His dedication to his warrior
skills and his almost mystical seeking of the Way
has had influence on the psychology of the Japanese,
not unlike the impact the Medieval European quest
for the Holy Grail had on Western civilization (though
Musashi is much better documented historically than,
say, King Arthur). Indeed, the preface to every text
on Kendo acknowledges a debt to Go Rin No Sho.
Musashi had proved the Way was achievable. The enlightenment
it brought was the essence of Musashi’s
persona made him invincible in combat. To the Japanese
he is ranked among the few who have been given
the title of Kinsei, or Sword Saint, and even among
that group Musashi stands alone.
Musashi was not a brutal man, but his code meant
he was merciless. He did not fear death in combat and
expected no quarter from his opponents. By the same
token, he gave no mercy if the circumstances demanded
it. In his 30 years as a wandering ronin and mercenary,
Musashi probably killed more than 100 men in
combat, yet never suffered a single wound, no matter
how many opponents faced him.
In May 1645, shortly after dictating his last letter
on the concept of void, Musashi died. He left behind
no family and no Kendo school to carry on his work.
Yet his reputation was such that he was not forgotten,
and his book became the core text for those seeking to
follow the Way. Musashi had sought only personal enlightenment,
but his legacy for the Japanese is that he
set such a high standard and laid out a code of behaviour
many have sought to follow his example. None
has equaled his achievements to this day.
Bibliography
The Book of the Five Rings – Miyamoto Musashi, Cassell Military Paperbacks,
First Published 1994, Reprinted 2001 (Great Britain).
A Book of Five Rings – Miyamoto Musashi, Translated by Victor Harris.
The Outlook Press, Petere Mayer Publishers Inc, Woodstock, New
York First Published 1974.
The Book of Five Rings for Executives: Musashi’s Classic Book of Competitive
Tactics – Donald G. Krause. W.S. Bookwell, Nicholas Brearley
Publishing, 1998. (This is a well known popular book which
mangles every idea Musashi championed to suit the business ideas
of the author.)
Musashi – Eiji Yoshikawa, translated by Charles Terry, ISBN 4-7700-
1957-2
Samurai Warfare – Dr. Stephen Turnbull. Arms and Armour Press (UK),
(1998).