Book Review - The Book of Five Rings

• Author: Major Jeffrey P. Colwell
• Pages: 08

272 MILITARY LAW REVIEW [Vol. 156

THE BOOK OF FIVE RINGS1

REVIEWED BY MAJOR JEFFREY P. COLWELL2

In The Book of Five Rings, Thomas Cleary translates two separate works by two famous Japanese samurai warriors in which each teaches his philosophy on martial arts and combat. Mr. Cleary is no stranger to Asian studies. He holds a Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University, but is probably most well known for his translation of Sun Tzu's Art of War. Mr. Cleary's translation of The Book of Five Rings includes Miyamoto Musashi's The Book of Five Rings, and Yagyu Munenori's Family Traditions on the Art of War. Each could be considered a memoir of its author, and a textbook for martial arts students.

While each warrior-teacher's goal is to teach the art of sword warfare, the thought process and methodology described has more far-reaching ramifications. Both advocate the idea of absolute mastery of one's skill, which leads to the ability to completely focus and concentrate in periods of stress. These skills are useful in any meaningful endeavor and are particularly useful to today's military members.

Musashi's goal in The Book of Five Rings is the student's mastery of the science of martial arts. It is not only a physical description of actual sword maneuvers, but also a manual on a methodology of achieving perfection. Essentially, Musashi preaches a "mind over matter" approach towards his science. The central theme of Musashi's philosophy is that one who has truly become a master at his skill is able to execute effortlessly, without ever really thinking about it. Musashi's teachings evolve through five "rings", or scrolls: the Earth Scroll, the Water Scroll, the Fire Scroll, the Wind Scroll, and the Scroll of Emptiness. Each scroll serves as a chapter in Mushashi's philosophy text. When the student is able to learn

the lessons contained within each of the scrolls, he has mastered the art of warfare.

In the Earth Scroll, Musashi presents the theme he unfolds throughout the remainder of the Scrolls: "The martial way of life practiced by warriors is based on excelling others in anything and everything."3 He likens martial arts to carpentry. A carpenter, like a warrior, needs to master the use of many tools, and can not rely on any one of them. He also lays out his nine rules to learning his military science:

Think of what is right and true.

Practice and cultivate the science.

Become acquainted with the arts.

Know the principles of the crafts.

Understand the harm and benefit in everything. Learn to see everything accurately.

Become aware of what is not obvious.

Be careful even in small matters.

Do not do anything useless.4

Clearly these rules have universal applicability, and Musashi recognized this. He believed that success in the...