Musashi
**The classic samurai novel about the real exploits of the most famous swordsman.** Miyamoto Musashi was the child of an era when Japan was emerging from decades of civil strife. Lured to the great Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 by the hope of becoming a samurai—without really knowing what it meant—he regains consciousness after the battle to find himself lying defeated, dazed and wounded among thousands of the dead and dying. On his way home, he commits a rash act, becomes a fugitive and brings life in his own village to a standstill—until he is captured by a weaponless Zen monk. The lovely Otsū, seeing in Musashi her ideal of manliness, frees him from his tortuous punishment, but he is recaptured and imprisoned. During three years of solitary confinement, he delves into the classics of Japan and China. When he is set free again, he rejects the position of samurai and for the next several years pursues his goal relentlessly, looking neither to left nor to right. Ever so slowly it dawns on him that following the Way of the Sword is not simply a matter of finding a target for his brute strength. Continually striving to perfect his technique, which leads him to a unique style
Themes & atmosphere
What you might want to know about Musashi
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Defeated at Sekigahara as a teenage thug, Takezo is captured by a wandering monk and reborn as Miyamoto Musashi. The novel follows his decades on the road as he turns himself into the most famous swordsman in Japan.
Yes. Musashi is fictionalized biography of the historical Miyamoto Musashi, a 17th-century Japanese swordsman, philosopher, and author of The Book of Five Rings. Eiji Yoshikawa serialized the novel between 1935 and 1939.
No. The Book of Five Rings (Musashi's actual treatise on strategy) and Yoshikawa's biographical novel are independent. Either can be read first. Yoshikawa's novel is much longer and more accessible to general readers.
Musashi was written by Eiji Yoshikawa, published in 1936 by Làng Văn.
Musashi is 970 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Musashi takes most readers 15 to 21 hours to finish.
Musashi is a standalone novel by Eiji Yoshikawa, not part of a series.
Musashi is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.