Miyamoto Musashi has 8 audiobooks on Listento.it, narrated by 11 narrators, with an average listener rating of 4.5★ across 284 ratings. The most-rated is The Complete Book of Five Rings.
The Complete Book of Five Rings
Summary
The Complete Book of Five Rings is an authoritative version of Musashi's classic The Book of Five Rings, translated and annotated by a modern martial arts master, Kenji Tokitsu. Tokitsu has spent most of his life researching the legendary samurai swordsman and his works, and in this book he illuminates this seminal text, along with several other works by Musashi. These include "The Mirror of the Way of Strategy", which Musashi wrote when he was in his 20s; "Thirty-five Instructions on Strategy", and "Forty-two Instructions on Strategy", which were precursors to The Book of Five Rings; and "The Way to Be Followed Alone", which Musashi wrote just days before his death. Heard together, these five texts give listeners an unusually detailed, nuanced view of Musashi's ideas on swordsmanship, strategy, and self-cultivation. Tokitsu puts all these writings into historical and philosophical context and makes them accessible and relevant to today's listeners and martial arts students. Tokitsu understands Musashi's writings - and Musashi as a martial artist - unusually well and is able to provide a rare insight into the man and his historical contribution.
©2000 Kenji Tokitsu, English Translation 2004, 2010 by Shambhala Publications, Inc. (P)2014 Audible Inc.
A Book of Five Rings
Summary
This special edition of A Book of Five Rings contains one hour of traditional Japanese flute (shakuhachi) and 43 minutes of music by traditional japanese ensemble. The music appears track by track at the end of the two and a half hour audiobook and is included as wonderful compliment to this dynamic and elegant listening experience. Legendary 17th-century swordsman Miyamoto Musashi’s exposition of sword fighting, strategy, and Zen philosophy. Required listening for any martial artist, business person, or student of strategy.
©2014 Trout Lake Media (P)2014 Trout Lake Media
The Strategy Collection
Summary
The Art of War, The Prince, and The Book of Five Rings are three historical pieces that deal with strategy. The Art of War is an ancient Chinese military treatise, and each chapter within the treatise is devoted to a distinct aspect of warfare and how that applies to military strategy and tactics. The Art of War remains the most influential strategy text in East Asian warfare and has had a profound influence on East Asian and Western military thinking, business tactics, legal strategy, and beyond. Machiavelli composed The Prince as a practical guide for ruling an empire. Within his treatise, Machiavelli aims to provide strategies on how to govern a nation, conquest of new territories, and dealing with integration of the peoples of new territories. Machiavelli also lays out his strategy for defense, military, and the qualities a prince should have to govern properly. The Book of Five Rings is a Japanese text that has been regarded as a treatise on the strategy for winning. The five chapters, "rings", refer to the idea that there are different elements of battle, just as there are different physical elements in life. The Book of Five Rings was known as the holy grail for samurai; it lays out strategy on how to defeat an enemy by using tactics such as throwing them off guard and creating confusion, among other techniques.
Public Domain (P)2018 Combray Media
The Book of Five Rings
Summary
Setting down his thoughts on swordplay, on winning, and on spirituality, legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi intended this modest work as a guide for his immediate disciples and future generations of samurai. He had little idea he was penning a masterpiece that would be eagerly devoured by people in all walks of life centuries after his death. Along with The Art of War by Sun Tzu, The Book of Five Rings has long been regarded as an invaluable treatise on the strategy of winning. Musashi's timeless advice on defeating an adversary, throwing an opponent off-guard, creating confusion, and other techniques for overpowering an assailant was addressed to readers of earlier times on the battlefield and now serves the modern listener in the battle of life. In this new rendering by the translator of Hagakure and The Unfettered Mind, William Scott Wilson adheres rigorously to the 17th-century Japanese text and clarifies points of ambiguity in earlier translations. In addition, he offers an extensive introduction and a translation of Musashi's rarely published The Way of Walking Alone.
©2002 William Scott Wilson (P)2010 Tantor
A Book of Five Rings
Summary
Legendary 17th century swordsman Miyamoto Musashi’s exposition of sword fighting, strategy and Zen philosophy. Required reading for any martial artist, business person or student of strategy. Includes the one hour Zen inspired soundtrack The Mysterious Sound of Wind in the Bamboo. Performed on authentic Japanese instruments.
©2009 trout lake media (P)2009 Trout Lake Media
Musashi's Dokkodo
Summary
Miyamoto Musashi (1584 - 1645) was arguably the greatest swordsman who ever lived, a legendary figure whose methods of thought and strategy have been studied and adopted across a wide spectrum of society, from martial artists to military leaders to captains of industry. The iconic sword saint of Japan was clearly a genius, yet he was also a functional psychopath - ruthless, fearless, hyper-focused, and utterly without conscience. Shortly before he died, Musashi wrote down his final thoughts about life for his favorite student Terao Magonojo to whom Go Rin No Sho, his famous Book of Five Rings, had also been dedicated. He called this treatise Dokkodo, which translates as, "The Way of Walking Alone". This treatise contains Musashi's original 21 precepts of the Dokkodo along with five different interpretations of each passage written from the viewpoints of a monk (Wilder), a warrior (Burrese), a teacher (Smedley), an insurance executive (Christensen), and a businessman (Kane). Each contributor has taken a divergent path from the others, yet shares the commonality of being a lifelong martial practitioner and published author. In this fashion you are not just hearing a simple translation of Musashi's writing, you are scrutinizing his final words for deeper meaning. In them are enduring lessons for how to lead a successful and meaningful life.
©2015 Lawrence Kane & Kris Wilder (P)2017 Lawrence Kane & Kris Wilder
A Book of Five Rings
Summary
It's Japan's answer to the Harvard MBA. Written over three centuries ago by a Samurai warrior, A Book of Five Rings has been hailed as a limitless source of psychological insight for businessmen ? or anyone who relies on strategy and tactics to outwit the competition. Miyamoto Musashi was renowned in his own time as an invincible warrior, a master artisan, an author, and philosopher. Today, his philosophy is still revered by the Japanese and used as a guide for daily decision-making ? and business strategy. He wrote A Book of Five Rings not only as a thesis on doing battle, but also as a way to approach all aspects of life: "any situation where plans and tactics are used". When A Book of Five Rings first appeared on North American bookshelves in 1974, its message took the business community by storm. It provided insight into the then-emerging Japanese influence and offered a new way to think about business. It instantly became a vital tool for assured success and has remained so ever since. The principles in this work are as true today as they were over 300 years ago, and are as valid for business negotiations as for hand-to-hand combat. Based on the principles of Zen and advocating a hands-on approach to mastering the skills needed for winning, A Book of Five Rings is very likely the most perceptive guide to strategy ever written.
©1974 Victor Harris (P)1990 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC
A Book of Five Rings: The Strategy of Musashi
Summary
This is legendary 17th century swordsman Miyamoto Musashi’s exposition of sword fighting, strategy, and Zen philosophy. Required listening for any martial artist, business person, or student of strategy, this audiobook includes the one hour Zen inspired soundtrack, The Mysterious Sound of Wind in the Bamboo, performed on authentic Japanese instruments.
©2012 Trout Lake Media (P)2012 Trout Lake Media