The Philosophy of Legendary Samurai Miyamoto Musashi
Simplicity and acceptance were the name of the game
In this article we’ll be talking about
Who Miyamoto Musashi was
The Book of Five Rings
Embracing Simplicity
The Concept of “Mushin” (No-Mind)
Who Miyamoto Musashi was
Miyamoto Musashi was a master Japanese swordsman and philosopher. He was born in 1584 and died in 1645. In his writings, he said he took part in over 60 swordfights, losing none, and is said to have died after writing his masterwork “The Book of Five Rings (Go Rin No Sho)”.
This guy was a real badass. His father died while he was still a young boy and was raised by his mother in absolute poverty. At the age of just 13, he killed his first opponent in combat and went on to become a ronin (master samurai). His most famous duel was on an island against his arch-enemy, Sasaki Kojiro. While being rowed to the island where the duel would take place, he carved a wooden sword from a spare oar and used the sword to beat Kojiro in a battle to the death.
Following that fight, and knowing he’d beaten the one person who could rival him in swordsmanship, he retired from dueling and began teaching others…
