The Book of Five Rings: The Classic Treatise on Military Strategy

Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645) was a Japanese swordsman famed for his distinctive style and excellent swordsmanship even from a very young age. Musashi, as he was often simply known, went on to author The Book of Five Rings (Go Rin No Sho), a book that is considered a classic treatise on military strategy, tactics, and philosophy, much like Sun Tzu’s The Art of War and Chanakya’s Arthashastra. The five books refer to the idea that there are different elements of battle, just as there are different physical elements in life, as described by Buddhism, Shinto, and other Eastern religions.