"The Book of Five Wheels" by Musashi Miyamoto

Introduction to the Readers

I had the honour and good fortune to receive a beautiful book translated into English as a Christmas present. Honour, because this book is a translation of an ancient book, and because the person who gave it to me means a great deal to me. The book in question is "The Book of Five Rings" by Musashi Miyamoto (1). I'm not going to launch into a biography of the author here; there are plenty of those (2). Instead, I'm going to offer a very personal critique. Before going any further, please note that I was born and raised in Singapore, and that I am biologically 2/5 Caucasian, 2/5 Chinese, and 1/5 Malay. This is important to understand and to know for what follows. Outside of Asian populations, the vast majority of people, especially of the male variety, place ancient Japanese culture at the pinnacle of civilisational ideals, and admire everything that comes from Japan. This is due, in large part, to Japan's exported culture (3), then to the publicity from American soldiers who are still stationed there (4), then to big Hollywood titles – in other words, the cultural dominance of Japan is beyond dispute (5). But the "sexy" side of Japan is not perceived as such beyond this vast bubble of fans. In Asia, mainly, but especially in China, Korea, and the former colonies of British Malaya, Japan is primarily known for having committed numerous atrocities during the occupation by its soldiers in the Second World War, and these war crimes, not having been punished to their proper extent, since the Allies were already in Cold War mode and it was absolutely necessary to protect Japan from the communist poison, remain a deep injustice. A deep injustice when one knows the full extent of the violence and crimes of the Japanese troops (6). Added to this is a most despicable stance from Japan and some Japanese people, regarding their blindness in recognising their responsibilities at the time (7). All this to say that in my mother's family, Japan is not the most highly-rated country in their hearts.That being said, I am not one of those who harbour a great deal of resentment against an enemy they have not known, and in a time equally unimaginable to them. I have no deep resentment against Japan, and no resentment against the current Japanese people, who are completely innocent of past crimes. However, I have never been interested in Japanese culture, apart from one or two manga comics of my brothers or father (vaguely skimmed, by the way) and one or two Netflix series (very good, by the way). Those who find Japanese culture vast and great often forget, or perhaps don't know, that it borrowed enormously from China, and that the imprint of the latter is deeply inscribed in the cultural DNA of Japan in many areas, and that it has long been a tributary of China (8).

To cut a long story short, the two civilisational vectors of the different societies found in the Far East are India and China.Finally, as for Japan, my experience, although small, can still be summed up by facts anchored in my daily family life: my mother worked for a long time with Japanese people in the banking sector and often went there on business trips, my fathers' bosses are Japanese, my mother speaks fluent Japanese and we have already been on a trip to Japan, although I was only four years old at the time (9). This is apart from a few past readings, on various subjects dealing with Japan.

The Flourishing of a Warrior Culture: A Militarised Society.

During the Shogunate period, Japan was a military theocracy, similar to the Roman Empire, but much less centralised and much more stable, it must be admitted. Japanese feudal society, structured around the figure of the samurai warrior, reached its peak between the 12th and 19th centuries. Here is a summary of its main characteristics and its hierarchical social structure:

• Emperor: A symbolic figure, his power was limited.
• Shogun: Military leader, the true ruler of the country.
• Daimyo: Feudal lords, owners of large domains and at the head of their own samurai armies.
• Samurai: Elite warriors, devoted to their daimyo and respectful of the Bushido code of honour. Several social ranks and castes.
• Peasants, artisans and merchants: Lower classes, but essential to the economy.
• Burakumin: A true untouchable class.

The warrior's code of honour is at the centre of interactions between lords and especially samurai. This is Bushido, which imposes a life based on absolute loyalty to one's daimyo, demands courage in all situations, cultivates honour, imposes self-control as well as control of emotions and a form of stoicism in the face of suffering. Ah yes! I forgot. The famous spirit of sacrifice.In this martial society, there is a deep sense of beauty. Warriors are not just bloodthirsty brutes, but also lovers of arts and culture. They practice the Japanese tea ceremony (14), impose a refinement on themselves in civil society, love and practice poetry and calligraphy (15), attend Noh theatre (16) and sometimes "cultivate" a Zen garden, which is primarily a place of meditation and contemplation.

Abridged Summary of the Work.

"The Book of Five Rings" (五輪書), or rather the "Go Rin No Sho", is not a novel, but rather a story. The story of a life, written throughout a lifetime. The life of a warrior. Not a biography, but rather a kind of treatise on the art of fencing and strategy. Miyamoto Musashi is said to have written it around 1645. The book is divided into five chapters, each representing an element of Buddhist cosmology, which is central here for those who know nothing about Buddhism, the number five is central because it represents the five elements: earth, water, fire, air and space. So the whole. Here are the five chapters:

• The Book of Earth (地の巻): It serves as an introduction and lays the foundations of Musashi's strategy, which deals with concepts such as the Way, the spirit and the importance of knowing one's own level and that of one's opponent. He uses metaphors related to construction to explain the fundamental principles of his strategy.
• The Book of Water (水の巻): It describes Musashi's school of martial thought, the Niten Ichi-ryū (二天一流) and the famous two-sword combat techniques that he is said to have developed. It emphasises the importance of adaptation, fluidity and the ability to anticipate the movements of the opponent. Like water. For those who have never practiced martial arts, fluidity is the basis of all the rules of engagement. A bit like water, actually.
• The Book of Fire (火の巻): Which deals with strategy in a broader context, particularly on the battlefield. Musashi talks about the importance of speed, initiative and the ability to seize opportunities.
• The Book of Wind (風の巻): This chapter analyses the different fencing schools of the time, their strengths and weaknesses. Musashi criticises certain approaches and highlights his own method.
• The Book of Void (空の巻): The best chapter in my opinion, the most philosophical too, which explores the nature of the void and its importance in strategy. For Musashi, the void does not mean the absence of something, but rather a state of mind that is open and free from any hindrance. It allows one to better perceive reality and make informed decisions.

Critical Explanation of the Book.

Now for my critique. It doesn't come solely from the facts listed in my introduction, or rather mainly from my last sentence. Western social sciences reflect on the perception of the oriental world through their cultural prisms, thus the way in which oriental culture is appropriated, interpreted, understood and judged from the point of view of western rationality, in what they call orientalism. I personally love Max Weber's model of comprehensive sociology and his contribution to the analysis of religious phenomena (Buddhism and Shintoism) (10) and that of the psychosocial theory of the German sociologist Erich Fromm, who perceives the authoritarian nature of the state and social institutions (such as religion) as having an impact on the formation of people's personalities. To judge oriental societies, the religious spectrum must be included. This is paramount and reading a book by an Asian author without knowing its deep nature does not advance the attempt at understanding, especially for the non-Asian for whom our societies are enigmatic and indecipherable. Finally, I immersed myself in a book by an eminent specialist of medieval Japan and critic of the aura built around the mythical hero (12). This myth around this warrior reminds me of an ancient hero of the English workers' struggle of the 18th century: Ned Ludd (13). Between Ludd and us, barely two and a half centuries and we have a lot of trouble unravelling the truth from the falsehood, or even proving his existence, yet in a time and in a country, enormously more educated and modern than the Japan of Miyamoto Musashi. Far be it from me to write that it is only a fable, because elements of proof exist, even if a large number of them are late. But you will never make me believe that a single man killed so many opponents (because that is what it is about), so many men, with a wooden sword. Or else, you have to believe in the flat earth or stop reading Naruto.

Conclusion.

The work is not only a book from warrior to warrior. It is deeper than that. It gives a large place to self-knowledge, to adaptation, speed of execution, mastery of emotions and the importance of a very acute form of personal development, which drives to the goal of achieving absolute self-mastery. Whether it was written by the mythical author or a simple invention to build a national foundation matters little here too. It was indeed written by a warrior or warriors. The number of victims there too must take us out of the purely Western humanist framework, because it is about rules of feudal duel from another era, whether true or not, the important thing is that this work is deeply complex and rich in teachings. Its attentive reading and reflection are necessary to understand all the subtleties and apply the principles in one's own life if this is possible.In summary, its reading was pleasant, I had the feeling of listening to a master, but it will not be my bedside book.

EmbunDH.

Notes.

1: https://dcp.co.jp/meikaits/2020/09/11/%E4%BA%94%E8%BC%AA%E6%9B%B8/

2: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Miyamoto-Musashi-Japanese-soldier-artist

3: https://www.wipo.int/en/web/wipo-magazine/articles/the-manga-phenomenon-37847

4: https://www.army.mil/article/92649/america_japan_exchange_culture_through_writing

5: https://alc-atlantis.com/the-impact-of-japanese-pop-culture-on-the-global-stage/

6: https://6611a6877e7c2.site123.me/blog/singapore-and-the-second-world-war

7: https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/how-shinzo-abe-sought-to-rewrite-japanese-history

8: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_China%E2%80%93Japan_relations

9: primary knowledge, that is, but much more developed than tourists who stay there for 2 weeks or those who only know Japan through Naruto. This is a personal note from the author about their familiarity with Japan, suggesting they have a deeper understanding than casual observers.

10: https://revisesociology.com/2017/01/26/max-webers-social-action-theory/

11: https://www.simplypsychology.org/erich-fromm.html

12: Miyamoto Musashi: A Life in Arms: A Biography of Japan's Greatest Swordsman, 2014, William de Lange: 

13: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-the-luddites-really-fought-against-264412/

14: by dint of seeing books and films about Japan, people beyond Asia think that only Japan possesses this form of ceremony, which is obviously false.

15:Forms of artistic expression prized by the samurai.

Traditional theatrical genre, mixing song, dance, and music.