Reddit reviews Musashi: An Epic Novel of the Samurai Era
We found 21 Reddit comments about Musashi: An Epic Novel of the Samurai Era. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Used Book in Good Condition
Have you ever read Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa? If not and you like big, long books, I'd highly recommend getting yourself a copy. It's the greatest book I've ever had the pleasure of reading in my 35 years, and I've read a shitload of books in my 35 years.
Here's my best thoughts:
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Lucas said he read the book Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell. This isn't referencing any one myth, it is referencing loads and loads of them. Campbell's conclusion is to build upon the work of Max Muller and Otto Rank's ideas that there are common patterns in myths and fairy tales. Also it is worth noting that Campbell wouldn't have read Propp's Morphology of the Folktale because it wasn't translated into English until the mid-1950s, even though there are a lot of similarities here. Also worth noting Propp's work is exclusively referencing only Russian folktales.
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You might notice, there are striking similarities between the three Star Wars and the Lord of the Rings trilogy: Obi-wan dies at the same time as Gandalf falls, the stages of the Monomyth (aka Hero's Journey) are very similar: Call to Adventure, Threshold Crossings, etc. This sort of makes sense as LoTR was cool when Lucas was a teenager.
Now Tolkien's Lord of the Rings was very heavily influenced by Wagner's Ring Cycle which would have been cool when Tolkien was a teen, therefore having at least unconscious influence, though I'm fairly confident Tolkien was highly aware of Wagner's Ring Cycle and its roots in the Nibelung Saga.
When you get into the Nibelung Saga, there's a story about a cursed ring, a hero whose father was an amazing warrior, the need to re-forge his father's sword, etc. There's lots of other pieces that weren't there, but there's definitely a lot there which is very similar.
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This leads us to the other European idea: Arthurian folklore. The very idea of a Jedi Knight comes from the Knights of the Roundtable. From here, you have the combination of warrior with the idea of a monk or sacred influence (Parsifal becomes a monk in one story, as does Lancelot.) These are the noble warriors who are fighting for a sacred ideal. Of course in these stories, warriors don't have magical powers, but Merlin is running around so you can see Star Wars as a combination of these.
Further, in the Knights of the Roundtable stories, there are lots of evil / dark knights and dark wizards so you have to include those too.
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At the time Lucas was young was the "discovery" of easter martial arts by the west. So, to include some of that would be cool. Also, Lucas loved the early samurai films of Akira Kurosawa. Campbell's argument is these ideas exist everywhere so are good to move together. If you include the ideas of archetypes, knights become very similar to samurai because they are both sacred warriors. So now we can add a moment of this. If you read the book Musashi (a novelization as now Musashi has become a legendary figure in Japan) there are striking similarities between this and the story of Parzival by Wolfram von Eschenbach. Both come from no-where, raised in the wild, but have a talent which is theorized to be some sort of amazing lineage.
Throw in a little green guy whose name Yoda is based from Yuddha, the sanskrit word for 'war / warrior' and who talks very similarly to a taoist or zen monk's paradoxical statements (koans) and you get that character.
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So basically, to finish: I don't think Lucas did a lot of mythological research apart from reading Campbell. So to argue it is based on a lot of folklore specifically is tricky. There are even articles which say that Lucas' ex-wife Marcia came up with some of these ideas and no one has asked her what she was reading.
Was really fun when that second sword come out. And in the hands of Hiroyuki Sanada, no less.
For those who aren't familiar, Eiki Yoshikawa's historical novelization is the definitive/default work for cultural reference (not historical accuracy). It's this story that was used to create Hiroshi Inagaki's famous late-50s films known as the "Samurai trilogy", which starred no less than Toshiro Mifune as Musashi (!) and are often cited by Quentin Tarantino as an influence. This is the story that brought the legend to modern fans in the West and drew its attention to the Book of Five Rings.
The English translation by Charles Terry (titled Musashi: An Epic Novel of the Samurai Era) is available at most major bookstores including Amazon.
One of my favorite books ever was aMusashi (Amazon book link), a fictionalized retelling of his life.
They made it into a fairly lengthly TV Drama about a decade ago that I very highly recommend. Also, the manga 'Vagabond' is based on this book.
https://smile.amazon.com/Musashi-Epic-Novel-Samurai-Era/dp/156836427X/
Musashi! Its a Japanese epic about the samurai era. One of the more well known books in Japan. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/156836427X/ref=ya_aw_oh_pit
Musashi.
https://www.amazon.com/Musashi-Epic-Novel-Samurai-Era/dp/156836427X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482689807&sr=8-1&keywords=musashi
These aren't free but definitely worth the read.
Musashi - Eiji Yoshikawa
The Book of Five Rings - Miyamoto Musashi
You may like "Musashi".
Amazon Link
Just one novel. I have the single volume edition, but I've seen a 5 volume set around before. The single volume is a hefty beast though.
https://www.amazon.com/Musashi-Epic-Novel-Samurai-Era/dp/156836427X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1541269148&sr=8-1&keywords=musashi
Is this the same book?
https://archive.org/details/MusashiEijiYoshikawa
Musashi: An Epic Novel of the Samurai Era
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/156836427X/ref=pd_aw_sim_sbs_74_3?ie=UTF8&dpID=51HImP4tNRL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL100_SR100%2C100_&refRID=17E5J6YAN59D0PH3M1YA
A Boy Called H A story of a kid growing up during WW2
Shank's Mare also know as Tōkaidōchū Hizakurige. The best way the book was described to me was Beavis and Butthead in medieval Japan. It's about two travelers walking around and getting into trouble.
Musashi: An Epic Novel of the Samurai Era - the story of Miyoto Musashi, one of the most well known sword saints in Japan.
Shipwrecks A story of a village set in the Edo era, interesting premise but disappointing ending.
If you like the book Shogun, James Clavell wrote another one based during the Meji Restoration titled Gai-Jin
feudal Japan is a fascinating topic. I recommend Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa,as a fun intro to an amazing time and place.
/u/Toptomcat nailed it. Wholeheartedly agree in reference to Bubishi, not very practical but interesting nonetheless. I loved Draeger's CAFA and Unante is comprehensive thesis on the historical origins and lineages of the Okinawan fighting arts. These titles might not be for everyone but I am a history buff in addition to a martial artist so I enjoyed them.
Couple of others:
A few off-topic but related titles:
This:
https://www.amazon.com/Musashi-Epic-Novel-Samurai-Era/dp/156836427X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487355717&sr=8-1&keywords=Musashi
What does it read like ... historical, fantasy? Do you know of any western novels or simply genres that compare?
here's a link to Musashi
Musashi: An Epic Novel of the Samurai Era https://www.amazon.ca/dp/156836427X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_K9YyzbPJGTKSP
I read this book when I was 15-ish
https://www.amazon.com/Musashi-Epic-Novel-Samurai-Era/dp/156836427X/ref=asc_df_156836427X/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312009759033&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14384639465927352324&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9028805&hvtargid=pla-432396557900&psc=1
When I needed my first internet username I picked that and I’ve used it for 20+ years now.
Perhaps you've already gotten him a book by now, but here are my recommendations for him and anyone else who reads this thread. I'm a martial arts researcher and a former martial arts teacher. I even wrote my Master's Thesis on martial arts. I've read literally hundreds of books on the subject. There are a lot of terrible books out there on the martial arts but you can't go wrong with any of these.
If he studies Shotokan, the best place to start is with the guy who invented it.
Karate-Do: My Way of Life is written by the founding master of Shotokan, Gichin Funakoshi.
http://www.amazon.com/Karate-Do-Way-Life-Gichin-Funakoshi/dp/1568364989/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411959258&sr=1-10&keywords=shotokan
My number one recommendation is When Buddhists Attack by Jeffery Mann - This is an very well researched book on the history of the relationship between Zen and the Martial arts. It is a fantastic book that will help him deepen his understanding of martial arts instead of intentionally mystifying it more to try to sell more books like most martial arts books do.
http://www.amazon.com/When-Buddhists-Attack-Curious-Relationship/dp/4805312300/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411958781&sr=1-1&keywords=when+buddhists+attack
If he's more into stories, I'd recommend Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa. It's a novelization of one of the most famous samurai to ever live. It's an exaggeration of his life but very entertaining.
http://www.amazon.com/Musashi-Epic-Novel-Samurai-Era/dp/156836427X
If he'd rather learn about the real person I'd recommend The Lone Samurai by William Scott Wilson. Wilson is a famous translator and historian, his work is very well researched and enjoyable to read.
http://www.amazon.com/Lone-Samurai-Life-Miyamoto-Musashi/dp/1590309871/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411958941&sr=1-1&keywords=the+lone+samurai
I'll end with a list of books NOT to buy. These are books are really popular but are full of misinformation, outright fabrications, or worse.
Joe Hyams - Zen in the Martial arts
Eugen Herrigel - Zen in the Art of Archery
Inazo - Nitobe - Bushido
Hope this helps! If not, you have gift ideas for next year!
Musashi
I didn't tag book of five rings because this book is about Miyamoto Musashi and not just his philosophy which seems to be what you're looking for. I would read this first then you'll likely want to read the rest. I read this book 10 years ago and it changed my life. It jolted me into action and still affects how I am today.
Mushashi by Eiji Yoshikawa