William Scott WilsonCritiques

2019-05-11: Meh. It's still the Tao Te Ching but it's a very leftist translation. Instead of just taking the wonder of the Tao Te Ching they shoved it through the filter of their dogma to get a version that supported their world view.

If you have a dogma you're not a liberal, you're a conservative.

PS. Having pictures doesn't make it a graphic novel. Novels have narrative, a story. The Tao Te Ching could be retold as a story but that would likely obscure the message. Regardless this did NOT have a narrative and is not a novel, it's the Tao Te Ching with pictures and leftist dogma.

PPS. I may be overly harsh above regarding dogma but that's how I remember it. I'll try to take another look.


2023-12-02: I didn't remember it and checked it out again, we'll see how that goes.

2023-12-06: I'm basically reading it as I pass through the kitchen. I'm at #4 (5?). #1 was way off. #2 or 3 compared Mao (a murdering ass clown) to the Master. Yeah, I'm not sure they read the same Tao Te Ching I did.

2023-12-29: It went back last weekend. I did a quick flip through and I don't think anyone involved has read the Tao Te Ching with any understanding.

Love this little collection of dark and weird tales! Not all of them have that horror flair to it but a huge majority do. Many of these stories have morals or lessons, sort of reminding me of a more gothic Aesops tales. There are multiple different sections in this book, too many I'd rather not type but amongst them are: Ghosts, Demons & Wolves, Man-eating demons & Yamanba, Strong Samurai, Unfortunate People and more! I haven't read every single tale (yet) but I have read plenty so far and they read similar to a bedtime story. I gave it 4.5 stars only since I think there maybe some minor translation issues since I tried to google some of the locations mentioned in the book, only for them to either not exist or not be the exact name. Otherwise, great book to read on and off again, especially if you're in need of a quick read.

If you are a fan of Okami the video game, several of these tales featured in the book such as Ushiwakamaru & Benkei and Defeat of the Ogre at Hime Shrine should ring as very familiar to you! I was delighted to read them and make the connection!½

Contents

1 Make Life Replete, Constantly Thinking of Death
2 Do NOt Forget Preparedness for Battle
3 Learning Is Also Important for the Warrior in Times of Peace
4 Be Devoted, Even to Negligent Parents
5 A Sense of Shame Will Uphold Justice
6 In the MInd, the Way; Will Uphold Justice
6 In the Mind, the Way; in Form, the Law
7 Choosing a Horse
8 Gossip and Back-talk Are INexcusable
9 Do Not Place a Foot in the Direction of teh Master
10 When Thinking of the Battlefiedl, One Cannot Ber Indolent
11 Do Not Be Spooiled by Length of Service
12 The Law of Borrowing the Lord's Authority
13 Ability and Diligence
14 Exceed Others in Some Way
15 The Moment of Death Is Important for a Warrior
16 Scholarship and REfinement, Too, Can Occasionally Be of Great Harm
17 Do Not Mix Personal Feeings with Duties
18 Old Hands and Drity White Garments
19 Distinctions in Family Relations
20 Forbidden Slander of a Former Lord
21 Rules for a Guardian
22 The Spirit of "Even Though a Warrior Doesn't Eat"
23 Frugality, Too, Is for the Sake of Service
24 A Splendid Entrance, but Plain Living Quarters
25 Companions in Play Are Unnecessary
26 It Is Shameful Not to Know Clan History
27 Braggarts, Not Slanderers
28 Both Contradiction and Flattery Are Failure of Duty
29 Discerning a Brave Man from a Coward
30 There Is Nothing So High-priced as a Warrior
31 Do Not Forget Sensitivity Tokward the Discomfort of Others
32 The Warrior Who Strikes His Wife Is a Coward
33 Complete One's Duties Within the Day: One Second Ahead Is Uncertain
34 The Warrior's Duty Is to Protect the Farmer, Craftsman, and Merchant
35 Cherish the Family Crest of oNe's Lord
36 Keep a Respectful Distance from the Admnsitration of Financial Affairs
37 Undertaking Promises Easily Will Bring One to Ruin
38 Do Not Forget the Subordinate's Mind
39 A Man of Low Rank Should NOt Have a Wife and Child
40 Always Aspire to Distinction and Merit
41 Loyalty Includes Longevity
42 The Crime of Stealing a Stipend Is Grave
43 Even If One's Stipend Is Diminished He Should Make No Complaint
44 Accept Difficult Orders Positively
45 Do Not Oppoose Even the Unreasonable Words of One's Lord
46 The Principle of Horsemanship
47 When on an Official Journey, Safety Is First
48 When Accompanying One's Lord
49 The Everyday Care of Armor
50 Consideration for the Equipment of One's Servants
51 Be Thorough in the Disciplined Practice of the Martial Arts
52 Encountering a Commotion when Accompanying One's Lord
53 Being Present when One's Lord Cuts Down an Attendant
54 It Is Disloyal to Complain about Labor Lost
55 The Responsibility of Counseling Strategy Is Grave
56 Great Loyalty that Surpasses Junshi

Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645) was an iconoclastic Samurai Warrior Mystic whose martial exploits have acquired him enduring fame and immortality. Undefeated in over 65 singular combat bouts; veteran of two epic military battles and having annihilated several schools and traditions of martial arts, Musashi's legacy is captured in his sui generis paintings and the profound text: The Book of Five Rings.

Scott Wilson sifts fact from fiction to provide a comprehensive but also an equally realistic perspective of who Musashi was and how his world shaped him in this prescient biography. Relying primarily on fieldwork, avoiding hagiography, while pursuing contemporary sources Wilson weaves a very alluring but also realistic portrait of this much enigmatic armed mystic.

What is significant about The Lone Samurai is that Wilson also dedicates an entire section to understanding Musashi through his own works; the works of contemporaries who he influenced and what his own words reveal about him.

This is a highly sacred read. A tribute to a man whose immortality was assured well in his own life. A must read for all would-be leaders, strategists and men of destiny today.

By age thirteen, Miyamoto Musashi had killed his opponent in what would become the first of many celebrated swordfights. By thirty, he had fought more than sixty matches, losing none. He would live another thirty years but kill no one else. He continued to engage in swordfights but now began to show his skill simply by thwarting his opponents' every attack until they acknowledged Musashi's all-encompassing ability. At the same time, the master swordsman began to expand his horizons, exploring Zen Buddhism and its related arts, particularly ink painting, in a search for a truer Way.

Musashi was a legend in his own time. As a swordsman, he preferred the wooden sword and in later years almost never fought with a real weapon. He outfoxed his opponents or turned their own strength against them. At the height ofhis powers, he began to evolve artistically and spirituallly, becoming one of the country's most highly regarded ink painters and calligraphers, while deepening his practice of Zen Buddhism. He funneled his hard-earned insights about the warrior arts into his spiritual goals. Ever the solitary wanderer, Musashi shunned power, riches,and the comforts of a home or fixed position with a feudal lord in favor of a constant search for truth, perfection, and a better Way. Eventually, he came to the realization that perfecton in one art, whether peaceful or robust, could offer entry to a deeper, spiritual understanding. His philosophy, along with his warrior strategies, is distilled in his renowned work, The Book of Five Rings, written near the end of his life.

Working from original Japanese source materials, author William Scott Wilson paints an unforgettable protrait. Wilson, of course, is also the translator who brought the English-speaking world the authoritative versions of Hagakure, Musashi's Book of Five Rings, and other classics of martial arts philosophy.

Musashi remains a source of fascination for the Japanese, as well as for those in the West who have more recently discovered the ideals of the samurai and Zen Buddhism. The Lone Samurai is the first biography ever to appear in English of this richly layered, complex seventeenth-century swordsman and seeker, whose legacy has lived on far beyond his own time and place.

William Scott Wilson was born in 1944 and grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. As an undergraduate student at Dartmouth College in 1966, he was invited by a friend to join a three-month kayak trip up the coast of Japan from Shimonoseki to Tokyo. This eye-opening journey, beautifully documented in National Geographic Magazine, spurred Wilson's fascination with the culture and history of Japan.

After receiving a B.A. degree in political science from Dartmouth, Wilson earned a second B.A. in Japanese language and literature from the Monterey Institute of Foreign Studies, then undertook extensive research on Edo-period (1603-1868) philosophy at the Aichi Prefectural University in Nagoya, Japan.

Wilson completed his first translation, Hagakure, while living in an old farmhouse deep in the Japanese countryside. Hagakure saw publication in 1979, the same year Wilson completed an M.A. in Japanese language and literature at the University of Washington. Wilson's other translations include The Book of Five Rings, The Life-Giving Sword, The Unfettered Mind, the Eiji Yoshikawa novel Taiko, and Ideals of the Samurai, which has been used as a college textbook on Japanese history and thought. Two decades after its initial publication in English, Hagakure was prominently featured in the Jim Jarmusch film Ghost Dog. Traveling frequently to Japan for research and pleasure, Wlilson currently lives in Miami, Florida.

The Lone Samurai is a landmark biography of Miyamoto Musashi, the legendary Japanese figure known throughout the world as a master swordsman, spiritual seeker, and author of the Book of Five Rings. A stunning protarit of a courageous and singularly determined man emerges in these pages, the first biography of Musashi to appear in English. With a compassionate yet critical eye, William Scott Wilson delves into the workings of Musashi's mind as the iconoclastic samurai wrestled with philosphical and spiritual ideas that are as relevant today as they were in his times. The Lone Samurai is far more than a vivid account of a fasinating period in feudal Japan. It is the story of one man's quest for the right path in life, and the reward it eventually led to.

Contents

Preface
Maps
Prologue
Chapter One The way of the sword: Banshu to Ganryu Island
First strike
Origins
Finding his strength
Kyoto and matches with the masters
Sharpeneing his tools
Demon of the Western Provinces
Chapter Two The way of the sword and the way of the brush: Osaka Castle to Kokura
The fire of battle
Arts of peace, arts of war
The Kyoto renaissance
Family name
A real live human being
On to Kokura
Kumoi
Shimabara
Chapter Three The way of the brush: Kumamoto
Connections
The way of the warrior
A place in the seating order
Last bouts
The thirty-five articles
An end and a beginning
The brush and the mind
Painting with the mind of the sword
The paintings
Calligraphy
Fudo Myo-o
Chapter Four The way of life and death: Reigan Cave
Old age
The five-storied pagoda
The concept of the five rings in esoteric Buddhism
Basic principles
The way of the martial arts is to win
Discipline
Real knowledge
Everldya mind
Fluidity
Psychology
Final days
Musashi's character
Afterword
Appendix I- LIfe after death
Appendix 2-Influences on and parallels to The Book of Five Rings
Appendix 3-A Mkusashi Filmgraphy
Notes
Glossary-Terms; Historical figures; Clans; Events; Fighting styles; Writings; Others
Bibliography

Introduction by William Scott Wilson

William Scott Wilson was born in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1944, and grew up in Florida. He is fluent in modern Japanese and has reading knowledge of both classical Japanese and Chinese. He currently holds a master's degree in Japanese language and literatiure from the University of Washington.

Wilson's interst in Japanese culture was sparked on a kayaking expedition along the Japanese coast during 1966 as part of an assignment for National Geographic. He returned a year later to live briefly in Japan, but became convinced that a thorough understanding of its people and culture could only be realized by mastering the language. He went to the Monterey Institute of Foreign Studies in California, discovering the inseparable aspect of Japan's warrior tradition within its cultural personality. Wllson also studied a Chinese style of kung fu.

Wilson returned to Japan for some intensive reasearch at Aichi Prefectural University in Nagoya from 1975-77, translating the works of Yamamoto Tsunetomo, which he eventually published as Hagakure: book of the Samurai (Kodansha International Ltd., 1979). The work is a revealing discussion of the samurai way of life and represents one of the most radical aspects of Japanese thought.

Since August, 1980, Wilson has served as a consular specialist for the consulate General of Japan in Seattle, heading the Trade Seciton and advising the Consul on political and economic matters between the US and Japan. Wilson is also at work on a translation of The Budoshoshinshu, a classic work on Japanese warrior philosophy by Daidoji Yuzan, written in the early 18th century.

Wilson currently lives in Florida with his wife and two children.

contents

Introduction
The Message of Master Gokurakuji-Hojo Shigetoki (1198-1261 AD)
The Chikubasho-Shiba Yoshimasa (1350-1410 AD)
The Regulations of Imagawa Ryoshun-Imagawa Sadayo (1325-1420 AD)
The Seventeen Articles of Asakura Toshikage-Asakura Toshikage (1432-1519 AD)
The Twenty-one Precepts of Hojo Soun-Hojjo Nagauji (1432-1519 AD)
The Recorded Words of Asakura Soteki-Asakura Norikage (1474-1555 AD)
The Iwamizudera Monogatari-Takeda Shingen (1521-1573 AD)
Opinions in Ninety-Nine Articles-Takeda Nobushige (1538-1618 AD)
Lord Nabeshma's Wall Inscriptions-Nabeshima Naoshige (1538-1618 AD)
The Last Statement of Torii Mototada-Torii Mototada (1539-1600 AD)
The Precepts of Kato Kiyomasa-Kato Kiyomasa (1562-1611 AD)
Notes on Regulations-Kuroda Nagamasa (1568-1623 AD)
Bibliography

(I actually listened to the audiobook version, read by Brian Nishii - he is so good! His Japanese and Chinese pronunciations are perfect, and his English is melodious).

This is a wonderful book. Unlike many a Japan travel memoir written in English this is not couched as some kind of 'discovering myself in the mysterious and quirky land of Japan'. Rather it is written by someone who has visited Japan, and specifically this part of Japan, many times over the years. While peppered with quotations and the occasional deep thoughts about walking, travel and self, it is actually a mildly humorous, very entertaining travelogue of a walk through part of Japan that has deliberately retained many traditional features surrounded by natural beauty. We follow Wilson as he makes new friends and connects with old ones while walking most of the Kiso Road (occasionally blisters got the best of him). Whether you love Japan, or just like to share interesting travel stories, this is a book worth spending time with.

I won my copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway.

My sister studied Japanese in college, so I thought this book might be interesting and a good gift for her when I finished reading it. I think she'll enjoy it. This is a travel journal type of book, describing a walk along a very old road in Japan, sort of the equivalent of the Hadrian's Wall walk I've read books about in the past. I may never go to Japan, but I still enjoyed the imagery of this account. I think I would get more out of it if I was a tourist in Japan visiting the same places. The chapters provide walking times and distances for each leg and some idea of where one might stay at each stop. It sounds as if many of the traditional stops along this route are losing their last inns and may not be hospitable for hikers looking for lodgings, and the author did not provide any camping information. In fact I wondered at the author's camping skills, since he was so unprepared for treating his feet for blisters and he never camped during this adventure. Still, the route in this book seems like a great way to experience some of traditional Japan.

Excellent adaptation of a timeless classic, to which I'll be returning before long, I hope. I hope to update this "review" with more thoughts after I've sat on this for a bit.

“It is difficult to imagine another character from either history or literature who has captured the imagination of a people. Miyamoto Musashi did not change the politics or shape events in Japanese history. Nor did he write a work that would affect a genre of literature or poems that would become classics. Yet there is something at the heart of his story that has commanded the attention of the Japanese people and others who have heard it. The story as told in any one iteration – any play, movie, novel or comic book is never definitive enough. The story of Musashi, even in its paucity of facts, is much too large to fit once and for all in any single package.”

At the age of thirteen Miyamoto Musashi won his first duel, by the age of thirty he had fought around sixty more, and had lost none, most ending in the death or serious injury of his opponent. After the age of thirty although he still fought - he chose to no longer kill or harm his opponents, he merely blocked, thwarted and demonstrated the weaknesses in their style of swordplay, until they gave up and understood that he was the better swordsman. This alone would be enough to create a legend of his life if it were all and yet, as the quote above states, there’s much, much more. Musashi was not only one of the greatest swordsman of his time, he was also a poet, an extraordinarily skilled painter, sculptor, metallurgist, garden designer and philosopher and in a time when a career as a Samurai* meant being indentured to a master, Musashi followed his own path, committing his life to the way of the warrior.

Musashi was active during a period called the Kyoto Renaissance (1550 – 1650) after suffering a disastrous 150 years of internal conflict, with ancient temples, artwork and libraries lost for all time. Japan was brought back to unification and with it a path to peace and following that peace came economic prosperity and a renewed blossoming of the arts in almost every arena. This flourishing reached across all facets of Japanese culture, raising to greater heights everything from castle architecture and classical poetry through to the martial arts, with new schools hanging up their shingles all over Japan; this was also the period when the Tea Ceremony reached its zenith. All of this fed into the mind of Miyamoto and was to resurface years later in his book 五輪書 Go Rin no Sho (The Book of Five Rings), this was written as five chapters and represented his views, the chapters were:

The Book of Earth chapter serves as an introduction, and metaphorically discusses martial arts, leadership, and training as building a house.

The Book of Water chapter describes Musashi's style, Ni-ten ichi-ryu, or "Two Heavens, One Style". It describes some basic technique and fundamental principles.

The Book of Fire chapter refers to the heat of battle, and discusses matters such as different types of timing.

The Book of Wind chapter is something of a pun, since the Japanese character can mean both "wind" and "style" (e.g., of martial arts). It discusses what Musashi considers to be the failings of various contemporary schools of swordfighting.

The Book of the Void chapter is a short epilogue, describing, in more esoteric terms, Musashi's probably Zen-influenced thoughts on consciousness and the correct mind-set.

It says in the opening quote that he never influenced politics or shaped events in Japanese history nor did he write a work that would affect a genre of literature or poems that would become classics. To that statement I would add one word – directly. Indirectly his influence can be seen through in an infinite number of ways, through writers as diverse as Yukio Mishima, Takehiko Inoue, Sean Michael Wilson and Junichiro Tanizaki. Through the films about or related to samurai, he has even had a song written about him by Bruce Dickinson of the British metal band Iron Maiden (Sun & Steel). All this shows that this 17th century fighter & artist still holds an interest and a relevance for us today.

The Majority of the information and all of the inspiration for this post came from William Scott Wilson’s book The Lone Samurai: The Life of of Miyamoto Musashi. This book is considered to be the authoritative and most reliable text on Musashi, since most of the previously known information is drawn on legends, half truths or fictional accounts.

William Scott Wilson became involved in the life and work of Miyamoto Musashi, when asked to do a translation of The Book of Five Rings, this was to be a bilingual edition and after its completion he was asked to write a short volume on the authors life. In the end this took an awful lot longer and a great deal more research than was first expected, because although stories about this fighter’s life are legion, and range from the Kokura Hibun, a monument inscribed with the story of Musashi’s life, through the Nitenki, a compilation of stories (1755) and numerous records scattered through many clan archives plus the many fictional accounts, sorting through this store of data wasn't a straight forward procedure. In the process of wading through the discrepancies in time and place and sifting between the various versions due to personal alliances etc., this book took shape. Making the Lone Samurai, not only William Scott Wilson’s personal quest, but our best resource to who Miyamoto Musashi; Swordsman, philosopher, Artist was.

“The Cherry blossoms, symbol of the warrior in Japan, had already fallen, and the new light green leaves were everywhere” he died on the 19th of May 1645. He was sixty two years old and was buried in accordance with his wishes, dressed in armour and helmet, provided with six martial accoutrements and placed in the coffin. He was buried in Handa-gun, 5-cho, Tenaga Yuge Village, with the Abbot Shunzan of the Taishoji Temple as officiating priest. When the abbot had finished his address to the departing spirit, a single crack of thunder rang from the clear sky. You can find Miyamoto Musashi’s grave marker still there today.

http://parrishlantern.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/the-path-of-true-warrior-lone-samur...

I read this book many years ago, I got it in my early undergraduate years when I was into martial arts and sword fighting. Eastern philisophy has always fascinated me and this book gives some insight into that culture. The book is filled with essays from famous samurai through history. While this might seem strange to the student of Western military history (who has read something from famous knights?), one needs to remember that in this culture they really believed in something like being a Rennasiance man and literacy was expected.

In any case, the stories are great. They give you insight into the Code of Bushido and the Way of the Warrior which helps you appriciate books like A Book of Five Rings better. This may be hard to find, but it is a fast and easy read.

Read 2016.½