The Book of Five Rings

Key Concepts

It’s possible to tell yourself that you’re following the Way, even when you are not

“To all Ways there are side-tracks. If you study a Way daily, and your spirit diverges, you may think you are obeying a good Way but objectively it is not the true Way. If you are following the true way and diverge a little, this will later become a large divergence.” (p. 9)

Use all of the tools at your disposal

“Students of the Ichi school Way of Strategy should train from the start with the sword and the long sword in either hand. This is a truth: when you sacrifice your life, you must make fullest use of your weaponry. It is false not to do so, and to die with a weapon yet undrawn.” (p. 10)

“You should not have a favourite weapon. To become over-familiar with one weapon is as much a fault as not knowing it sufficiently well. You should not copy others, but use weapons which you can handle properly. It is bad for commanders and troopers to have likes and dislikes. These are things you must learn thoroughly.” (p. 12)

“Timing in Strategy”

“There is timing in everything. Timing in strategy cannot be mastered without a great deal of practice.” (p. 13)

“In strategy there are various timing considerations. From the outset you must know the applicable timing and the inapplicable timing, and from among the large and small things and the fast and slow timings find the relevant timing, first seeing the distance timing and the background timing. This is the main thing in strategy. It is especially important to know the background timing, otherwise your strategy will become uncertain.” (p. 13)

“This is the way for men who want to learn my strategy:   

1. Do not think dishonestly. 

2. The Way is in training. 

3. Become acquainted with every art. 

4. Know the Ways of all professions. 

5. Distinguish between gain and loss in worldly matters. 

6. Develop intuitive judgement and understanding for everything. 

7. Perceive those things which cannot be seen. 

8. Pay attention even to trifles. 

9. Do nothing which is of no use.” (p. 13)

Maintain an even demeanor 

“Both in fighting and in everyday life you should be determined though calm. Meet the situation without tenseness yet not recklessly, your spirit settled yet unbiased. Even when your spirit is calm do not let your body relax, and when your body is relaxed do not let your spirit slacken. Do not let your spirit be influenced by your body, or your body be influenced by your spirit. Be neither insufficiently spirited nor over spirited. An elevated spirit is weak and a low spirit is weak. Do not let the enemy see your spirit.” (p. 16)

See the big picture and the details at the same time

“The gaze should be large and broad. This is the twofold gaze ‘Perception and Sight’. Perception is strong and sight week. In strategy it is important to see distant things as if they were close and to take a distanced view of close things. It is important in strategy to know the enemy’s sword and not to be distracted by insignificant movements of his sword.” (p. 18)

“Whenever we have become preoccupied with small detail, we must suddenly change into a large spirit, interchanging large with small.” (p. 72)

“Some schools maintain that the eyes should be fixed on the enemy’s long sword. Some schools fix the eyes on the hands. Some fix the eyes on the face, and some fix the eyes on the feet, and so on. If you fix the eyes on these places your spirit can become confused and your strategy thwarted.

I will explain this in detail. Footballers do not fix their eyes on the ball, but by good play on the field they can perform well. When you become accustomed to something, you are not limited to the use of your eyes. People such as master musicians have the music score in front of their nose, or flourish swords in several ways when they have mastered the Way, but this does not mean that they fix their eyes on these things specifically, or that they make pointless movements of the sword. It means that they can see naturally. (p. 81)

In single combat you must not fix the eyes on the details. As I said before, if you fix your eyes on details and neglect important things, your spirit will become bewildered, and victory will escape you. (p. 81)

Compete with yourself everyday

“Step by step walk the thousand-mile road. Study strategy over the years and achieve the spirit of the warrior. Today is victory over yourself of yesterday; tomorrow is your victory over lesser men.” (p. 47)

Take the initiative from the enemy

“‘To Hold Down a Pillow’ means not allowing the enemy’s head to rise. In contests of strategy it is bad to be led about by the enemy. You must always be able to lead the enemy about. Obviously the enemy will also be thinking of doing this, but he cannot forestall you if you do not allow him to come out.” (p. 54)

Know the enemy to fight from a position of advantage

“‘To know the times’ means to know the enemy’s disposition in battle. Is it flourishing or waning? By observing the spirit of the enemy’s men and getting the best position, you can work out the enemy’s disposition and move your men accordingly. You can win through this principle of strategy, fighting from a position of advantage.” (p. 55)

As the Marines would say, Pursue and Finish

“In single combat, we cannot get a decisive victory by cutting, with a ‘tee-dum tee-dum’ feeling, in the wake of the enemy’s attacking long sword. We must defeat him at the start of his attack, in the spirit of treading him down with the feet, so that he cannot rise again to the attack. ‘Treading’ does not simply mean treading with the feet. Tread with the body, tread with the spirit, and, of course, tread and cut with the long sword. You must achieve the spirit of not allowing the enemy to attack a second time.” (p. 56)

“Once at the enemy, you should not aspire just to strike him, but to cling after the attack.” (p. 56)

“In large-scale strategy, when the enemy starts to collapse, you must pursue him without letting the chance go. If you fail to take advantage of your enemies’ collapse, they may recover.” (p. 57)

“In large-scale strategy, when we see that the enemy has few men, or if he has many men but his spirit is weak and disordered, we knock the hat over his eyes, crushing him utterly. If we crush lightly, he may recover. You must learn the spirit of crushing as if with a hand-grip.” (p. 69)

Attack at the points of vulnerability

“In large-scale strategy it is important to cause loss of balance. Attack without warning where the enemy is not expecting it, and while his spirit is undecided follow up your advantage and, having the lead, defeat him.” (p. 62)

“It is difficult to move strong things by pushing directly, so you should ‘injure the corners’. In large-scale strategy, it is beneficial to strike at the corners of the enemy’s force. If the corners are overthrown, the spirit of the whole body will be overthrown. To defeat the enemy you must follow up the attack when the corners have fallen.” (p. 65)

Don’t be in a hurry

“Very skilful people can manage a fast rhythm, but it is bad to beat hurriedly. If you try to beat too quickly you will get out of time. Of course, slowness is bad. Really skilful people never get out of time, and are always deliberate, and never appear busy. From this example, the principle can be seen.” (p. 83)

Quotables

“It is said the warrior’s is the twofold Way of pen and sword, and he should have a taste for both Ways.” (p. 5)

“Generally speaking, the Way of the warrior is resolute acceptance of death.” (p. 5)

“In all forms of strategy, it is necessary to maintain the combat stance in everyday life and to make your everyday stance your combat stance.” (p. 17)

“The important thing in strategy is to suppress the enemy’s useful actions but allow his useless actions.” (p. 54)

“Fright often occurs, caused by the unexpected. In large-scale strategy you can frighten the enemy not just by what you present to their eyes, but by shouting, making a small force seem large, or by threatening them from the flank without warning. These things all frighten. You can win by making best use of the enemy’s frightened rhythm.” (p. 63)

“The ‘mountain-sea’ spirit means that it is bad to repeat the same thing several times when fighting the enemy. There may be no help but to do something twice, but do not try it a third time. If you once make an attack and fail, there is little chance of success if you use the same approach again. If you attempt a technique which you have previously tried unsuccessfully and fail yet again, then you must change your attacking method.” (p. 69)