Musashi
An Epic Novel of the Samurai Era
by Eiji Yoshikawa, Charles S. Terry · first published 1936
72% recommend28% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Sprawling historical epic about the swordsman Miyamoto Musashi, praised for both entertainment and life lessons on discipline and resolve; readers say it can reshape how they see their goals.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
The classic samurai novel about the real exploits of the most famous swordsman. Miyamoto Musashi was the child of an era when Japan was emerging from decades of civil strife. Lured to the great Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 by the hope of becoming a samurai—without really knowing what it meant—he regains consciousness after the battle to find himself lying defeated, dazed and wounded among thousands of the dead and dying. On his way home, he commits a rash act, becomes a fugitive and brings life in his own village to a standstill—until he is captured by a weaponless Zen monk. The lov
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…highly recommended. I like books I can learn from, where reading the writing isn't made an extra intellectual puzzle and challenge to get satisfaction from the book. A basic swashbuckling type story like Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa or The Three Muskateers by Dumas is really good. They're fun, readable, intelligent books that aren't difficult. And despite not being difficult, you still learn a lot of lessons from…
on “Good Books Don't Have to Be Hard ” ↗…allegory that metaphorically compares heaven to a dystopian dictatorship. Read Unweaving the Rainbow by Richard Dawkins if you're very interested in the sciences. I remember Sebastian Marshall recommending Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa -- I'd recommend it too. It's pretty good, and I was especially interested since I've been doing marshal arts for over 10 years now. And read Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! no matter…
on “Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?” ↗Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa The Story is breathtaking and the teachings are divine. It currently has the potential to change my life, i even marked some sentences and put tapes to important pages that concern…
on “Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?” ↗Two Japanese novels that I thoroughly enjoyed are Eiji Yoshikawa's Musashi and Osamu Dazai's No Longer Human.
on “Haruki Murakami Introduces the Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories” ↗Or read the epic novel "Musashi" by Eiji Yoshikawa, on which the movie is based. Or the "Vagabond" series of graphic novels. All first-rate entertainment, if you like samurai stories.
on “Miyamoto Musashi's Final Work” ↗…it if you're not familiar with the era, though, you'll get the general sense wrong. I'd recommend start with Eiji Yoshikawa if you like Japanese history and want to learn more - of course, start with "Musashi", which is fantastic. If you really like it, "Taiko" is good too. Musashi (my favorite book, huge for people who have lots of potential and are having a hard time dealing with people close to them because…
on “What are you reading?” ↗> If you're talented and get frustrated with stupid people, you have to read "Musashi" by Eiji Yoshikawa. I mean, you have to. you might also find the 3 mushashi set of movies by Hiroshi-Inagaki pretty nice. i certainly enjoy them a lot... Toshirô-Mifune plays samurai roles with elan
on “Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?” ↗Musashi, by Eiji Yoshikawa. I still can't put into words how this book changed my world view, but it was one of the most impacting books I've ever read. From religion to arts to personal goals, everything changed…
on “Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?” ↗Wish I read earlier: The War of Art, by Steven Pressfield Musashi, by Eiji Yoshikawa
on “Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?” ↗A fictionalized biography to be sure, but I highly recommend Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa: https://www.amazon.com/Musashi-Epic-Novel-Samurai-Era/dp/156... about the famous samurai. It reads like a fantasy novel. Also Taiko by the same author is a fictionalized version of…
on “Ask HN: Biographies recommendations – both Westerner and Non-westerner” ↗From Eiji Yoshikawa's "Musashi" - hit me very profoundly at this point in my life. I'd tried to bend reality to my will often - sometimes it worked, often not. Musashi, a wandering swordsman, went to take up farming to learn discipline,…
on “Do not oppose the way of the universe” ↗…Japanese literature translated into English. You'll commonly see a very factual, plain description, followed by a very profound beautiful statement mixed in with minimal transition. Eiji Yoshikawa's "Musashi" is pretty much a must-read for anyone talented who feels some friction with more mainstream and normal society.
on “The Puzzling Paradox of Sign Language” ↗> For anyone that’s striking out, or wants to make change, I think his life holds a lot of lessons. Eji Yoshikawa’s “Musashi” might be the best start for you, if you want to read one Japan’s classical novels, and get a bunch of resolve. Alternatively, anyone looking for something easier to digest should check out Vagabond,…
on “Dokkodo by Miyamoto Musashi ” ↗…characters that exert influence over some of the other characters whose lives are kind of intertwined almost like a Shakespearean drama. Anyway, a very interesting and unique author. I also recommend Musashi from Eiji Yoshikawa. He writes big historical fiction novels that read like fantasy page-turners. Taiko is his lesser known novel in translation, but it is a really awesome overview of the Japanese feudal…
on “Haruki Murakami Introduces the Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories” ↗If you are adding Shogun then surely you also must add Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa. A sprawling epic loosely based on history, with real historical people as characters
on “Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?” ↗