Samurai Strategies: 42 Life-Changing Lessons from Musashi’s Book of Five Rings

Musashi’s timeless teachings distilled and presented in 42 easy lessons!

The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi, the legendary Samurai warrior, is the top-selling book on Japanese military strategy, one that continues to be read by hundreds of thousands of people today. In this contemporary interpretation, Boye Lafayette De Mente distills the essence of Musashi’s teachings into 42 simple lessons that can be applied to any competitive field--business, sports, politics and everyday human interactions.

The 42 strategies revealed in this book include:

• Set Goals: Clarify your objectives and remain unwavering on your path to success
• Train to Win: Embrace perpetual learning and avoid distractions to stay inspired and resilient
• Clear Your Mind: Musashi’s key concept of ＂no-mind＂ (the ability to act intuitively based on instinct, developed through endless practice) enables you to maintain focus and avoid ego-driven pitfalls
• Confuse Your Opponent: Gain strategic advantage by disguising your true intentions

A new foreword by Musashi expert Alexander Bennett underscores how Musashi’s tactics, developed in the 17th century, offer powerful insights for today’s ambitious over-achievers--by helping you develop mental strength that defeats the physical and natural abilities of your opponents.

Boye Lafayette De Mente (1928-2017) was a distinguished scholar of Japan, China, and Korea whose career began in the 1940s. His experience spanned roles as a member of a U.S. intelligence agency, trade journalist, editor and author based in Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong and Singapore. A graduate of Jochi University in Tokyo and the American Institute for Foreign Trade (now Thunderbird School of Global Management), De Mente wrote over 70 books, including Japan’s Cultural Codewords and The Etiquette Guide to Japan.

Alexander Bennett is professor of Japanese history and Budo theory at Kansai University. He co-founded and publishes Kendo World, the first English-language journal dedicated to Kendo. He holds black belts in numerous martial disciplines including Kendo Kyoshi 7-dan, Iaido 5-dan and Naginata 5-dan. His published works include The Complete Musashi: The Book of Five Rings and Other Works and Hagakure: The Secret Wisdom of the Samurai.