Miyamoto Musashi was a mess. By most historical accounts, the guy rarely bathed, looked like a wild animal, and spent a good chunk of his life literally killing people to prove a point. He wasn't a "philosopher" in the way we think of guys in togas. He was a duelist. Yet, somehow, A Book of Five Rings (Go Rin No Sho) ended up on the desks of Wall Street traders and Silicon Valley CEOs. It’s kinda weird when you think about it.
You’re reading a book written by a man who survived over 60 duels—most of them to the death—and he wrote it while living in a cave called Reigandō just weeks before he died in 1645. This isn't some fluffy self-help guide. It’s a cold, hard look at how to win when the stakes are high. Honestly, if you can get past the talk of decapitation and sword angles, the psychological gems in here are probably more useful for your 2026 career than any "disruptive" business blog you’ve read lately.
What Most People Get Wrong About Musashi
Most people pick up A Book of Five Rings expecting The Art of War Part 2. It’s not that. Sun Tzu wrote for generals moving thousands of troops across a map. Musashi wrote for the guy standing five feet away from a sharpened piece of steel. It’s intimate. It’s sweaty. It’s about individual mastery.
The biggest misconception? That this is a book about "honor."
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Musashi didn't care about looking cool. He showed up late to duels to psych people out. He used a wooden sword to kill a guy with a real one. He basically says that if you aren't using every tool at your disposal—your environment, your timing, the sun in your opponent's eyes—you're doing it wrong. In a modern context, that’s not "cheating." That’s understanding your market. If you’re a startup founder and you aren't looking for the "sun in the eyes" of your competitors, you're going to lose.
The Five Elements Breakdown
He breaks the book into five scrolls: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Void.
The Earth scroll is the foundation. It’s the "how-to" of the style, the Ichi Ryu. Musashi compares the warrior to a master carpenter. You have to know your tools. If you’re a coder, you better know your language. If you’re in sales, you better know your product. You can’t build a house with a dull saw, and you can’t win a duel with a rusty spirit.
Water is about flexibility. This is where he gets into the "fluidity" of movement. He talks about having a "distanced soul" while being physically close. Basically, don't let your emotions cloud your judgment. When the market crashes or your lead developer quits, you need to be like water—stable but adaptable.
Fire is the heat of the fight. This is about timing and seizing the initiative. Musashi talks about "crushing" the opponent before they can breathe. In business, this is the first-mover advantage. It’s about not letting the competition find their rhythm.
Wind is actually about studying everyone else. He critiques other schools of swordsmanship. He calls out people who rely on "extra-long swords" because they’re scared to get close. It’s about understanding the "traditions" of your industry so you can see where they are failing.
Finally, the Void. This one gets a bit "woo-woo" for some people, but it’s basically about intuition. It’s the stage where you’ve practiced so much that you don't have to think anymore. You just do. It’s what athletes call "the zone."
Why 17th-Century Swordfighting Actually Works in a Boardroom
Let’s talk about "The Gaze." Musashi says you shouldn't stare at your opponent's sword. If you do, you’re dead. You have to look at everything—the shoulders, the feet, the rhythm of their breathing.
In a negotiation, if you only focus on the price, you’re losing. You need to see the body language, the hesitation in their voice, the external pressures their company is facing. You need a "broad gaze."
Another huge point he makes is "The Rhythm of the Void." He argues that everything has a rhythm—even things that seem chaotic. War has a rhythm. Success has a rhythm. Failure has a rhythm. If you can identify the rhythm of your industry, you can break it.
Real-World Application: The 1980s Japanese Economic Boom
There’s a reason this book became a massive hit in the West during the 80s. Japanese businessmen were using A Book of Five Rings as a literal manual for corporate strategy. They weren't looking at it as a historical artifact. They were looking at it as a way to out-maneuver Western companies that were too slow and too rigid.
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Westerners were focused on quarterly reports. The Japanese firms were looking at the "Long-Term Rhythm" Musashi describes. They were willing to take the "Fire" approach—aggressive expansion—while maintaining the "Water" flexibility to pivot when the tech changed.
The Strategy of the Long and Short
Musashi was famous for using two swords. Back then, most samurai used one. Why two? Because why wouldn't you? If you have two arms, use two weapons.
He writes: "It is a sign of a lack of spirit to die with a weapon still in your belt."
Think about your own skill set. Are you just a "marketing guy"? Or are you a marketing guy who understands data science and human psychology? If you’re only using one "sword," you’re limiting your options. Musashi’s whole philosophy is built on the idea that you should never have a favorite weapon. If you love your long sword too much, you’ll be useless in a narrow hallway.
If you love your current business model too much, you’ll be useless when the AI-driven economy shifts again.
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Actionable Insights from the Cave
So, how do you actually apply this 380-year-old text to your life today? It’s not about buying a katana. It’s about a mental shift.
- Practice "Double-Desire." Musashi suggests you should be able to do two things at once without losing focus on either. In your daily life, this means developing "peripheral" skills that support your main goal. Don't just get better at your job; get better at the things around your job.
- The "Mountain-Sea" Change. If your opponent is thinking like a mountain (heavy, slow, defensive), you must be like the sea (fluid, overwhelming). If they are like the sea, you must be the mountain. In business, if your competitor is cutting prices (sea), don't just cut prices too. Change the game. Offer something solid and premium (mountain).
- Develop "Perception and Sight." Musashi distinguishes between the two. Sight is just looking at what’s in front of you. Perception is seeing what’s actually happening. Practice looking at a situation and asking, "What is the thing I’m not seeing because I’m too busy looking?"
- Do Nothing Which is of No Use. This is his most famous quote for a reason. Look at your calendar. How much of that is "useful" in the Musashi sense? Not "busy," but useful toward your ultimate victory. If it’s not contributing to your "Way," cut it out.
The Limitation of the Text
Look, we have to be honest. Musashi was a guy who killed people for a living. His advice is aggressive. It’s about winning, not necessarily about being "happy" or "balanced." If you follow A Book of Five Rings to the letter, you might become the most successful person in your field, but you might also end up living in a cave with no friends.
It’s a book for the "Way of Strategy." It’s a tool. It’s a lens to look through when things get difficult. Use it when you need to find a way through a problem that seems impossible, but remember that the "Void" he talks about isn't just emptiness—it’s the space where everything is possible.
Next Steps for Mastery
- Audit your "weapons": List the skills you use daily. Identify one "weapon in your belt" (a skill you have but don't use) and find a way to integrate it into your workflow this week.
- Study the "Wind": Pick your biggest competitor or a peer you admire. Don't just look at their success; look at their rhythm. When do they launch? How do they react to criticism? Find the pattern in their "style."
- Practice the "Broad Gaze": In your next meeting, try not to focus solely on the person speaking. Observe the energy of the room. Who is disengaged? Who is leaning in? Use that "perception" to guide your own input.
- Eliminate the Useless: Identify one recurring task that serves no strategic purpose and stop doing it. See if anyone notices. Usually, they don't.