Musashi (novel)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Author | Eiji Yoshikawa |
|---|---|
| Translator | Charles S. Terry, |
| Cover artist | N. Ōrai |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Historical novel |
| Publisher | Kodansha International, Ltd. (Japan) |
| Released | 1981 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperbacks) |
| Pages | 984 pp (US hardback edition) |
| ISBN | ISBN 4-7700-1957-2 (US hardback edition) |
Musashi is a Japanese novel written by Eiji Yoshikawa and serialized in 1935 in Asahi Shimbun.
Contents |
[edit] Introduction
It is a fictionalized account of the life of Miyamoto Musashi, author of The Book of Five Rings and perhaps the most renowned Japanese swordsman who ever lived.
The novel has been translated into English by Charles S. Terry, with a foreword by Edwin O. Reischauer. Published by Kodansha International ISBN 4-7700-1957-2.
The 900+ page epic comprises seven "books" detailing the exploits of Miyamoto Musashi, beginning just after the battle of Sekigahara, following his journeys and the many people who become important in his life, and leading up to his climactic duel with Kojiro Sasaki on Ganryujima (Ganryu or Funa Island). Musashi becomes famous during the course of the novel as he searches for both perfection in swordsmanship and in consciousness. Innovating Japanese swordsmanship, he founds the style of simultaneously wielding both the katana and the wakizashi, something unheard at that time in Japanese history.
[edit] Table of contents
[edit] Book 1 - Earth
[edit] Book 2 - Water
[edit] Book 3 - Fire
[edit] Book 4 - Wind
[edit] Book 5 - Sky
[edit] Book 6 - Sun And Moon
[edit] Book 7 - The Perfect Light
[edit] Comparisons of Musashi portrayals
[edit] Quotes
[edit] Release details
- Yoshikawa, Eiji. Musashi. Trans. Charles S. Terry. Tokyo: Kodansha International Ltd., 1981 (First edition) & 1993 (First paperback edition).
- 1935, Japan, Asahi Shimbun (ISBN NA), Pub date ? ? 1935, Newspaper serial
- 1981, USA, HarperCollins (ISBN 0-06-859851-3), Pub date ? July 1981, Hardcover
- 1995, Japan, Kodansha International (ISBN 4-7700-1957-2), Pub date ? May 1995, Hardcover
[edit] Sources, references, external links, quotations
| Samurai Trilogy |
| The films |
|---|
| Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto (1954) | Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple (1955) | Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island (1956) |
| Key figures |
| Eiji Yoshikawa | Sasaki Kojirō | Hiroshi Inagaki | Miyamoto Musashi | Koji Tsuruta | Toshiro Mifune |
| Other related articles |
| Bushido | Jidaigeki | Musashi (novel) | The Book of Five Rings |
