William Scott Wilson Books

An expert on samurai history paints a vivid, multi-faceted portrait of feudal Japan and Miyamoto Musashi—the legendary swordsman who wrote the classic martial arts treatise, The Book of Five Rings Born in 1584, Miyamoto Musashi was the legendary samurai known throughout the world as a master swordsman, spiritual seeker, and author of the classic book on strategy, The Book of Five Rings . Over 350 years after his death, Musashi and his legacy still fascinate readers worldwide, inspiring artists, authors, and filmmakers. In The Lone Samurai , respected translator and expert on samurai culture William Scott Wilson presents both a vivid account of a fascinating period in feudal Japan and a portrait of the courageous, iconoclastic samurai who wrestled with philosophical and spiritual ideas that are as relevant today as they were in his time. For Musashi, the way of the martial arts was about mastery of the mind rather than simply technical prowess—and it is this path to mastery that is the core teaching in his Book of Five Rings . This special volume includes supplemental material on Musashi’s legacy as a martial arts icon, his impact on literature and film, and the influence of his Book of Five Rings .

The seminal treatise on the code of the samurai--now available as a Shambhala Pocket Classic. Hagakure is a treatise on the samurai code written by Yamamoto Tsunetomo, an eighteenth-century samurai. It's a guide, organized as a loose collection of thoughts, on how samurai should conduct themselves. This philosophy--bushido, or "the way of the samurai"--is, according to Tsunetomo, essentially a Way of death or dying. This embracing of death with honor and courage is the core theme of Hagakure--and part of its allure. This edition, translated by the esteemed translator William Scott Wilson, is considered the definitive version of this classic. No other translator has so thoroughly and eruditely rendered this text into English. Wilson's introduction casts Hagakure in a different light than ever before. In Tsunetomo's time, the Way of death was a nuanced concept that related heavily to the Zen idea of the death of the ego. Wilson's introduction gives the historical and philosophical background for that more metaphorical reading of Hagakure, and through this lens, the classic takes on a fresh and nuanced appeal.