Musashi
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Musashi
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Narrated by:
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Brian Nishii
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Written by:
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Eiji Yoshikawa
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Charles S. Terry - translator
About this listen
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 lovely Otsu, seeing in Musashi her ideal of manliness, frees him from his tortuous punishment, but he is recaptured and imprisoned. During three years of solitary confinement, he delves into the classics of Japan and China. When he is set free again, he rejects the position of samurai and for the next several years pursues his goal relentlessly, looking neither to the left nor to the right.
Ever so slowly it dawns on him that following the way of the sword is not simply a matter of finding a target for his brute strength. Continually striving to perfect his technique, which leads him to a unique style of fighting with two swords simultaneously, he travels far and wide, challenging fighters of many disciplines, taking nature to be his ultimate and severest teacher and undergoing the rigorous training of those who follow the way. He is supremely successful in his encounters, but in The Art of War, he perceives the way of peaceful and prosperous governance and disciplines himself to be a real human being.
He becomes a reluctant hero to a host of people whose lives he has touched and by whom he has been touched. Inevitably, he has to pit his skill against the naked blade of his greatest rival.
Musashi is a novel in the best tradition of Japanese storytelling. It is a living story, subtle and imaginative, teeming with memorable characters, many of them historical. Interweaving themes of unrequited love, misguided revenge, filial piety, and absolute dedication to the way of the samurai, it depicts vividly a world Westerners know only vaguely. Full of gusto and humor, it has an epic quality and universal appeal.
©1971 Fumiko Yoshikawa (P)2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc.You may also enjoy...
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 12
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 11
Setting down his thoughts on swordplay, on winning, and on spirituality, legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi intended this modest work as a guide for his immediate disciples and future generations of samurai. He had little idea he was penning a masterpiece that would be eagerly devoured by people in all walks of life centuries after his death.
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The men onboard HMS Terror have every expectation of finding the Northwest Passage. When the expedition's leader, Sir John Franklin, meets a terrible death, Captain Francis Crozier takes command and leads his surviving crewmen on a last, desperate attempt to flee south across the ice. But as another winter approaches, as scurvy and starvation grow more terrible, and as the Terror on the ice stalks them southward, Crozier and his men begin to fear there is no escape.
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Amazing!
- By Greg on 2020-09-26
Written by: Dan Simmons
-
Shōgun, Part One
- The Asian Saga, Book 1.1
- Written by: James Clavell
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 24 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 38
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 30
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 30
After Englishman John Blackthorne is lost at sea, he awakens in a place few Europeans know of and even fewer have seen—Nippon. Thrust into the closed society that is seventeenth-century Japan, a land where the line between life and death is razor-thin, Blackthorne must negotiate not only a foreign people, with unknown customs and language, but also his own definitions of morality, truth, and freedom. As internal political strife and a clash of cultures lead to seemingly inevitable conflict, Blackthorne’s loyalty and strength of character are tested by both passion and loss.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Fascinating story, masterful narration.
- By Amazon Customer on 2024-03-13
Written by: James Clavell
-
A Brief History of the Samurai
- Brief Histories
- Written by: Jonathan Clements
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 12 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 11
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 9
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 9
From a leading expert in Japanese history, this is one of the first full histories of the art and culture of the Samurai warrior. The Samurai emerged as a warrior caste in Medieval Japan and would have a powerful influence on the history and culture of the country from the next 500 years. Clements also looks at the Samurai wars that tore Japan apart in the 17th and 18th centuries and how the caste was finally demolished in the advent of the mechanized world.
Written by: Jonathan Clements
-
Musashi's Dokkodo
- Written by: Miyamoto Musashi
- Narrated by: Kris Wilder
- Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 14
-
Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Story3 out of 5 stars 10
Miyamoto Musashi (1584 - 1645) was arguably the greatest swordsman who ever lived, a legendary figure whose methods of thought and strategy have been studied and adopted across a wide spectrum of society, from martial artists to military leaders to captains of industry. The iconic sword saint of Japan was clearly a genius, yet he was also a functional psychopath - ruthless, fearless, hyper-focused, and utterly without conscience. Shortly before he died, Musashi wrote down his final thoughts about life for his favorite student Terao Magonojo to whom Go Rin No Sho, his famous Book of Five Rings, had also been dedicated.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
zzzz
- By Ike Prah on 2021-06-18
Written by: Miyamoto Musashi
-
The Book of Five Rings
- Written by: Miyamoto Musashi, William Scott Wilson - translator
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 2 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 22
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 12
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 11
Setting down his thoughts on swordplay, on winning, and on spirituality, legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi intended this modest work as a guide for his immediate disciples and future generations of samurai. He had little idea he was penning a masterpiece that would be eagerly devoured by people in all walks of life centuries after his death.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great message from a great philosopher
- By Kimani Mwaura on 2020-11-09
Written by: Miyamoto Musashi, and others
-
How to Be a Modern Samurai
- 10 Steps to Finding Your Power & Achieving Success
- Written by: Antony Cummins
- Narrated by: John Telfer
- Length: 6 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 9
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 7
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 7
For centuries, the Japanese samurai were the unquestioned leaders of their society, maintaining their position through their iron will, Zen-like emotional control, and clan-building social skills. Today, in a world that focuses on instant gratification and self-indulgence, the way of the samurai is a challenging path to follow but will bring huge rewards to anyone who commits to it.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Generalized information
- By Tom on 2024-01-04
Written by: Antony Cummins
-
The Terror
- A Novel
- Written by: Dan Simmons
- Narrated by: Tom Sellwood
- Length: 28 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 317
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 281
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 277
The men onboard HMS Terror have every expectation of finding the Northwest Passage. When the expedition's leader, Sir John Franklin, meets a terrible death, Captain Francis Crozier takes command and leads his surviving crewmen on a last, desperate attempt to flee south across the ice. But as another winter approaches, as scurvy and starvation grow more terrible, and as the Terror on the ice stalks them southward, Crozier and his men begin to fear there is no escape.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Amazing!
- By Greg on 2020-09-26
Written by: Dan Simmons
What listeners say about Musashi
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- This123
- 2022-12-07
amazing.
it's like watching an anime unfold through words. amazing story. so many life lessons to be gained
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2023-06-22
Incredible story with many life lessons
A story that I believe has taught me many lessons about character, resilience, discipline and friendship. Truly a timeless story and a killer vocal performance by Brian Nishii.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Geoff Guich
- 2020-01-07
A fun look into Japanese History
I have been spending a lot of time recently on 20th century Japanese literature, and with that exploring large themes in Japanese history. This great collection of historical fiction brought to life the folk hero Musashi on many dimensions and the details and overall length of the story I think helped to give me a better understanding of early Edo Japan. The performance was excellent and they story thoroughly enjoyable, 53.5 hours well spent!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ryupyroa
- 2021-06-26
Incredible
The narrator was a little.. "soft", but it doesn't take away from the book at all. An absolutely phenomenal book and I can recommend it enough.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Patrick
- 2023-01-23
Great story, voice acting not good.
Would be 100x better without the narrator impersonating a female voice, or a poor Japanese accent.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Matthew A Fleming
- 2019-07-23
unbelievable. couldn't put it down.
loved it. couldn't put this massive book down. well read. very entertaining. it went quick. too quick. thank you.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dragana
- 2020-02-25
Fantastic adventure!
Loved story of Musashi,very much. For me was extraordenery expirience. Learn little of history of Japan.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Juan Malaver
- 2020-12-17
Outstanding story
Is really worth the time, the narrator is good ! Many lessons can be obtained from this book!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tristan
- 2024-02-03
A fantastic story
This was a great swashbuckling samurai adventure. I highly recommend for those that are interested in this time period and The Way.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kyle Landry
- 2019-11-04
fantastic listen
The book shows 2 paths walked by a normal man. Miyamoto Musashi dedicated to discipline, and studying the path to enlightenment. Matatachi, a cowardly weak willed thoughtless person who makes many mistakes. I can see the truth this book speaks about life.
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