The Samurai Series brings together Four of the most important books
dealing with the Samurai path and philosophy into one volume. The Book
of Five Rings was written by Miyamoto Musashi about 1645. It is a
masterpiece of simple exposition written by a master swordsman, who,
near the end of his spectacular life, tried earnestly to explain the
essentials of individual combat and the essence of being a Samurai. His
book is widely considered to be a cornerstone of the philosophy of
Bushido. Hagakure - The Way of the Samurai, which means: ""Hidden by
Leaves,"" was composed from dialogs by the famous Samurai Yamamoto
Tsunetomo, by a scribe, Tashiro Tsuramoto, about 1716 AD. It explains
the major ideas and philosophy that are essential to the ""way of the
Samurai"", by which is meant the ""way of dying"". It contains numerous
tales of various Samurai and their deeds which illustrate their
philosophy and practice. The Art of War by Sun Tzu was a Chinese
general, military strategist and a philosopher whose books have
universal resonance even in the contemporary time. The Art of War has
inspired Mao Zedong's writings about Guerrilla warfare. Sun Tzu's Art of
War is a widely acclaimed book on military strategy that has influenced
and shaped the idea of Western and Eastern nations military philosophy.
It presents complete instructions on how to win battles and manage
conflicts. The theories proposed in Art of War are extremely beneficial
on the battle ground and have been tried and tested by many successful
military generals around the world. Bushido - The Soul of Japan by Inazo
Nitobe was first published in 1899. It is an extremely literate
presentation by a Japanese intellectual who wished to present Japan and
its fundamental philosophy in a way that could be understood by
Westerners. It describes how the Shinto religion and Buddhism are the
underpinnings of the essentially militaristic view of honor and life
that are inherent in Bushido, the Samurai code.
