BOOK OF FIVE RINGS
Legendary Japanese swordsman’s advice still remains relevant to modern business in the age of big tech Miyamoto Musashi’s “Book of Five” Rings might not be Sun Tzu, but it still deserves a place on every entrepreneur’s shelf.
Legendary Japanese swordsman’s advice still remains relevant to modern business in the age of big tech
Entrepreneurs with experience in Asia know that reading clients, competitors, and even their own local business partners can be difficult, at best. Information remains more precious than dollars in the East – China, especially, comes to mind, although Thailand, Vietnam, and everywhere else in the region runs on essentially the same principle – and sharing is not the norm. Just as Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” found itself repurposed as a howto for business deals, Miyamoto Musashi’s “Book of Five Rings,” written as a guide for swordsmen, offers insight to modern entrepreneurs on how to see into a competitor’s mind – and better understand their own.
“In strategy your spiritual bearing must not be any different from normal. Both in fighting and in everyday life you should be determined though calm,” Mushashi writes, one message of many recommending resilience, mental calm, and to understand the right time and place for action.
The warrior wisdom still applies today. One can see, for example, President Donald J. Trump following Mushashi’s dictums on unsettling the enemy – media outlets recently reported that China, internally, admitted to miscalculating the U.S. president’s willingness to engage in a “trade war.” That Trump has read Mushashi is unlikely at best, but common wisdom often finds its way into the larger culture. So too, can one see the common attitude in Asia toward negotiating contracts, with frequent feints, renegotiations, and last-minute additions, as having a home within the swordsman’s worldview.
But where “Art of
War” looked at the marco of warfare, from large battles to siege warfare, “Book of Five Rings” takes readers to the micro level of mano-a-mano combat. The advice in this book is personal, focusing instead on how warriors should keep their minds, and swords, sharp.
“Your attitude should be large or small according to the situation. Upper, Lower and Middle attitudes are decisive,” he writes. “Left Side and Right Side attitudes are fluid … The decision to use Left or Right depends on the place.”
Mushashi’s five books parallel the ancient Japanese elements of earth, wind, fire, water, and void.
Each book follows a theme – for example, the fire book covers combat, in line with its element. Mystical in places, philosophical throughout, but also containing a wealth of practical thought on knowing others, “Book of Five Rings” is worth the read for entrepreneurs and executives either bound for Asia, or just looking for a new take on negotiation.