Showing posts with label japanese. Show all posts
Showing posts with label japanese. Show all posts

Book of Five Rings Review

Book of Five Rings
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Book of Five Rings ReviewThe book written by the samurai warrior Miyamoto Musashi circa 1645 is considered a classic treatise on military strategy, and it enjoys an audience considerably broader than only that of martial artists: for instance, some business leaders find its discussion of conflict and taking the advantage to be relevant to their work.
The term "Ichi School", which is referred to in the book, Go Rin No Sho, when referring to such books, refers to "Niten No Ichi Ryu", or "Ni Ten Ichi Ryu", which literally translated, means "Two Swords, one heaven".
Throughout the book it is clear: what is primary for Musashi is The Goal, while the means of achieving the goal are secondary. He wrote "According to this Ichi school, you can win with a long weapon, and yet you can also win with a short weapon. In short, the Way of the Ichi school is the spirit of winning, whatever the weapon and whatever its size."
The same is in business: the leaders who are attracted by the goal rather than by embellishments are the true leaders. For example, the dot-com bubble of 2000 was caused by the managers who forgot about the primary goal of the business: net income. Those who were obsessed by their stock prices regarding of massive losses and the lack of revenue became bankrupt. They put attention to the fancy office buildings and furniture rather than to the assets that generate earning. Musashi wrote about it: "Just as a horse must have endurance and no defects, so it is with weapons. Horses should walk strongly, and swords and companion swords should cut strongly. Spears and halberds must stand up to heavy use: bows and guns must be sturdy. Weapons should be hardy rather than decorative".
Musashi also encourages to maintain a balance of your skills throughout your life. This balance could be thought of as Yin and Yang. The balance is to be neither over-familiar with something nor under-familiar. The over-familiarity or over-use of one weapon is not recommended by Musashi, as it would be seen to reveal your spirituality to your enemy, and thus your boisterousness, or over-calm. The over-familiarity makes you stick to a conviction. This is a very important for the business. Take, for example, mr. Warren Buffet. A quality standing out about Mr. Buffett is his ability to morph. If you read his materials from the 1960s, he said very different things than in the 1970s and early-1980s. Early on he was buying dirt-cheap stocks by simple statistical standards and typically smaller stocks (smallcap), later he bought "franchises", then he entered a period of buying great managements of big companies and being a long-term holder, then, amazingly, he was buying smaller things dirt cheap again just as value came back into play as the twenty-first century began. He tactically morphed steadily over the decades. Trying to freeze his tactics from any decade and replicate them in the next few would never have led you to his actual actions. Musashi wrote about that this way: "You should not have a favourite weapon. To become over-familiar with one weapon is as much a fault as not knowing it sufficiently well. You should not copy others, but use weapons which you can handle properly. It is bad for commanders and troops to have likes and dislikes."Book of Five Rings Overview

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The Book of Five Rings for Executives: Musashi's Classic Book of Competitive Tactics Review

The Book of Five Rings for Executives: Musashi's Classic Book of Competitive Tactics
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The Book of Five Rings for Executives: Musashi's Classic Book of Competitive Tactics ReviewThis book is a valuable development of the metaphor of a samurai swordfight for how to gain competitive tactical advantage in business. The author has taken Miyamoto Musashi's 1643 classic and put it into the context of business issues. The book contains Musashi's principles updated and customized for the current business world in seven principles, five aspects (or rings), examples from Japanese companies' use of these ideas, and cases (Starbucks, Robert E. Lee, Warren Buffett, George Washington crossing the Delaware, Andy Grove, Bill Gates, Lawrence of Arabia, and Donald Trump). As a result, the lessons are quite accessible and clear.
The seven principles are: Ordered Flexibility ("the nature of water"), Execution ("appropriate action at the right time"), Resources ("information is the fabric of tactics"), Environment ("approach derives from circumstances"), Attitude ("firm, yet flexible . . . centering on a determining reality"), Concentration ("concentrating strength against weakness or resources against opportunity"), and Timing ("when the scale is tipped in favor of the tactics you have chosen").
The Japanese business application of this approach is to: 1) copy technology and train people. (2) recombine elements and widen market acceptance. (3) increase quality/price ratio and dominate markets.
The five aspects are: (1) Foundation (2) Form (3) Fire (4) Fabric and (5) Focus.
Let me elaborate on the Foundation concept to give you a sense of what is in these sections. The rules of Foundation are: (1) Do what is right, what is correct. (2) Sense the rhythm and timing in everyday situations. (3) Broaden your knowledge of management. (4) Study other arts and professions. (5) Distinguish between profitable and unprofitable activities. (6) See reality under all circumstances. (7) Look for what is not obvious. (8) Concentrate on critical details. (9) Eliminate useless activity. (This last sound's like Peter Drucker's famous exhortation to "slough off yesterday.")
This book is the third volume in a series that Mr. Krause has created about how business people can compete more effectively that draw on classic books on this subject.
Musashi's work is much better known in Japan than in the United States. He was a legendary samurai swordsman who from ages 13 to 29 defeated 60 men in duels. Death or severe injury was always at risk. Then he retired to a cave and lived as a pauper writing about the lessons of his battles for the next 30 years. This book is based on those writings which were a five part letter to his followers and students. The essence of that advice is to "look beneath the surface" of the events around you to distill their meaning.
Those who wish to improve their sword fighting and dueling skills should read the original. Those who enjoy this book may wish to read the original as well. You will be rewarded by obtaining a deeper sense of the Zen philosophy behind these observations.
All business people will benefit from this book. Highly recommended!
Although this book focuses on tactics, you would do well to combine it with Sun Tzu's thinking about how to use strategy to create situations where no battle is needed. Then you need only practice your tactics to keep sharp, not to secure your advantage. For example, if your advantages in quality, effectiveness, honor, and prestige are so great that others know they cannot compete and would be harmed or simply waste time and effort by doing so, they will seek you out as a partner instead. Then, much more can be accomplished for all!
Be sharp!
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Only the Ring Finger Knows (Yaoi) Review

Only the Ring Finger Knows (Yaoi)
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Only the Ring Finger Knows (Yaoi) Reviewfirst of all, this manga was published under the yaoi series, which is kinda of stretching it... so fellow buyers beware. this is strictly shounen-ai territory. heck, there isn't any groping at all, other than a few really beautiful kisses... heh heh heh.
non-yaoiness aside, i really, really enjoyed this manga. the plot is not strictly typical and i think both characters are well portrayed; although for the most part it's shown through the eyes of wataru. this highschool student's life takes a rather drastic turn when his fate became entertwined with that of the older, uber-cool and nearly perfect school idol yuichi kazuki. readers basically know that there's more to it than meets the eye, but the authors were able to entice readers with tasty tidbits along the way but still retaining the suspense (if i can label it that) until the very end. it helps that both wataru and kazuki are believable, both showing unique characteristics and quirks that added to their appeal. in fact, i can't really say which of them i find more appealing; the normally hot tempered, straightforward (albeit sweet) and understandably bewildered wataru or the cool and collected kazuki who behaves cryptically only towards wataru. i also appreciate the way the authors manage to make wataru seem confused by kazuki without relegating him to the category of weepy, spineless ukes (he's really spunky) and the understated way they portray unguarded moments in kazuki... one can't help but sympathize with the situation faced by these two.
now on to the art... i really like the way odagiri draws the manga. it's soft, beautiful and strangely calming without being too shoujo-ish. although both kazuki and wataru are slender and beautiful, they never seem girlish. it's a very tricky line to tread, and the illustrator manages it phenomenally. i adore the way she draws the eyes, for a single look really conveys a multitude of meanings in the way she handles them. the background art is neither too detailed nor opulent but it fits the overall look very well.
what i regret is the fact that this is a single volume manga, which is based on i think a series of novels by kannagi. i really wanted to see the continuation of this manga, and unless the novels are translated and published here, the further adventures of both wataru and kazuki remained a mystery for us english readers.
all in all, a very satisfying read and money well spent.Only the Ring Finger Knows (Yaoi) Overview

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Samurai Strategies: 42 Martial Secrets from Musashi's Book of Five Rings Review

Samurai Strategies: 42 Martial Secrets from Musashi's Book of Five Rings
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Samurai Strategies: 42 Martial Secrets from Musashi's Book of Five Rings ReviewThis little book is basically a summary of The Book of Five Rings, a book written the the Japanese sword master Musashi in 1645. This is a good, easy to read and easy to understand summary of Musashi's book for those who may have a hard time understanding the teachings from the actual writings of Musashi. The commentaries or summaries are anywhere from one to three pages long, so this is a quick and easy read. Although this is a quick read, it does contain some very useful information for the martial arts, as well as life in general.
Samurai Strategies is worth reading. I found it enjoyable and interesting even though I had previously read The Book of Five Rings several times before I actually ran across this book. I do recommend that the reader also read the Book of Five Rings and not just simply be satisfied with this summary of Musashi's writings. 4 Stars...I think that you will enjoy it.
Bohdi Sanders, author of Warrior Wisdom: Ageless Wisdom for the Modern WarriorSamurai Strategies: 42 Martial Secrets from Musashi's Book of Five Rings Overview

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The Samurai Series: The Book of Five Rings, Hagakure - The Way of the Samurai & Bushido - The Soul of Japan Review

The Samurai Series: The Book of Five Rings, Hagakure - The Way of the Samurai and Bushido - The Soul of Japan
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The Samurai Series: The Book of Five Rings, Hagakure - The Way of the Samurai & Bushido - The Soul of Japan ReviewI purchased this book last year for myself, and thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Earlier this year, I decided to pick up another copy for my brother, because Amazon was running a 30% discount. When I found the book description and reviews, I saw that some readers had been uncomfortable with the way these works had been presented. I hadn't really noticed a problem, but I could see how casual readers who are unfamiliar with historical texts might be confused.
So anyway, when my brother's gift arrived, I had a chance to thumb through his copy, and apparently there is a new second edition. The contents are basically the same, but this edition seems slightly more ornate. There were also a few illustrations which had not been in the first edition I had purchased for myself.
So I guess I should add that I am giving the first edition 3 1/2 stars, but I would give the new 2nd edition 4 1/2 stars. Cheers!The Samurai Series: The Book of Five Rings, Hagakure - The Way of the Samurai & Bushido - The Soul of Japan Overview

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The Book of Five Rings from SmarterComics Review

The Book of Five Rings from SmarterComics
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The Book of Five Rings from SmarterComics ReviewPictures say a thousand words. Here you have a dynamic way to learn strategy from one of the best martial artists in history. I love the concept. I love the way it's presented, in beautiful color. I love the bullet-points presented to the back-drop of what each speaks to. This is treasure just as art, but 100-fold for what it teaches. I highly recommend this to everybody. I'm a big fan.The Book of Five Rings from SmarterComics Overview

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The Book of Five Rings (Bushido--The Way of the Warrior) Review

The Book of Five Rings (Bushido--The Way of the Warrior)
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The Book of Five Rings (Bushido--The Way of the Warrior) ReviewI have studied this book for years, and have read five different translations. The William Scott Wilson translation is by far the best. I always get the feeling that other translators are putting too much of themselves or their ideas about what Musashi is saying into the translations. Wilson's translation is clear and concise and yet does not feel filtered.
Here is a passage from the Thomas Cleary translation "Upset happens in all sorts of things. One way it happens is through a feeling of being under acute pressure. Another is through a feeling of unreasonable strain. A third is through a feeling of surprise at the unexpected."
Here is the same passage translated by Wilson "There are many kinds of agitation. One is a feeling of danger, a second is a feeling that something is beyond your capability and a third is a feeling of the unexpected. This should be investigated thoroughly."
They say the same thing, but Wilson is clearer.
As for the book itself, it is a classic masterpiece that describes not only a style of swordsmanship, but a way of living.The Book of Five Rings (Bushido--The Way of the Warrior) Overview

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The Complete Book of Five Rings Review

The Complete Book of Five Rings
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The Complete Book of Five Rings Review//The Book of Five Rings//, samurai Miyamoto Musashi's treatise never goes entirely out of fashion, each new edition meant for a different time or audience. Martial artist Kenji Tokitsu's new annotated translation appears geared particularly for other martial arts practitioners, with its careful attention to possible meanings of key technical terms and copious footnotes. In certain ways, this proves refreshing, since Tokitsu pares away much of the myth from about this text and returns its original purpose: success in combat.
Tokitsu's decision to include translations of previous works by Musashi proves particularly insightful. If this translation suffers any flaw, it is the editor's over focus on the author as warrior to the exclusion of the many others areas of expertise that encompassed samurai culture, failing to consider his success as a swordsmith (some fine examples of which survive to this day) or his poetry. Likewise, I found myself missing some of what is included in the more ethereal Victor Harris translation of this text, which recounts many of those likely apocryphal stories and paintings depicting Musashi through time.
Musashi's text stands on its own and Tokitsu's new translation offers it in an impressive form. Many martial artists will revel in this translation for years to come, attempting to absorb Musashi's deep and often elusive teachings. Some, however, will no doubt follow this up by wishing to familiarize themselves with who Musashi became in the Japanese consciousness.The Complete Book of Five Rings Overview

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Book of Five Rings Review

Book of Five Rings
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Book of Five Rings Review"th way of the sword", The entire book is riddled with spelling mistakes such as these.
A friend of mine lent me another version of this book a few months ago, I really enjoyed it. I decided to buy my own copy due to the excellent material presented within.
This copy however is overall poorly translated, and very badly written.
Many sentences make no grammatical sense, the translator chose a lot of English words that do not do justice to the piece, every page has at least one obvious spelling mistake.
Overall a very poor job from whomever was entrusted with making an English version of this book. Had I not already read a far superior version I would have been stuck trying to piece words together and figure out what the h**l is going on.Book of Five Rings Overview

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Birthday (Ring Series, Book 4) Review

Birthday (Ring Series, Book 4)
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Birthday (Ring Series, Book 4) ReviewIt's almost pointless to even mention the Ring films at this point, as they bare almost no resemblance to the story anymore by just book 2 (unless you count Rasen, but by the end of that it doesn't count anymore at all in the film universe). Ring 0: Birthday was loosely based on the second story in this book, Lemon Heart. The rest of the book is new.
This is an anthology based around three central characters in the trilogy (all female) and themes of birth relating to the storyline.
1. Floating Coffin
Plot: This, the first story, takes place in the middle of book 2, Spiral. We get a glimpse of Mai Takano, and what exactly happens when she gives birth to Sadako and dies.
Review: Of the three stories, this was by far my least favorite. It has no real relevance to progressing the story or showing anything. This one was a little bit of a bore. However, the next stories made me completely forget about this one's lack of interest.
2. Lemon Heart
Plot: Toyama, a middle-aged man, is approached by a detective that is looking for information on Yamamura Sadako. Toyama is one of the only survivors from a theater troupe that Sadako was in shortly before she disappeared. Toyama recounts being in love with her, and in the end of the story gets a surprise visit from a familiar face.
Review: My favorite of the three. Great story that sheds some more light on how Sadako was in life, and introduces some foreshadowing and dramatic irony that we know will lead to events that take place in "Ring" and "Spiral".
3. Happy Birthday
Plot: Reiko, still pregnant, is brought to New Mexico and informed of what exactly happened to Kaoru. She takes a look into the Loop world to see how he manages to get rid of Sadako and save the world, leading up to the birth of his child.
Review: Another great story. I sort of hoped it would be longer, as it was the conclusion to the entire series and I felt at first that it was much too short to be the ending. However, looking back, I see how the entire anthology was the ending. Although only one has a story that ends it, the others sort of bring the legend and story of Sadako to a full circle.
All in all, great anthology that is a must-read for fans of the first three books.
5 stars / 5Birthday (Ring Series, Book 4) Overview

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Loop (Ring Series, Book 3) Review

Loop (Ring Series, Book 3)
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Loop (Ring Series, Book 3) ReviewThe image that comes to mind as I think back through reading the three volumes of Koji Suzuki's Ring trilogy is that of a camera quickly panning back to reveal a much wider scene in which the one that filled your screen a moment ago is revealed as a mere cameo. And now you see what it really meant in its unsuspected context! Breathtaking! You think you understand the mystery of each book by the end, having earned the relief of penetrating the labyrinth along with the characters--only to find that, no, you were wrong! You hadn't seen more than a fragment.
I was sobered by the ending of The Ring (both American movie and Suzuki's novel). Then Spiral--! What an imagination! Chilling drafts of tomb air a la M.R. James, naturalistic characterization, fascinating science fiction, and what a conclusion! Nothing but Sadako! Where could he possibly go after this? Into the Loop! Another camera pull back! You mean THIS guy is...? And each book so different from the one before it!
I gather the trilogy is the trilogy and that there will be no fourth volume. But what about the hints? That the original psychic-projection and propagation of the Video was too artificial a thing to have occurred in the Loop world without having been planted by someone in the outside world. That the "real" world is a virtual world created by someone less than God. Here's hoping he springs for a fourth.Loop (Ring Series, Book 3) Overview

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Spiral (Ring Series, Book 2) Review

Spiral (Ring Series, Book 2)
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Spiral (Ring Series, Book 2) ReviewIn Spiral, the sequel to Suzuki's Ring, we are to discover that the hoped for (if uncomfortable) resolution e promised at the end of Ring is not to come to pass. Instead we discover that there is a whole layer below Sadako's efforts at vengeance and that a darker and more haunting motive drives the story - one that threatens more than just those who watched the videotape.
Dr. Mitsuo Ando is haunted by the horrible accident that killed his son and destroyed his marriage. Still unable to make sense of his own life, he is called on to perform the autopsy of his friend Ryuji Takayama, who played a vital role in Ring. What he finds is that death was caused by a coronary blockage and that there are signs of a smallpox like viral infection. Odder is that the body seems to expel a piece of the newspaper used to fill out the thoracic cavity. Ryuji and Dr. Ando used to be addicted to ciphers, and a string of numbers on the paper can be decoded to spell R I N G.
Ando is drawn to Mai, Ryuji's student and lover, who suddenly disappears. As he investigates Ando discovers for himself that all of the victims of the videotape died similarly - all deaths seemingly by a viral infection and exposure to a videotape. Spiral thus introduces another, more unnerving idea. The Spiral is DNA and the theme of the book is mutation or, in broader terms, change.
This book is every bit as solid as Ring, but it pulls the rug out from under the reader by shifting from Ring's story of curses and ghosts to hard science fiction with just a dash of mysticism. As readers, we often have trouble shifting gears like that - stories that suddenly become something else take us out of our comfort zone. The Japanese seem more adept at accepting this kind of narrative 'mutation,' since the real core of the story, the focus on individuals who must make dark choices is still constant.
I liked Spiral a good deal, once I got over the change of pace. In its way, it is as well written as Ring, although it seems to have fared worse when converted to film. That is a shame, because the book will get less attention than it should as a result.Spiral (Ring Series, Book 2) Overview

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Ring (Ring Series, Book 1) Review

Ring (Ring Series, Book 1)
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Ring (Ring Series, Book 1) ReviewBeing a big fan of both "Ringu" and its American remake "The Ring," I was intrigued to read the book that started it all. As one might suspect, much of the plot will be very similar to those who have seen one or both of the films. However, the book does hold a few of it's own surprises.
Asakawa is a reporter who unintentionally comes across a story while taking a cab home from work. The cabdriver is explaining how a young man died on the street one day right next to his car. The day and time he notes that the event took place is the same day and time that Asakawa's niece died. Both deaths were described as sudden heart failure. Odd coincidence? Further digging reveals that two other young adults died the same night, at approximately the same time, from the same strange unknown cause. Asakawa's investigation leads him to a resort in the woods, where he discovers and watches the infamous mysterious videotape with the odd, surreal images. Asakawa enlists the aid of his friend Ryuji, a philosophy professor, to help him solve the riddle and save his life. Together they are in a race against time to survive an ill fate.
The two gradually peel away layers of a distant past, and a child named Sadako who was known to have psychic powers. What is Sadako's wish? What is the ultimate purpose of her tape? Will Ryuji and Asakawa discover the truth in time to save themselves?
Some of the differences between the book and the movies are small, such as the fact that the main character in both films was female while the reporter and main character in the book is a male. In addition, the age difference between the reporter's child in both films was slightly older than the child in the book. However, there are some major differences as well. I loved the differences in the plot surrounding Sadako and her mother, as well as the video Sadako mentally produced. The process of discovery varies immensely as well in the book, and for the better in my opinion. The book did a wonderful job of keeping the tension level high as Ryuji and Asakawa painstakingly researched every tidbit of information they could ascertain from the videotape. Every aspect every step of the way is described with great detail and in a way that is easily understood by the reader. The author never asks the reader to take any great logical leaps. Yet another big difference is the way that the deaths of Sadako's victims are described. Clearly the directors of both versions of the film took a great deal of artistic liberty in this area, which is what was needed in order to make this book into a scarier film. Don't get me wrong, the story is still quite intense and even scary. However, it is quite different in the form of text. Suzuki focuses on the thrills and the detective-like inquiry rather than the in-your-face horror and vividly gory description that might have detracted from the plot. Furthermore, the bond between Ryuji and Asakawa and their clashing personalities are expertly described and make for an intriguing side-plot.
Overall this is a great book that any fan of the movies, or even horror or suspense in general, should definitely read. Koji Suzuki gives the reader a slightly different and highly unique spin on the well-known films that should not be over-looked. I most definitely look forward to reading "Spiral" and "Loop" next!Ring (Ring Series, Book 1) Overview

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