Miyamoto Musashi: A Life in Arms: A Biography of Japan’s Greatest Swordsman

Swords and Samurai go hand-in-hand when the topic is Japanese history. And, if you’re talking about the greatest and most influential swordsman, one name comes to mind: Miyamoto Musashi. Originator of a two-bladed fighting style that spawned hundreds of schools teaching his techniques, Musashi was a legend in his own time who has grown only more respected and revered over the centuries. But who was Musashi? How do you separate the man from the legend?

William De Lange accepted this monumental challenge, and after pouring over everything he could find–including translating previously unavailable works and sources–he has created the most in-depth study of Musashi yet attempted, one that portrays a man defined by his contradictions as much as by his actions.

Miyamoto Musashi: A Life in Arms is an impressive work of scholarship, offering insanely detailed recounts of Musashi’s battles and movements, some so richly rendered that you’d swear De Lange was present at the time, taking notes. And, although at times he struggles to separate conflicting facts from the beloved fictions they’ve inspired, the author still manages to assemble a virtually complete timeline of Musashi’s life, rife with both victory and tragedy.