An epic of gargantuan proportions, Musashi follows the life of the legendary Japanese samurai Miyamoto Musashi. Eiji Yoshikawa paints a serene picture of feudal Japan with a particular emphasis on the Samurai way of life.
I cannot help but compare this book to The Shogun, since it deals with the same time period and the same events. The Shogun chooses to focus on the unimportant cultural frivolities and paints the Japanese as a mysterious group of people who’d jump to commit seppuku at the slightest provocation. Musashi delves deeper beyond the superficialities and presents a detailed breakdown of the Japanese psyche. Even the unadorned language is evocative of the simplistic Japanese way of life.
Despite being philosophically dense in a few places, it is still a fast paced page turner that’ll keep you hooked into the wee hours of the night. I’d recommend this as an addition to The Shogun to get a balanced perspective on Japanese history and the Way of the Samurai.