Miyamoto Musashi, known as the "Saint of the Sword," is perhaps the most famous samurai of feudal Japan, a man who lived a life full of dangers, constantly balancing between life and death, simultaneously a soldier, artist, philosopher, and hermit monk. The Go Rin no Sho, or Book of Five Rings, immortalized his name and is considered today one of the most important works of Japanese philosophy on the art of swordsmanship and warfare. As Musashi himself attests, most of the instructions it contains apply both to duels between two warriors and to conflicts between two large armies, and it is often implied that these instructions can be applied to any other human endeavor. This is why the Book of Five Rings is studied in depth today not only by martial arts students but also by politicians, businesspeople, freelancers, and intellectuals, both in Asia and the Western World. 

The edition is enriched with many original notes that shed light on the most obscure points of the text and reveal the philosophy and way of life of the Samurai.