Miyamoto Musashi, swordmaster of the early Edo period (1603–1868), dedicated his life to reach perfection throughout swordsmanship. He fought and won more than 60 life-or-death duels and ended his career invincible. He left for future generations not only his fighting style but also the most important Japanese treatise on strategy, The Book of the Five Rings. Maisy Hatchard is a Japanese-English translator who specialises in board and computer games. She also writes about indie Japanese board games on her site, Japanalogue.

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• IntroductionThe Book of Earth Both an introduction to all the books, as well as metaphorically discussing martial arts, leadership and trainingThe Book of Water This book describes Musashi’s approach: Ni-ten ichi-ryu –Two Heavens, One Style. It covers basic technique and fundamental principles.The Book of Fire This book looks at action in the heat of battle, and discusses matters such as different types of timing.The Book of Wind This book discusses what Musashi considers to be the failings of various contemporary schools of sword fighting.The Book of the Void An epilogue. Musashi’s probably Zen-influenced thoughts on consciousness and on how to gain and maintain the correct mindset.