“The Book of Five Rings” by the swordsman Miyamoto Musashi is one of the most famous and influential works of Japanese literature available in English translation. It is often interpreted as a guidebook for strategy in business. This is particularly ironic, because merchants (or what we would now call businessmen) were held in contempt by samurai like Musashi, and were officially the lowest of the social classes (despite having most of the money!).

Why is this book- which is basically a guide to effectively killing opponents in single combat- so influential in the modern world, considering that swordfighting is a thing of the past? Perhaps it's the enigma of Musashi himself- a wandering samurai who killed sixty men in private duels solely to demonstrate his superior skill, and then went on to become one of Japan's greatest painters, calligraphers and sculptors.

Musashi's obsession was excellence in all areas of life. His many lethal duels were actually very normal for an expert swordsman of his era. Samurai of that time period who considered themselves top-level martial artists would typically test their skills in one-on-one duels in which both men understood that death was a possibility. The strength of spirit needed to put your own life on the line in order to prove your skill again and again is part of what inspires people about Musashi's story.

Now that sword combat is no longer a reality, people still read The Book of Five Rings because they admire one aspect of Musashi's legacy- the determination to triumph in every conflict and the will to risk everything on the outcome.