If we're talking about debates, here's one I want to have.
Ever since my rereading of The Book of the Five Rings, I really did find his book complete and utter shit when spoken through his mouth.
Sun Tzu's Art of War will always be more practical and useful than Musashi's Book of the Five Rings.
Musashi is constantly stating how no one is perfect, how there is no greater martial art than another, just how the "spirit of the thing" takes you to whichever martial arts style yo seem to fit with, then has an entire chapter based on different martial arts styles, and why HIS fighting style is superior. My favorite is when he talks about those with the long swords, like nodachi, and goes so far as to call them cowards!
When Musashi fought Sasaki Kojiro, who was known for using a nodachi, and carved a bokken out of an oar, which was LONGER than Kojiro's nodachi, and was more like a suburito. This is, plain and simple, a cheat, and for a nobleman like himself to cheat like that, and go against what he called a "cowards weapon" shows he didn't really take what he was bashing and writing into much consideration.
Let's also look into the context that Musashi seems to think only in duels, and thus, mainly writes about one versus one battles, or two versus one. Every now and again does he mention something about fighting full scale war. Sun Tzu's entire book is about facing the odds, or finding a way to beat an enemy. However, Sun Tzu's advice is not so much vague, but very SPECIFIED to each particular situation that you can pull it into every day occurrences like work, or life, or love or whatever.
Thus, Sun Tzu's Art of War, is way better than Musashi's Book of the Five Rings.
Please, flame me.
Ever since my rereading of The Book of the Five Rings, I really did find his book complete and utter shit when spoken through his mouth.
Sun Tzu's Art of War will always be more practical and useful than Musashi's Book of the Five Rings.
Musashi is constantly stating how no one is perfect, how there is no greater martial art than another, just how the "spirit of the thing" takes you to whichever martial arts style yo seem to fit with, then has an entire chapter based on different martial arts styles, and why HIS fighting style is superior. My favorite is when he talks about those with the long swords, like nodachi, and goes so far as to call them cowards!
When Musashi fought Sasaki Kojiro, who was known for using a nodachi, and carved a bokken out of an oar, which was LONGER than Kojiro's nodachi, and was more like a suburito. This is, plain and simple, a cheat, and for a nobleman like himself to cheat like that, and go against what he called a "cowards weapon" shows he didn't really take what he was bashing and writing into much consideration.
Let's also look into the context that Musashi seems to think only in duels, and thus, mainly writes about one versus one battles, or two versus one. Every now and again does he mention something about fighting full scale war. Sun Tzu's entire book is about facing the odds, or finding a way to beat an enemy. However, Sun Tzu's advice is not so much vague, but very SPECIFIED to each particular situation that you can pull it into every day occurrences like work, or life, or love or whatever.
Thus, Sun Tzu's Art of War, is way better than Musashi's Book of the Five Rings.
Please, flame me.