Musashi Readalong - Part 7 - The End!

Readalong hosted by Jenners at Life...With Books.


Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa - translated from the Japanese by Charles S. Terry.
With a foreword by Edwin O. Reischauer.
First published 1971.

The Classic samurai novel about the real exploits of the most famous swordsman.

The 970p volume is separated into seven different books and we're reading one for each 9 day period of the readalong.

Book 1 - Book 2 - Book 3 - Book 4 - Book 5 - Book 6

Book 7 - The Perfect Light

I remember when we began at the beginning of October and the end of November seemed a long way off . Now this unique reading experience has ended and I felt quite bereft as I turned the the final page on Sunday.
This last book was a little different than I expected but in the best possible way. It begins by bringing together all the main characters ........

Otsu and Osugi are once again at loggerheads but events lead to reconciliation and Osugi becomes a completely changed person.

Matahachi , who has been training to be a priest , has a change of mind when he suddenly sees Atemi again . Realising the child she carries must be his he now wants to be with them.

Jotaro, Iori and Gonnusake.........and many more of the characters we've met , both friend and foe of Musashai  - all now begin to move towards Funajima Island.

The Musashi - Kojiro Duel

Sometime through Book 5 I realised that the book was not going to be the whole story of Musashi's life and that it was most likely the famous duel between Musashi and Kojiro that would provide the climax. Instead the author chose to use it as a finale - no fireworks, no great dramatic action - a quiet and very moving ending. I never thought I'd ever be describing a fight as beautiful!

Before the duel, for which in typical fashion Musashi is once again late, he has a few moments with Otsu. She is so ill ......
Heartbreaking...............I cried!

“But … but …” She was sobbing with her whole body, but with a burst of strength, she seized his hand and cried, “Say it. Say I’m your wife throughout this life.”

He nodded, slowly, silently. Then one by one, he pulled her delicate fingers from his arm and stood erect. “A samurai’s wife must not weep and go to pieces when he goes off to war. Laugh for me, Otsu. Send me away with a smile. This may be your husband’s last departure.”

The duel is fought and Kojiro dies.
Musashi leaves.

I began my first post with the opening sentences...........I end the last with the final, very beautiful paragraphs.

***************

"People do not give up their loves and hates as long as life lasts. Waves of feeling come and go with the passage of time. Throughout Musashi’s lifetime, there were those who resented his victory and criticized his conduct on that day. He rushed away, it was said, because he feared reprisal. He was confused. He even neglected to administer the coup de grace.


The world is always full of the sound of waves.

The little fishes, abandoning themselves to the waves, dance and sing and play, but who knows the heart of the sea, a hundred feet down? Who knows its depth? "

Thank you, Jenners

It has been a real pleasure to share this journey with you. I doubt I would ever have crossed paths with Musashi and even if I had a fleeting glance would have been all he received before I moved on. At the beginning I doubts but apart from a brief period during Book 5 none of them materialized. I did worry that I might not be able to keep up the posts but found they became something I really looked forward to doing. One of the great things about readalongs is having to stop reading which leaves time for googling and research which I really enjoy - I love adding the images to posts.

I've learnt much about 17th century Japan and that having a good sense of the ridiculous adds so much to the enjoyment of this story. I've loved the diverse characters , the descriptions of nature and even the fights. Like Musashi I've learnt that being a samurai is not all about swordfights but has a deep inner Zen spiritualism at its core and that Musashi's journey is actually the same one we're all on. I'm very glad I had to buy the book because, although I doubt I'll ever read it again in its entirety, I look forward to dipping into its pages now and then. I love randomly opening a page for quotes for daily reflection - sometimes the results are surprising.......like now........p678

"On the day of the celebration, the men arrived with great jars of sake".

Kampai, Jenners.

Musashi Readalong - Part 6

Readalong hosted by Jenners at Life...With Books.


Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa - translated from the Japanese by Charles S. Terry.
With a foreword by Edwin O. Reischauer.
First published 1971.

The Classic samurai novel about the real exploits of the most famous swordsman.

The 970p volume is separated into seven different books and we're reading one for each 9 day period of the readalong.

Book 1 - Book 2 - Book 3 - Book 4 - Book 5

Book 6 - Sun and Moon

I enjoyed this book - it was shorter and had less darting off into different subplots. Most of the manin characters are in or around Edo ( Tokyo) and their activities were connecting and it was all much easier to follow.

Osugi - it must be 7 -8 years since the story began so she must be almost 70 years old by now which in the 17th century must surely have been considered a great age but nothing seems to keep this indomitable old lady from her quest for revenge. She's been conducting a most successful smear campaign against Musashi which is made even worse by his refusal to retaliate.

Musashi  is definitely older and wiser than the rash, undisciplined boy he was and rather than look for trouble he and Ioro build themselves a home outside of Edo where he concentrates on training the boy .

The Great Revelation

Iori wants to attend the dance festival at the Mitzumine Shrine and ,although reluctant ,Musashi agrees to take him.


Musashi Self Portrait


It is here that he has the 'aha' moment that would make him famous throughout the country for generations to come.

" The revelation struck like lightning. Musashi had been watching the hands of one of the drummers, weilding two short, clubshaped drumsticks. He sucked in his breath and shouted " That's it! Two swords!"

Musashi is also being considered for a position as a tutor to the shogun but a wrongful arrest for theft which lands him in jail adds more fuel to Osugi's campaign and he is refused the appointment because of unfavourable reports of his character.

" What was left unexplained was why people accepted so unquestioningly what they were told. Not just ordinary people - women gossiping around the well or laboureres drinking in cheap sake shops - but men who had the intelligence to sift fact from fabrication."

Having come to the conclusion he didn't really want the position anyway but didn't want to upset his friends and sponsors, Musashi is not at all upset about the decision.

Jotaro returns - having spent the past few years with his adoptive father, Daizo, he is rescued in the nick of time for Daizo is involved in a plot against the shogun.
Matahachi and Akemi , who have been living as man and wife, also find themselves mixed up in the plot and are very lucky to escape with their lives, suffering a severe whipping but saved from losing their heads..........thanks to Takuan.

A discovery is made that reveals Otsu is Iori's long lost sister.

Musashi decides to go away to the mountains for a few years and he leaves the care of Ioro  to Gonnosuke and a letter for his friends that ends " Indulging my chronic wanderlust, I am setting out on another journey."

One more book to go...........

Musashi Readalong - Part 5

Readalong hosted by Jenners at Life...With Books.

Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa - translated from the Japanese by Charles S. Terry.
With a foreword by Edwin O. Reischauer.
First published 1971.

The Classic samurai novel about the real exploits of the most famous swordsman.

The 970p volume is separated into seven different books and we're reading one for each 9 day period of the readalong.

Book 1 - Book 2 - Book 3 - Book 4

Book 5 - Sky

Real life has me in it's grip at the moment so this week I'm having to settle for a very brief summary just to keep me up to date.

The end of Book 4 saw Musashi Otsu and Jotaro reunited and on their way to Edo. Unfortunately this didn't last long - Musashi goes on ahead and Matahachi seizes the opportunity to kidnap Otsu. Jotaro can't find Musashi and so once again the three are separated.

" Musashi had been roaming the countryside, devoting himself to ascetic practices, punishing his body to perfect his soul"

His attitude to life changes and he begins to see his life as being about more than fulfilling his own desires and that leadership is more than being the best swordsman. A year and a half pass and he finds himself in a village where he discovers a way to grow rice and other grains on a floodplain considered impossible to cultivate. When the village is attacked he takes charge and shows the villagers how to protect themselves. He also takes another young boy, Iori, under his wing...........when the villagers become too dependent on him he moves on.

I really enjoyed the parts of this book that focused on Musashi but for the first time I became a bit impatient with the extra subplots and new characters popping in and out. Probably because it made the book so long, my time was limited and I worried I wasn't going to finish. The final two books are shorter so hopefully I'll be back on track for next time.

Musashi Readalong - Part 4

Readalong hosted by Jenners at Life...With Books.


Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa - translated from the Japanese by Charles S. Terry.
With a foreword by Edwin O. Reischauer.
First published 1971.

The Classic samurai novel about the real exploits of the most famous swordsman.

The 970p volume is separated into seven different books and we're reading one for each 9 day period of the readalong.

Book 1 - Earth
Book 2 - Water
Book 3 - Fire

Book 4 - Wind

At 188p this was the longest book so far and ,of course, it had to come during the week of a long family holiday weekend followed by a short and busy week so I didn't actually finish it until yesterday. Some highlights......

Not one but three big fights

• The long-awaited bout between Seijuro and Musashi turned out to be a fizzer. While onlookers waited with great anticipation at the appointed venue the opponents met alone in a field. Musashi wasn't keen on fighting because he didn't consider Seijuro a worthy opponent - with one blow he smashed his shoulder and that was it. As he is being taken home Seijuro has Kojiro cut his useless arm off.




Ichijo-ji Temple


• Defending the honour of the Yoshioko School now falls on Seijuro's brother, Denshichiro, who spends most of his time overindulging in sake. Musashi has no problem killing him off .
• The head of the Yoshioka clan is now a 13-year-old boy too young to fight but the rest of the school gather a large force and challenge Musashi to a fight near the Ichijo-ji Temple. Musachi prepares himself to die  but manages to outwit his opponents, kills the boy, and escapes.

'Not having studied under a teacher, Musashi found himself occasionally at a disadvantage, but there were also times when he had profited by this. One of his strengths was that he had never been pressed into the mould of any particular school........his style had no discernable form, no rules, no secret techniques."

The fight sequences never get repetitious or boring because there is a great deal of other things going on between them.

Art, Tea and a Courtesan

Following the bout with Seijuro, Musashi encounters Koetsu.........." ....a man of many talents. He painted, excelled as a ceramist and laquer-maker and was regarded as a connoisseur of art.'.......and eventually goes to stay with him and his mother. He begins to recognise that mastering any art holds the same essence as his struggle to perfect swordsmanship. There are some lovely passages describing the Tea Ceremony, paintings , poetry and crafts.

And a visit to the licensed quarters outside of which prostitution was illegal. It is here the men went for sexual enjoyment and romantic attachments with the beautiful and accomplished 'yujo' (play women) , the predecessors of the Geisha.
 Musashi will, after his fight with Denshichiro. take refuge with and spend several days under the spell of Yoshino, the most famous of all the courtesans.

Otsu and Musashi are reunited

Otsu survives a murderous attack by Matahachi and Osugi but becomes ill, refusing to eat as she longs for Musashi. Jotaro convinces Musachi that he must see her. Finally! Musachi stops running away and not only tells Otsu how much he loves her but also reveals his greatest fear...........' that if he allowed himself to love her, his sword will be blunted.......he might lose the Way."
They part again but not for long for Musashi comes to realise that Otsu will never be a hindrance or try to hold him back. He sends her a letter

Kara Bridge, Seta

"At Hanada Bridge , it was you who waited. This time, let it be me. I've gone on ahead. I'll wait for you in Otsu, at Kara Bridge in the village of Seta."

Musashi, Otsu and Jotaro are on their way to Edo.........on to Book 5.

Musashi Readalong - Part 3

Readalong hosted by Jenners at Life...With Books.

Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa - translated from the Japanese by Charles S. Terry.
With a foreword by Edwin O. Reischauer.
First published 1971.

The Classic samurai novel about the real exploits of the most famous swordsman.

The 970p volume is separated into seven different books and we're reading one for each 9 day period of the readalong.

Book 1 - Earth
Book 2 - Water

Book 3 - Fire

This wonderful Japanese experience continues it's journey of action, adventure and many comings and goings and crossing of paths. Today I'm going to focus on the fairer sex and introduce you to the two young women who yearn to be the love in Mushashi's life.

Sumiyoshi is a seaside town and port not far from Osaka and it is here that several characters now find themselves. Matahachi , after several misadventures, has been reunited with his mother, Osugi, and Uncle Gon, and coerced into joining in the hunt for Musashi.
Also staying in Sumiyoshi are Oto and her daughter Akemi who are with Master Seijuro and several no-hoper students of the Yoshioka School.

Akemi - was sixteen when Mushashi & Matahachi stayed with her and her mother on the way home from the battle. Ever since then

"Her longing for Musashi had grown deeper and stronger. The thread of love had lengthened, and she had wound it up into a ball inside her breast. Through all the years, she had gone on spinning the thread from distant memories and bits of hearsay and winding it round the ball to make it larger and larger."

Akemi walks on the beach searching for the seashell she has read about in a poem carved on a stone.

Sumiyoshi Beach

" Had I but the time
I'd find it on the Sumiyoshi shore
They say it comes there.......
The shell that brings
Oblivion to love"

"When she was sad, Akemi often thought her problems would be solved if she could only forget the past and enjoy the present.......
........If there really were such a thing as a seashell of forgetfulness, she decided, , she wouldn't carry it herself, but instead, sneak it into Seijuro's sleeve. She sighed, imagining how lovely life would be if he would just forget all about her."

Seijuro wants Akemi and sadly, when she returns to the inn his patience runs out and he forces himself on her. The distraught Akemi runs from the inn and into the sea intent on taking her life. She is seen by Osugi and Uncle Gon.........he heroically attempts to save her but when they are both brought to shore Akemi lives but poor brave Uncle Gon is dead.

Akemi heads for Kyoto alone, is attacked by a dog and rescued by Kojiro.

Musashi.......he must be back in Kyoto a year after he left for two reasons - to meet Matahachi and to fight Seijuro - but as the year is drawing to a close he finds himself with a foot infected by a rusty nail. He travels to Yamada where from his window he sees the forest around the Ise Shrine and the mountains beyond and knows he must climb the mountain. He crosses the bridge and enters the precincts of the Inner Shrine.

Bridge to Ise Inner Shrine



 " He sensed a sacred presence, sensed it in the plants, in the trees, even in the voices of the birds...

...Through the bleak, ceaseless moaning of the great trees in the sacred forest Musashi's ear caught another sound. Somewhere, not far away flutes and reeds were giving voice to the strains of ancient music..."

The Ise Shrine is dedicated to the Goddess Amaterasu - the music  Musashi is hearing comes from the young women in service to the deity who live in the House of Virgins. And who should be there teaching young ladies the flute.....

Otsu........and Jotaro working in the gardens. They had hoped to spend the winter at the shrine but on the very day Musashi climbs the mountain and frees the poison from his foot Otsu is told she must leave as there is gossip about her suitability to be living in the House of Virgins.

Without meeting all three take the road to Kyoto. Otsu learns that Musashi is near...

" Now that she was about to see Musashi again, her spirit was dancing for joy. This elation , she knew, was that of anticipation; she could not predict whether Musashi would accept her devotion. "

Confrontations on Gojo Avenue Bridge

• Osugi spots Musashi and attempts to fight him but he eludes her.
• Akemi rushes into Musashi's arms and pours her sad story out but he is more interested in eyeballing Kojiro who he instinctively recognises as another fine swordsman.
• Otsu comes to find Musashi but when she sees him with Akemi her jealousy and doubts hold her back and she makes her move too late.
• Osugi fools Otsu into accompanying her to the inn where she is staying.
• The announcement of the coming fight between Musashi and Seijuro has been posted on the bridge.

Now it's on to Book 4 !

 



Musashi Readalong - Part 2

Readalong hosted by Jenners at Life...With Books.

Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa - translated from the Japanese by Charles S. Terry.
With a foreword by Edwin O. Reischauer.
First published 1971.

The Classic samurai novel about the real exploits of the most famous swordsman.

The 970p volume is separated into seven different books and we're reading one for each 9 day period of the readalong.

Book 1 - Earth

Book 2 - Water

Although around 100 pages doesn't seem much a great deal is packed into them and I've come to the conclusion it's too difficult to try and summarise the story so going with a few thoughts in general.

1605 -Book 2 begins with Musashi's arrival in Kyoto at the renowned Yoshioka School of martial arts where he challenges and soundly beats up several students , escapes their wrath for now but has made enemies which its likely he will have to deal with in the future. This is the first of several similar occasions - later on his way to Yagyu he is ambushed by another group of angry ronin ......

'Musashi's sword screeched back and forth through the air, a reverberation in his own body telling him when he connected with human bone. Blood and brains spattered from his blade, fingers and arms flew through the air.'

This is the 'boy stuff' I feared I wouldn't like and I'm rather surprised I'm finding it all rather exciting and it is balanced out by other quieter and more reflective passages.

"in a large,dense forest of cryptomeria"

At Hozoin, a monastery and also a martial arts centre, Musashi meets Nikkan , an old priest who tells him ' Your strength is your problem. You must learn to control it, become weaker."

They share a meal and talk and Musashi comes away feeling ...' When it was only a matter of physical strength, I won, but I left there feeling defeated. Why? Did I win outwardly only to lose inwardly?'

Musashi has come a long way in five years and has matured considerably but he still has much to learn.


One of the things I enjoyed most about Book 2 was having so many of the characters from Book 1 return.
With all of them in the same area there are several near miss encounters which often reminded me of a French farce and adds some humour to the mix. As does the new character, Jotaro...........the lively, young boy  Mushashi has taken under his wing and who is accompanying him on his travels.
In the final stages of the book Musashi and Jotaro come to the castle where Otsu is staying.......Musashi hears her flute but, despite realising his feelings for her, he once again runs away.

Takuan shows up and tries to no avail to advise Otsu against continuing her pursuit of Musashi.

On to Book 3!

Musashi Readalong - Part 1

Readalong hosted by Jenners at Life...With Books.

Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa - translated from the Japanese by Charles S. Terry.
With a foreword by Edwin O. Reischauer.
First published 1971.

The Classic samurai novel about the real exploits of the most famous swordsman.

The 970p volume is separated into seven different books and we're reading one for each 9 day period of the readalong.

Book 1 - Earth

Opening line - " Takezo lay among the corpses. There were thousands of them. 'The whole world's gone crazy," he thought dimly. " A man might as well be a dead leaf, floating in the autumn breeze."

Japan, 1600 ---- Lured to the great Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 by the hope of becoming a samurai–without really knowing what it meant–Takezo regains consciousness after the battle to find himself lying defeated, dazed and wounded among thousands of the dead and dying. On his way home, he commits a rash act, becomes a fugitive and brings life in his own village to a standstill–until he is captured by a weaponless Zen monk, Takuan.

While initially feeling sympathy for the predicament of eighteen-year-old Takezo, and his friend Matahachi , it becomes apparent as the story tells of his growing up, that he is a bit of a hoodlum. Raised by a strict and abusive father he becomes the village bully , an undisciplined and violent young man who only has himself to blame for the situation he finds himself in.

The lovely Otsu, seeing in Musashi her ideal of manliness, frees him from his tortuous punishment, but he is recaptured and imprisoned. During three years of solitary confinement, he delves into the classics of Japan and China. When he is freed he is a changed person and determined to follow the true 'Way of the Warrior'. He is given a new name and will from now on be known as Miyamoto Musashi.

Loving the historical background! .......it never overpowers the adventure and action but it's rich with details of the lives of the people, the clothes, the food, the work of the villagers and life in the monastery. Much of the descriptive prose relates to nature which provides a nice contrast to the everyday activity - " Takuan felt that he himself had turned into flowing water, splashing through a ravine, playing in the shallows. When the high notes sounded, he felt his spirit wafted into the sky to gambol with the clouds."

Great characters - their individuality really comes alive through their words and actions. Some of the dialogue is very amusing and it's the only time I realise I'm reading a translation. Many of the characters are real people like one of my favourites, Takuan the monk - 'a famous Zen monk, calligrapher, painter, poet and teamaster who founded a monastery in Edo, but is best remembered for having left his name to a popular Japanese pickle."

The women!! One of my concerns about reading this book was that it would be all 'boys stuff' and imagined if there were female characters they'd be timid, submissive little kimonoed ladies tottering several paces behind their menfolk. Not so - I first noted the mention of how Tazedo's mother had left her husband and son and gone off and married someone else which seemed unusual for the times. But then there is also...

• Oko and her daughter Akemi - on their journey home the boys take refuge in the home of this widow who makes a living by sending her daughter out to rob corpses.
• Otsu - Matahachi's betrothed, raised in the monastery, she can read and write and is the one who frees Tazedo.
• Osugi - a most formidable lady, the 60-year-old mother of Matahachi and 'the real head of the family'. When she discovers Tazedo has escaped she determines to chase him down - herself. "Having already donned suitable attire for a manhunt, she slipped the short sword in her obi...."

You don't mess with these ladies - all of them are perfectly capable of thinking and acting for themselves.

Wonderfully entertaining and interesting - I'm enjoying it immensely!