Miyamoto Musashi Quotes

The Cave, the Book, and the Final Walk

In 1643, at roughly 59, Musashi retreated to Reigandō, a cave on Mount Iwato in Kumamoto. There, in near-total solitude, he wrote 'The Book of Five Rings,' a treatise on strategy, combat, and the nature of mastery. One week before his death, he wrote the Dokkōdō, 'The Path of Aloneness,' twenty-one rules for living. He died on June 13, 1645, reportedly sitting upright with his sword across his lap. He had spent his entire life learning how to fight. In the end, what he left behind was a book about how to think.