Miyamoto Musashi : his life and writings

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1. Childhood and training

The birth of Musashi

Musashi's childhood and his first duel

The founding of the school of two swords

The two sources of Musashi's art

The school of two swords

2. Musashi's duels

Duels and wars

Studying the arts of other schools through duels

The duel against Sasaki Kojiro

Musashi at the battle of Osaka

3. Deepening the way

Maturity

Musashi's last years

Composition of the Gorin no sho and Musashi's death

4. Writings on the five elements (Gorin no sho)

The scroll of earth

The scroll of water

The scroll of fire

The scroll of wind

The scroll of heaven

5. The texts preceding the Gorin no sho

The mirror of the way of strategy (Hyodokyo)

Thirty-five instructions on strategy

Forty-two instructions on strategy

The way to be followed alone (Dokkodo)

6. Notes of Musashi's disciples on the practice of his school

7. The school of musashi (Hyoho niten ichiryu)

The branches of the Hyoho niten ichiryu

The Hyoho niten ichiryu today

8. The transmission of Musashi's art

The role of Musashi's writings in the transmission of his art

The transmission of Musashi's art through practice

9. Musashi today : the practice of a contemporary adept

The labyrinth created by the way of holding the sword

The Nenryu school and its lineage

10. Weapons and ethics in swordsmanship training

The status of warriors

Technique and the status of the body

Integration of the religious element into the art of the sword

The formation of katas

11. Budo

The Meiji turning point and the modern notion of budo

The evolution of budo in the twentieth century

12. The relationship between adversaries

The complexity of combat in budo

The significance of the quest for kizeme

Confrontation and harmony

13. One life, one art