A book by a martial arts teacher of the Shogun's family and the head of the secret service
Yagyu, who was trained in martial arts by his own father, became Tokugawa Hidetada's teacher in 1601. He wasn't even thirty years old at the time. Two years later, the Tokugawa State Government was established and Hidetada became the second shogun in 1605. Yagyu Munenori thus acquired the official title of Shogunke Heiho Shihan, or Martial Arts Teacher of the Shogun's Family.
The Book of Family Traditions of the Art of War was completed in 1632, the same year that Yagyu Munenori became Chief of the Secret Service. His writing thus reflects a much more developed social and political consciousness than Musashi's work.
The audiobook consists of three main volumes called The Deadly Sword, The Reviving Sword and No Sword. These terms from Zen Buddhism can be applied to the war and peace principles of samurai life. The deadly sword represents the use of force to suppress disorder and violence. The animating sword personifies the readiness to perceive and prevent possible problems. No sword then means the ability to take full advantage of the possibilities of one's surroundings. Zen Buddhism and martial arts.
Yagyu's work contains a relatively large amount of material from Zen sources that points to the similarities between some aspects of Zen Buddhism and the martial arts. However, Yagyu himself makes it clear that the similarity between Zen and martial arts is neither perfect nor complete, and emphasizes that he himself is not an expert on Zen Buddhism. Nobles, their brothers and sons increasingly applied for admission to the "New Shadow" school, which Jagju, as a renowned fighter and swordsman, founded. Although he had a brilliant military career, he writes of himself that he only understood the deeper meaning of martial arts when he was over 50 years old.
Yagyu wrote his book on martial arts at the end of his life, after he had reflected sufficiently on his experiences. The life of Miyamoto Musashi differs significantly from that of Yagyu Munenori, although both men were professional fighters.
So we have released not only this book as an audiobook, but also The Book of Five Circles, including a bundle of both audiobooks.