{"id":61464,"date":"2022-02-28T15:12:21","date_gmt":"2022-02-28T19:12:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=61464"},"modified":"2026-01-20T15:17:23","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T19:17:23","slug":"niten-ichi-ryu-miyamoto-musashi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/niten-ichi-ryu-miyamoto-musashi\/","title":{"rendered":"Niten Ichi-ry\u016b: Miyamoto Musashi’s Sword Style"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What does Miyamoto Musashi teach in The Book of Water? In what ways should a samurai be like water?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In The Book of Five Rings<\/em>, legendary samurai Miyamoto Musashi says that a samurai must learn to be like water. He teaches three fundamental components that a warrior must master if he wants to learn his famous sword style Niten Ichi-ry\u016b: 1) don’t memorize, absorb, 2) train both body and mind, and 3) master yourself first. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s take a look at each in detail. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The Water Book\u2014Training Mentally and Physically for Combat   <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After he introduces the key elements of the Way in the Ground Book<\/a>, Musashi next details his strategies for developing an optimal mental and physical state as a warrior. <\/strong>In the Water Book, he explains how the warrior can train himself both mentally and physically. Musashi names this book the \u201cWater\u201d book because he believes that the ideal warrior needs to be like water. Water can change its form (liquid, mist, ice), and can also adapt to any container it is poured into when it is a liquid. Like water, the ideal warrior must also be adaptable according to circumstances and flexible enough to apply different weapons or techniques. <\/strong>This is called Niten Ichi-ry\u016b, Miyamoto Musashi’s famous sword style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Like Musashi, Sun Tzu also compares the successful warrior to water in Book VI of the Art of War<\/em>:<\/a> The warrior is like water, Tzu<\/a> writes, because he can always adapt his approach to the changing conditions of battle.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flexibility as a Law of Power<\/strong>

Musashi\u2019s idea that the warrior gains huge advantages by being flexible still has resonance in the thinking of modern commentators. In The 48 Laws of Power<\/a><\/em>, Robert Greene sets out flexibility as his 48th and final law<\/a>. Greene argues that remaining flexible and elusive always gives you the upper hand by making it hard for your opponent to guess your true emotions, intentions, or plans\u2014those who are more rigid or emotionally open, he argues, are easier to predict and outmaneuver. 

However, there are times and contexts when being firmly and openly committed to a particular approach or idea can also <\/em>bring success, and can even bring a form of moral authority<\/a> that boosts your public image. For example, both Gandhi and, later, Martin Luther King Jr. showed unwavering commitment to their strategy of non-violence. The firmness of both leaders led to success in the end, and the moral stature they gained in the public perception of them granted them an enduring presence in the popular consciousness.   <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There are three components to this training: 1) pursuing absorption of principles over memorization; 2) training the body and mind in tandem, and 3) gaining control over oneself before seeking to lead others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Don\u2019t Memorize, Absorb<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musashi repeatedly warns that reading The Book of Five Rings <\/em>will not automatically make someone a great warrior. It is not enough to simply <\/strong>know<\/em><\/strong> the principles of the Way\u2014you must <\/strong>absorb<\/em><\/strong> the principles on a deeper level, incorporating them into your very essence.<\/strong> Musashi urges the reader to reflect deeply upon everything he reads in the book, and repeats that some things cannot be clearly explained in writing: They can only be fully understood through personal absorption and application. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After absorption of the principles, Musashi argues that it is only through constant practice that something can become second nature. Be patient and train step-by-step. There are no shortcuts.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: While Musashi has previously acknowledged the importance of constant training, his emphasis here on patience and commitment to a process suggests that warriors need to follow logical, step-by-step regimens if their constant training is to be effective. Musashi doesn\u2019t explain what he expects this process to look like; as is typical of his style, he leaves it to the reader to determine the best regimen for themselves.)  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making Knowledge and Skills \u201cSecond Nature\u201d<\/strong>

When Musashi urges his readers to absorb<\/em> his principles instead of merely memorizing them, he does so for two reasons. First, this is in keeping with Musashi\u2019s student-centric approach more generally. Since true knowledge is active <\/em>and not passive, the aspiring warrior must always seek ways of making the knowledge truly his own before putting it to use.<\/strong> Second, by fully absorbing knowledge, the warrior increases his chances of applying it more effectively in real-world situations, even while under pressure in combat situations. 

The modern concept of \u201cmuscle memory\u201d also claims that making something instinctive and automatic is both a mental and physical process<\/a>. Muscle memory <\/em>refers to the way in which repetition while learning a skill<\/a> or performing a task helps to forge new neural pathways<\/a> in the brain, allowing the process to eventually become physically and\/or mentally automatic. For example, an elite soccer player will practice certain kicks and moves thousands of times to make his reactions instinctual. An opera singer will sing a piece many times over with the sheet music so that she can effortlessly summon both the notes and lyrics, unaided, during her on-stage performance. See the exercise at the end of this chapter for reflecting on the process of skill \u201cabsorption\u201d in your own life. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

2. Train Both Body and Mind <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musashi believes that being a great warrior has both mental and physical aspects. The body shouldn\u2019t overpower the mind, and the mind shouldn\u2019t overpower the body. <\/strong>Both must be carefully trained and work in sync. Musashi offers the following strategies for forging a strong mind\/body connection:<\/p>\n\n\n\n