Wind & Ether

A new and unabridged translation of Eiji Yoshikawa's bestselling novel about Miyamoto Musashi—the most famous swordfighter in Japanese history!Musashi: The Novel is the first unabridged translation of Eiji Yoshikawa's great novel, the top-selling novel in Japan. Masterfully translated for the first time in its entirety by Alexander Bennett, this vivid and fast-paced story reveals the exploits and inner life of a man who finds not only his true purpose but also his humanity.In this second book, Miyamoto Musashi's heroic tale continues as he continues his transformation from an inexperienced soldier with no plan or direction to a Japan's greatest warrior. Even as he begins to dispatch the most skilled fighters with minimal effort, it all seems too easy. Still stung by their defeat at his hands, the Yoshioka dojo is eager for revenge as its leader, Seijuro, seeks out Musashi. Wrestling with his own demons, Musashi is torn by his love for Otsu and his ultimate goal. He also takes on a young boy as a student who shows promise as a swordsman but is Musashi losing his focus? It seems that while Musashi's destiny is at hand difficult choices will have to be made.Famous for fighting 62 duels without a single defeat, Musashi is a true philosopher warrior, author of the monumental treatise, The Book of Five Rings—one of the most widely read books in history. Although he was without peer, his path to glory was fraught with seemingly impossible challenges, tragic losses and emotional turmoil. And while his destiny seems clear, in order to achieve it he must open a new chapter and leave his old life behind.