2026 Reading Challenge
Musashi

Questions About Musashi

by Eiji Yoshikawa

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Musashi, please sign up.

Answered Questions (5)

For those who have read Musashi as well as Taiko, which would you recommend reading first?
Dustin Dye I'd recommend Taiko first, as historically the events in Musashi follow those in Taiko. Musashi appears to have been written earlier, but the precedin…moreI'd recommend Taiko first, as historically the events in Musashi follow those in Taiko. Musashi appears to have been written earlier, but the preceding historical events would have been well-known to its Japanese audience, whereas foreigners might feel lost without the context. Both are stand-alone novels, however, and can be read, understood and enjoyed in any order.

I personally enjoyed Taiko the most, and would recommend that if you had to choose only one of them. I found it more epic and the translation was stronger. Taiko was highly edited from the Japanese original, which was sprawling and had a lot more subplots and minor characters than the better-focused English translation. Musashi is a full translation. Keep in mind both were serialized, and there are some problems in that format, which are more evident in Musashi. The book contains a few too many coincidences to completely suspend disbelief. This would have been less obvious to an audience reading it piece-by-piece in a newspaper than reading it consolidated in novel form with the ability to flip back. And while Yoshikawa remained amazingly consistent in the characters and subplots, no small feat for a story this size, some characters are dropped with no explanation (Musashi's sister), and he does have to do some backtracking at times when a certain detail from Musashi's past becomes important, but Yoshikawa had neglected to include it in earlier installments, so he has to elude to an episode that didn't happen in the book.

If you have to read anything first, The Heike Story is another good starting place. It is a well-known story in Japan, but Yoshikawa gives it a compelling twist by telling it from the point-of-view of its traditional villain (for that reason, the Japanese title literally translates to NEW Heike Story). The English translation actually came out before Yoshikawa had finished the Japanese version, so it is definitely not a complete translation, but that's OK, as it ends in a good spot. Heike's translation isn't as stong as Taiko or Musashi, however. You might also consider reading Shogun by James Clavell in between Taiko and Musashi as it is a fictionalized version of the events between the two novels (use Google to connect the fictional characters with their historical counterparts). But flip past the laughably bad romantic subplot.(less)
flag
Would this be good as audiobook for a 10-year-old boy? He has read Mythos and other semi-mature tales of mythology.
Thomas Dolan
This answer contains spoilers… (view spoiler)
flag
Is this one book the same as all 5 other Musashi books, by the same author, combined?
Brukland Yes. I found the 5 smaller books easier to hold and read than the massive hardcover.
flag
Alright so I can't really find the answer to this anywhere, but are the 5 Musashi novels that are also by the author just the main Musashi novel divided into 5 parts? Like "Musashi: The Way of the Samurai" and "Musashi: The Way of the Sword"? I noticed that the sum of the page numbers of the 5 novels is much higher than this full novel, but I'm assuming it's because of a difference in sizes?
Brukland The 5 books titled Musashi are the same as the larger hardcover.
flag
what is the difference between this book and vagabond's manga?. according to my understanding, they both follow the same story (one is based on the other)... would you recommend read the manga or the book.
Thomas Dolan It's been three years since you asked, so, hopefully, you made a choice. If not, though, please read on. The style of storytelling is very different b…moreIt's been three years since you asked, so, hopefully, you made a choice. If not, though, please read on. The style of storytelling is very different between the two. Both are recognized by some as masterpieces, and both are said to explore the depths of Musashi's character. The manga is based on the novel. The novel is based on the actual person, his art, and his writings (The Book of Five Rings and others). I recommend reading both. You will get a different experience from each. If you are already into manga, start with that. If not, you might find the novel easier to read because it doesn't have all of the stylized symbolism that is in the manga.(less)
flag

Unanswered Questions (3)

About Goodreads Q&A

Ask and answer questions about books!

You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.

See Featured Authors Answering Questions

Learn more