This is Thomas Cleary's translation of the seminal writings attributed to Yamamoto Kansuke (1501-61) on Japanese martial arts and military service. A mysterious man of humble origins, Yamamoto was a career soldier who distinguished himself in the service of the redoubtable Takeda Shingen; developing the art of discerning situational combat advantage, Yamamoto founded the so-called "school of certain victory," from which Miyamoto Musashi (The Book of Five Rings) later emerged. Cleary, one of the foremost translators of the martial wisdom of Asia, provides numerous insights in his annotations on this classic treatise.

"One of the foremost contemporary translators of classical Buddhist and Taoist literature.... [Cleary's] translations shine with clarity and express the insights of these great teachers with beauty and understanding."—Library Journal