Chapter 2 Author's Preface

The first edition of this book was published about ten years ago.And it has been nearly twenty years since I started planning and drafting.The book was later rebound and republished.During this period, I often fell into the blank thoughts of the past.Because, during this period, things are constantly changing.Someone once said to me: "Your "Miyamoto Musashi" is already a classic, it is just an old work!" I replied with a wry smile: "Maybe you are right. Although everyone thinks it is just a classic , which is a joy to me.” As a writer, it took nearly twenty years of hard work to complete this masterpiece.Now, there are still things that are not ideal.In the works, one can also see his immature inner world.However, it is undeniable that this work showed my naked and sincere work enthusiasm at that time.Now I no longer think about the future positioning of this work. I only have to hand it over to the trends and comments of the times and readers, and it will get the evaluation it deserves.

Miyamoto Musashi's life can be said to be full of troubles and struggles.Although the era he lived in is very far away from us, modern people still cannot get rid of these two distresses.Especially in the era in which Musashi lived, it was a society of naked struggle. Therefore, he embraced the survival instinct of human beings, and after experiencing troubles and sufferings, he suddenly awakened. "Tao", wrote an immortal record in his life.Every human being is born with sexual desires and physical needs.An important topic in literature is to explore this innate fighting instinct of human beings.The protagonist of this book, Musashi, has been fighting against this instinctual pain all his life.The suffering of fate is endless, Musashi lives in the boundless world, and his sword is as small as a needle in comparison.Even so, the sword represents the inner image of Musashi.It is also the representative of his pursuit of "struggle is Bodhi and struggle is Tao".

For these historical issues, what I care about is the impact it has caused.Although I am not an expert in Taoism, every time I think about it, I feel terrified.  Because, even a trivial novel can sometimes change the reader's life.  My attitude towards creating literature is not to classify works as literary or non-literary, but to focus on whether they have an impact on readers.  At the beginning, I wrote this book out of interest, but I was not nit-picking on my own. Thinking of the great influence, I had to pay special attention and spent a lot of thought in the process of writing.Over the years, through this work, the readers' love has been flocking to the author, which also makes me pay more attention to it as an author.Let me give you a small example. There was a late painter K. Mrs. U, living in hardship, decided to commit suicide for the whole family.On the day he made up his mind, he read the chapter in the evening paper about Musashi climbing Mount Chaoxiong. He was deeply moved and gave up the idea of ​​suicide.Later, through the introduction of director T of the supplement of "Asahi Daily News", I met with me before discussing this matter.In addition, the swimmer Furuhashi and the eight-dan chess player Masuda, these two also got inspiration from the book and were able to work hard.When I heard these examples, in addition to feeling joyful and inspired, I also deeply realized the greatness of my responsibilities, and the pressure on my heart was extremely painful.

In addition to the author's influence on the reader, the reader also has an influence on the writer.Perhaps it can be said that I have also been influenced by readers unconsciously.Putting the "desk" among the public, and the literary creation influenced by the spiritual life of the public may not be able to appreciate it alone.Because if it is novelized, I am afraid it will only lead to a more terrible fate literature.In the novel "Miyamoto Musashi", there is one point that is prone to controversy and sometimes leads to misunderstandings in storytelling, that is, I compare various signs of human beings and feudalism to a sword.However, I believe that as long as readers have correct aspirations, hold a modern point of view, and read this book from the perspective of the world and society, they will not misunderstand the true meaning of the "sword" in my book.I think readers should entertain when they should be entertained, dream when they should dream, interpret the principles in the book in line with the real world, and enjoy the fun of reading freely.

Musashi's sword is not a sword of killing, nor is it a curse of life.His sword is the sword of protection, but also the sword of love.In the lives of oneself and others, set a strict moral guideline with the sword, and strive to break free from the shackles of human destiny.At the same time, it is also the path pursued by philosophers.Musashi is also a painter, and has an elegant side, but because his painting career began in his later years, in the novel "Miyamoto Musashi", only some Musashi's paintings of screens and sculptures of Avalokitesvara are mentioned, which belong to the early stage of cultural intellectual budding . 

As for his love life, he also has his own way, and has no intention of forcing readers to imitate.But it can be used as a mirror for modern love.And how to focus is a personal freedom.Looking at Musashi through the two mirrors of the present and the past, one can see that his sword is no longer a mere murder weapon.