A Great Book

A book I've read recently that had a fantastic style of storytelling was Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa. The book is a fictionalized acount of the life of arguably the most famous samurai to have ever lived, Miyamoto Musashi. Its storytelling is fantastic for many reasons. Eiji Yoshikawa has managed to find a great balance in philosophy, art, and action in his novel. The scenes range from graphic descriptions of the violence--comparable to that of Homer's Iliad--that was feudal era of Japan to delicate words expressing subtle emotion. Yoshikawa also does a great job of describing Musashi as a man seeking to perfect himself. Not once during the novel, even at the end, does the reader feel that Musashi is the perfect swordsman and philosopher, but by the end of the novel, the reader believes that Musashi will achieve the higher understanding that he has so painstakingly searched for. A swordsman psychology is explained through his actions. Often times, Yoshikawa reveals what a man or woman is thinking simply by a twitch or an action that seems insignificant to the current situations. He often lets the reader interpret the actions himself. Here is an example of a seemingly insignificant action taking on greater meaning. Musashi and his greatest rival Sasaki Kojiro are about to duel on a beach. Sasaki's weapon of choice is his longsword called the Drying Pole while Musashi chooses to use a boken or wood sword that he fashioned out of an old boat oar. "The end of his scabbard rose high behind him as he drew the great Drying Pole. With his left hand, he slid the scabbard off and threw it into the water." This action seems insignificant considering the situation the men are in. Of course Kojiro would draw his sword. It is only natural that that be part of the duel. "Waiting just long enough for a wave to strike the reef and retreat, Musashi suddenly said in a quiet voice, 'You've lost, Kojiro.'
'What?' Ganryu [Kojiro's other name] was shaken to the core.
'The fight's been fought. I say you've been defeated.'
'What are you talking about?'
'If you were going to win, you wouldn't throw your scabbard away. You've cast away your future, your life.'
'Words! Nonsense!' " The throwing of the scabbard was much more significant than one would have thought. However, one can potentially take more from the fact that Musashi waited for a wave to crash and retreat and spoke "in a quiet voice." This is easy to skim over as one reads but shows perfectly the small mannerisms that reveal more about a character. Musashi is patient, waiting for the wave to crash to speak. Musashi is calm, speaking in a quiet voice. One draws contrast between Musashi and Kojiro here. Kojiro's actions are dramatic, his speaking is unrestrained, and he is impatiently desiring the fight, dismissing Musashi's words as just words. Yoshikawa with a simple short passage reveals more the mens' personalities and states of mind much more effectively than if he were to bluntly describe the men.
This book contains passages similar and very different to the quoted passage. Its diversity in writing and descriptions without descriptions are what make it a great read.