About the Art of War

Around 2,000 years ago, China was in turmoil.  A series of wars left a third of the population dead and the leaders in search of a new way of governing.  Confucius and Lao Tzu had developed their solutions but Sun Tzu's philosophy, born of his direct experience of war also gained a popular following amongst the ruling class.  In the Art of War, Sun Tzu recommended a strategic method to win that rarely required actual war.  Spies, diplomats, deception, and a correctly organised internal structure were his main tools.  If it came to war though, he had detailed insight into its methods and strategies.

Around 1600AD in Japan, a samurai named Miyamoto Musashi emerged that was literally unbeatable.  One time, using his two sword technique, he single-handedly beat over 30 samurai simultaneously attacking him with guns, arrows and swords.  The rulers asked him to explain is strategies in writing.  Alone in a cave he wrote The Book of Five Rings, a classic that is still used by modern executives and martial artists.

This web site explains the ideas of the Art of War and The Book of Five Rings.