Wind & Ether

by Eiji Yoshikawa Book 2 in the Musashi series.

First published 2026

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3.5(6)

Musashi’s reputation grows as he travels through early Tokugawa Japan and tests himself against established schools. His defeat of Yoshioka Seijūrō intensifies the school’s determination to destroy him, while responsibility for a young follower and his continuing attachment to Otsū challenge the independence he has chosen.

Sasaki Kojirō emerges as a brilliant swordsman following a separate path towards renown. By placing the two careers in parallel, Yoshikawa shifts the novel from the impulsive violence of Musashi’s youth towards questions of teaching, reputation and the cost of treating every encounter as a contest.