Miyamoto Musashi (c. 1584 – June 13, 1645) was a swordsman and japanese samurai warrior renowned for his duels and unique fighting style. He was born in Harima Province and was also known as Shinmen Takezo, Miyamoto Bennosuke, and his Buddhist name Niten Doraku.
Often referred to as just Musashi, he rose to fame through stories of his exceptional swordsmanship, even from a very early age. He also founded the Hyoho Niten Ichi-ryu style of swordsmanship and penned Go Rin No Sho (The Book of Five Rings).
It is said that Musashi had fought over sixty duels and was never defeated, although this is only an estimate and most likely does not include deaths by his hand in major battles.
Duels and travels
According to the introduction of Go Rin No Sho, Musashi defeated his first opponent, a samurai called Arima Kihei, in 1596 at the age of thirteen. This was followed by a victory over a martial artist named Akiyama three years later. In 1600, the Toyotomi and Tokugawa clans clashed, and Musashi fought on the Toyotomi side. At the age of 20 or 21, he arrived in Kyoto and began a series of duels against the Yoshioka School.
After Musashi left Kyoto, he was said to have gone to Hozoin in Nara to duel with and learn from the monks there, who were known to be experts with lance weapons. Between 1605 to 1612, he traveled extensively all over Japan in Musha Shugyo, a warrior pilgrimage in which he honed his skills with duels. He was said to have wielded bokken or bokuto in actual battles.
On April 13, 1612, Musashi fought his most famous duel, with Sasaki Kojiro, on the island of Funajima. Musashi arrived late and used a bokken to kill his opponent who wielded a nodachi. The bokken was carved from an oar by Musashi while traveling to the island.
In 1615 he entered the service of Ogasawara Tadanao of Harima Province as a construction supervisor and helped build Akashi Castle. In 1621 he was part of the team that laid out the organization of the town of Himeji. During his stay he also taught martial arts, specializing in the art of shuriken throwing.
In 1633 Musashi began staying with the daimyo of Kumamoto Castle, Hosokawa Tadatoshi, to train and paint. While there, he seldom engaged in duels. In 1640 he became the official retainer of the Hosokawa lords of Kumamoto.
Go Rin No Sho and death
In early 1641, Musashi wrote Hyoho Sanju Go (Thirty-Five Instructions on Strategy) for Hosokawa Tadatoshi. This work would later form the basis for Go Rin No Sho. The following year he suffered attacks of neuralgia, and in 1643 he retreated to a cave called Reigando as a hermit to write Go Rin No Sho. He finished the book in 1645 and gave the manuscript copy to his closest disciple’s younger brother.
Musashi died in Reigando around June 13, 1645, presumably from thoracic cancer. He passed away peacefully after finishing his work Dokkodo (The Way of Walking Alone), which contained 21 guidelines on self-discipline. His body was interred in traditional samurai armor in the village of Yuge, and his hair was buried on Mount Iwato.
Teachings and artistic side
Musashi invented and perfected Hyoho Niten Ichi-ryu, a two-sword kenjutsu technique wherein the swordsman wields both a large sword and a companion sword at the same time, for example a samurai katana sword and a wakizahi.
Musashi was a gifted artist, calligrapher and sculptor, creating several works of art. He was skilled in architecture as well. In Go Rin No Sho, he even emphasized that a samurai warrior should be knowledgeable in other professions. He also spent many years studying Buddhism.
In modern culture
Several films, TV shows, and books about Musashi have been made. The song Sun and Steel by British heavy metal band Iron Maiden is about the famed samurai warrior.
