Miyamoto Musashi

Miyamoto Musashi (宮本 武蔵, c. 1584 – 13 June 1645), was a Japanese swordsman, strategist, artist, and writer who became renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed swordsmanship and undefeated record in his 62 duels (next is 33 by Itō Ittōsai). Miyamoto is considered a kensei (sword saint) of Japan. He was the founder of the Niten Ichi-ryū, or Nito Ichi-ryū, style of swordsmanship, and in his final years authored A Book of Five Rings (五輪の書, Go Rin No Sho) and Dokkōdō (獨行道, The Path of Aloneness).
Both documents were given to Terao Magonojō, the most important of Miyamoto's students, seven days before Musashi's death. The Book of Five Rings deals primarily with the character of his Niten Ichi-ryū school in a concrete sense, i.e., his own practical martial art and its generic significance; The Path of Aloneness, on the other hand, deals with the ideas that lie behind it, as well as his life's philosophy in a few short aphoristic sentences.
It is believed that Miyamoto was a friend of a Tokugawa shogunate general named Mizuno Katsunari and fought together with him in the Battle of Sekigahara, Siege of Osaka, and Shimabara Rebellion as part of the Tokugawa army.
The Miyamoto Musashi Budokan training center, located in Ōhara-chō (Mimasaka), Okayama Prefecture, Japan was erected to honor his name and legend.
The details of Miyamoto Musashi's early life are difficult to verify. Musashi writes in The Book of Five Rings that he was born in Harima Province, in the village of Miyamoto. Niten Ki (an early biography of Musashi) supports the assertion that Musashi was born in 1584: "[He] was born in Banshū, in Tenshō 12 [1584], the Year of the Monkey." The historian Kamiko Tadashi, commenting on Musashi's text, notes: "Munisai was Musashi's father ... he lived in Miyamoto village, in the Yoshino district [of Mimasaka Province]. Musashi was most probably born here."
Musashi gives his full name and title in The Book of Five Rings as Shinmen Musashi-no-Kami Fujiwara no Harunobu (新免武蔵守藤原玄信). His father, Shinmen Munisai (新免無二斎) was an accomplished martial artist and master of the sword and jutte (also jitte). Munisai, in turn, was the son of Hirata Shōgen (平田将監), a vassal of Shinmen Iga no Kami, the lord of Takayama Castle in the Yoshino district of Mimasaka Province. Hirata was relied upon by Lord Shinmen and so was allowed to use the Shinmen name. "Fujiwara" was the lineage from which Musashi claimed descent.
Musashi's eczema developed in his infancy, and this adversely affected his appearance. Another story claims that he never bathed himself because he did not want to be surprised unarmed.
According to Go Rin No Sho, Musashi testified that his first duel occurred when he was still 13 years old, against a swordsman named Arima Kihei who practiced Kashima Shintō-ryū martial arts that were created by Tsukahara Bokuden; Musashi was victorious. The second duel happened when Musashi was 16 years old, when he won another victory against a swordsman named Tadashima Akiyama, a native of Tajima Province. His third duel came when he was aged 21, in Kyoto, where he defeated several students of a famous sword fighting school.
In 1599, Musashi left his village, apparently at the age of 15 (according to the Tosakushi, "The Registry of the Sakushu Region", although the Tanji Hokin Hikki says he was 16 years old in 1599, which agrees time-wise with the age reported in Musashi's first duel). His family possessions such as furniture, weapons, genealogy, and other records were left with his sister and her husband, Hirao Yoemon. He spent his time traveling and engaging in duels.
In 1600, Musashi is said to have participated in the Battle of Sekigahara. For a long time, the prevailing opinion has been that Musashi participated in the Sekigahara battle on the Western Army side due to the fact that Shinmen clan was longtime vassal to the Ukita clan. However, recent research by modern Japanese historians such as Masahide Fukuda and Watanabe Daimon about Musashi has opined that Musashi and his father, Shinmen Munisai, actually sided with The Eastern army during the war, based on the historical records that Munisai no longer served the Ukita clan, and the clan records of Kuroda clan, ally of Tokugawa Ieyasu during the war, had recorded the name of Shinmen Munisai among their vassals who participated in the war. Daimon, who quoted the "Matsui clan Document", has opined that the notion that Musashi fought on the losing side of Western Army, both in Sekigahara and in Osaka siege 14 years later, were only based on legendary romanticism about Musashi being a ronin. While the primary history records indicated that Musashi always fought on the side of Tokugawa, who emerged victorious in both conflicts. The main issue debated, was if Musashi fought in the Sekigahara battle with the Eastern Army main forces, under Tokugawa, or did he fight in Ishigakibaru of western province theater under the Eastern Army commander Kuroda Yoshitaka. Daimon more leaned to the opinion that Musashi fought in Ishigakibaru instead of Sekigahara, by historical record of "The Transmission of Military Art to Master Bushu Genshin" Meanwhile, Fukuda has pointed out that the name of Munisai appeared in Kuroda clan record under the category of "Kogofudai", or Kuroda clan vassals who had entered service before 1586. Based on this fact, Fukuda concluded it was natural that Munisai and Musashi were on the Tokugawa side during the war, just as the Kuroda clan which they served.
Furthermore, Japanese History novelist Kengo Tominaga proposed a theory that Musashi during the Sekigahara Campaign did not fight in the main battle of Sekigahara, but instead he fought under Kuroda Yoshitaka against Ishida Mitsunari loyalists from the western provinces in the battle of Ishigakibaru, Ōita Prefecture.
In December 1608, It was reported that Musashi met with Mizuno Katsunari, a Tokugawa general. Musashi taught Katsunari the secret techniques of his sword style.
In 1611, Musashi learned zazen at Myōshin-ji Kyūshū after the Sekigahara battle. Musashi introduced to Nagaoka Sado an official of daimyo (lord) named Hosokawa Tadaoki.
Musashi dueled Sasaki Kojiro, another skilled swordsman, in one of his most famous battles. While there are differing opinions on how it happened, the prevailing notion is that Musashi challenged Kojiro, requesting Hosokawa Tadaoki to organize the time and place. Kojiro agreed to the challenge, and it was scheduled for them to fight on one year later, on 13 April, at Ganryūjima Island. When the date arrived, the island was filled with spectators intending to spectate the duel. Kojirō was known for fighting with a nodachi, a sword with a long blade.
Musashi, it is said, deliberately arrived late. During his journey to the island by boat, he had carved an oar into a bokken, or wooden practice sword. Kojirō had lost his patience while waiting, and he taunted Musashi for his late arrival, though the latter remained composed. The duel ended when Musashi quickly and fatally struck Kojirō, crushing his skull with a vertical stroke aimed to his head.
In 1614, during the Siege of Osaka, it was believed that Musashi participated in the Tokugawa army under the command of Musashi's personal friend, Mizuno Katsushige or also known as Katsunari. Musashi were reportedly carrying the banner of Katsunari, and also acted as bodyguard of Mizuno Katsutoshi, son of Katsunari. It was said in a later era, during the Shimabara Rebellion, that Musashi once told a commander of the Tokugawa army that he had served under Mizuno Katsunari's command during the Osaka siege and knew the military system very well. Miyamoto Mikinosuke, the adopted son of Musashi, also served under Katsunari during this battle.
In 1633, Musashi began staying with Hosokawa Tadatoshi, daimyō of Kumamoto Castle, who had moved to the Kumamoto fief and Kokura, to train and paint. While he engaged in very few duels during this period, one occurred in 1634 at the arrangement of Lord Ogasawara, in which Musashi defeated a lance specialist named Takada Matabei. Musashi officially became the retainer of the Hosokawa lords of Kumamoto in 1640. The Niten Ki records "[he] received from Lord Tadatoshi: 17 retainers, a stipend of 300 koku, the rank of ōkumigashira 大組頭, and Chiba Castle in Kumamoto as his residence."
In 1638, Musashi allegedly participated in the suppression of Shimabara Rebellion. In Munekyu (Katsunari)-sama journal, which is a collection of things that Katsunari Mizuno said after his retirement in 1639, there is a story about Mizuno's army during the Shimabara Rebellion, where a man named Miyamoto Musashi entered the camp of general Ogasawara Nagatsugu, and Musashi has said, "Last time (In Siege of Osaka), (Mizuno Katsunari) Hyuga-no-Kamidono's clan had this, and i knew the military system very well." Musashi continues by saying, "He is a great general that no one can match."
In the second month of 1641, Musashi wrote a work called the Hyoho Sanju Go ("Thirty-five Instructions on Strategy") for Hosokawa Tadatoshi. This work overlapped and formed the basis for the later The Book of Five Rings. This was the year that his adopted son, Hirao Yoemon, became Master of Arms for the Owari fief. In 1642, Musashi suffered attacks of neuralgia, foreshadowing his future ill-health.
In 1643 he retired to a cave named Reigandō as a hermit to write The Book of Five Rings. He finished it in the second month of 1645. On the twelfth of the fifth month, sensing his impending death, Musashi bequeathed his worldly possessions, after giving his manuscript copy of The Book of Five Rings to the younger brother of Terao Magonojo, his closest disciple. He died in Reigandō cave around 13 June 1645 (Shōhō 2, 19th day of the 5th month). The Hyoho senshi denki described his death:
Miyamoto Musashi died in 1645 after allegedly suffering from lung cancer.
The following timeline of Musashi biography in chronological order (of which is based on the most accurate and most widely accepted information).
It was said that Musashi practiced the way of the warrior and warfare strategy, which entailed the mastery of many art forms beyond that of the sword, such as tea ceremony (sadō), laboring, writing, and painting, all of which Musashi pursued throughout his life.
Writings on Musashi's life rarely mention his relationship with women, and often when they do, Musashi is regularly depicted as rejecting sexual advances in favor of focusing on his swordsmanship. Alternative interpretations have taken his lack of interest as an indication of homosexuality. In contrast, many legends feature Musashi in trysts with women, some of which also reflect the view that he eventually chose to forego physical or emotional investments to attain further insight into his work.
This predominant cultural view of Musashi is somewhat contradicted by old texts such as Dobo goen (1720) which relay his intimacy with the courtesan Kumoi in his middle age. The Bushu Denraiki details Musashi fathering a daughter by a courtesan. The daughter is said to have died young which caused him great grief. It is uncertain if this courtesan and Kumoi were the same person. A rumor also connected Musashi with the oiran Yoshino Tayu [Ja].
Musashi created and refined a two-sword kenjutsu technique called niten'ichi (二天一, "two heavens as one") or nitōichi (二刀一, "two swords as one") or 'Niten Ichi-ryū' (A Kongen Buddhist Sutra refers to the two heavens as the two guardians of Buddha). In this technique, the swordsman uses both a large sword, and a "companion sword" at the same time, i.e. a katana with a wakizashi.
The two-handed movements of temple drummers may have inspired him, although it could be that the technique was forged through Musashi's combat experience. Jitte techniques were taught to him by his father—the jitte was often used in battle paired with a sword; the jitte would parry and neutralize the weapon of the enemy while the sword struck or the practitioner grappled with the enemy. Today Musashi's style of swordsmanship is known as Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū.
Musashi was also an expert in throwing weapons. He frequently threw his short sword, and Kenji Tokitsu believes that shuriken methods for the wakizashi were the Niten Ichi Ryu's secret techniques.
Within the book, Musashi mentions that the use of two swords within strategy is equally beneficial to those who use the skill for individual duels or large engagements. The idea of using two hands for a sword is an idea that Musashi opposes because there is no fluidity in movement with two hands: "If you hold a sword with both hands, it is difficult to wield it freely to left and right, so my method is to carry the sword in one hand." He also disagrees with the idea of using a sword with two hands on a horse and/or riding on unstable terrain, such as muddy swamps, rice fields, or within crowds of people.
To learn the strategy of Ni-Ten Ichi Ryū, Musashi asserts that by training with two long swords, one in each hand, one will be able to overcome the cumbersome nature of using a sword in both hands. Although it is difficult, Musashi agrees that there are times in which the long sword must be used with two hands, but one skillful enough should not need it.
After using two long swords proficiently enough, mastery of a long sword, and a "companion sword", most likely a wakizashi, will be much increased: "When you become used to wielding the long sword, you will gain the power of the Way and wield the sword well."
In short, it could be seen, from the excerpts from The Book of Five Rings, that real strategy behind Ni-Ten No Ichi Ryu, is that there is no real iron-clad method, path, or type of weaponry specific to the style of Ni-Ten No Ichi Ryu:
Even from an early age, Musashi separated his religion from his involvement in swordsmanship. Excerpts such as the one below, from The Book of Five Rings, demonstrate a philosophy that is thought to have stayed with him throughout his life:
However, the belief that Musashi disliked Shinto is inaccurate, as he criticises the Shintō-ryū style of swordsmanship, not Shinto, the religion. In Musashi's Dokkōdō, his stance on religion is further elucidated: "Respect Buddha and the gods without counting on their help."
In his later years, Musashi said in his The Book of Five Rings: "When I apply the principle of strategy to the ways of different arts and crafts, I no longer have need for a teacher in any domain." He proved this by creating recognized masterpieces of calligraphy and classic ink painting. His paintings are characterized by skilled use of ink washes and an economy of brush stroke. He especially mastered the "broken ink" school of landscapes, applying it to other subjects, such as his Kobokumeikakuzu ("Shrike Perched on a Withered Branch"; part of a triptych whose other two members were "Hotei Walking" and "Sparrow on Bamboo"), his Hotei Watching a Cockfight, and his Rozanzu ("Wild Geese Among Reeds"). The Book of Five Rings advocates involvement in calligraphy and other arts as a means of training in the art of war.
Musashi also known as talented sumi-e who produced several paintings such as: "Shrike Perched in a Dead Tree" (Koboku Meigekizu, 枯木鳴鵙図) and "Wild Geese Among Reeds" (Rozanzu, 魯山図).
On 20 May 2000, at the initiative of Sensei Tadashi Chihara the Miyamoto Musashi Budokan was inaugurated. It was built in Ōhara-Cho in the province of Mimasaka, the birthplace of the samurai. Inside the building, the life and journey of Miyamoto Musashi are remembered everywhere. Dedicated to martial arts, the Budokan is the source for all of Japan's official traditional saber and kendo schools. Practically, historically and culturally it is a junction for martial disciplines in the heart of traditional Japan dedicated to Musashi.
The inauguration of the Miyamoto Musashi Budokan perpetuated the twinning established on 4 March 1999, between the inhabitants of Ōhara-Chō (Japanese province of Mimasaka) and the inhabitants of Gleizé. It was formalized in the presence of Sensei Tadashi Chihara, guarantor and tenth in the lineage of Miyamoto Musashi carrying a mandate from the mayor of Ōhara-Chō, and in the presence of the mayor of Gleizé Élisabeth Lamure. This event was extended during the mandate of the new mayor of Ōhara-Chō Fukuda Yoshiaki, by the official invitation from Japan and the consequent visit of the mayor of Gleizé for the inauguration of the Miyamoto Musashi Budokan on 10 May 2000, in the presence of personalities and Japanese authorities.
In Musashi's time, there were fictional texts resembling comic books and it is difficult to separate fact from fiction when discussing his life. There have been works of fiction made about or featuring Musashi. Eiji Yoshikawa's novelization (originally a 1930s daily newspaper serial) has greatly influenced successive fictional depictions (including the manga Vagabond by Takehiko Inoue) and is often mistaken for a factual account of Musashi's life. In 2012, writer Sean Michael Wilson and Japanese artist Chie Kutsuwada published an attempt at a more historically accurate manga entitled The Book of Five Rings: A Graphic Novel, based on research and translations by William Scott Wilson.
Onimusha, a video game series by Capcom, features Musashi as a secret playable character in Onimusha Blade Warriors, 2026's Onimusha: Way of the Sword will also see him returning as the lead character, with his likeness modelled after actor Toshiro Mifune.
The 1994 video game Live A Live and its 2022 remake feature Musashi as a boss in the game's Twilight of Edo Japan chapter.
The 2008 video game Ryū ga Gotoku Kenzan! was based on his life and personality.
He also appeared in the manga Baki the Grappler as a revived clone of himself with his real soul intact as one of the strongest fighters in the series, and used his two-sword style in most combat in which he was shown.
The card game Magic: The Gathering has a card based on him, Isshin, Two Heavens as One, named for his two swords as one technique.
In the 2017 video game For Honor, the "Aramusha" hero is loosely inspired by Musashi. The character is a ronin who wields two swords.
The 2023 anime Onimusha was based loosely on the video game franchise of the same name and produced by Netflix. The series portrays a fictional version of an aging Musashi who embarks on a journey to defeat supernatural forces of evil using the Oni Gauntlet.
In Japanese live action series Kamen Rider Ghost, Musashi is the first of many Luminary Eyecons that Takeru Tenkuuji uses as Kamen Rider Ghost.
The song "Sun and Steel" by heavy metal band Iron Maiden off the album Piece of Mind is based on Miyamoto's life.