musashi the way of the samurai eiji yoshikawa

Musashi is well known for his strategic brilliance. After his death in 1645, he was often considered a Kensei ('sword-saint'). It was also during this period that he wrote his famous Book of Five Rings. After several more years of wandering, he was given a ministerial position and became a Warrior Poet, as well as an accomplished calligrapher and painter. Some scholars even dispute that it ever occurred at all, and think that Musashi simply murdered Kojiro for political reasons.Īfter his duel with Sasaki Kojiro, Musashi retired from dueling and for a time became a strategist for hire. note There is considerable debate about the details of this duel. However, his most famous duel was the one on Ganryū Island with Sasaki Kojiro, whom Musashi killed with a single blow with a bokken (wooden sword) that he carved from an oar on the boat ride to the island where the duel took place (the day of which he overslept and arrived over an hour late).

Another duel prompted him to develop a Dual Wielding sword style, known as Niten Ichi-ryu ('Two Heavens As One' style), arguably developed from the preexisting Enemi-ryu ('Circling Bright-style'). In one duel, Musashi is said to have been ambushed by most of the Yoshioka school's students at once, and defeated them all. He was reportedly victorious in at least 60 duels during his lifetime, and by most accounts - including his own - was undefeated in all his duels. After being on the losing side of the Battle of Sekigahara, he eventually made his way to Kyoto, where he began a series of duels with that city's Yoshioka school. Musashi fought and won his first duel at the age of 13, and by the age of 16 he left his village to wander Japan and develop his fighting skills. He also claimed descent from the Fujiwara clan, as shown by his Overly Long Name in the self-authored The Book of Five Rings which incorporate most of these names. Posthumously or perhaps in his old age, he was also known as Genshin Niten, 'Genshin' and 'Harunobu' being alternate readings of the same kanji as well. He later adopted the personal names Takezo and Musashi (both alternate renderings of the same kanji), and the surname Miyamoto after his birthplace and home village. Sometime later his father renamed him Harunobu. Musashi was born Shinmen Bennosuke, the son of a low-ranking samurai named Munisai or Muninosuke, whose real surname was Hirata but had been bestowed his feudal lord's surname. Miyamoto Musashi (1584? - June 13, 1645) was probably the most famous Japanese swordsman in history, particularly outside Japan.

Musashi the way of the samurai eiji yoshikawa