Miyamoto Musashi - Wikipedia
Miyamoto Musashi - Wikipedia
Miyamoto Musashi - Wikipedia
Musashi
c. 1584
Harima Province or
Mimasaka Province,
Died Japan
13 June 1645
(aged 60–61)
Residence Japan
Kurōtarō (adopted)
Iori (adopted)
Yoemon (adopted)
Daughter of unknown
name
Japanese name
Kanji 宮本 武蔵
Hiragana
Katakana
みやもと むさし
ミヤモト ムサシ
Transcriptions
Biography
Birth
Upbringing
First duel
— Miyamoto Musashi, Go
Rin No Sho
Sasaki Kojiro (right) engages Miyamoto Musashi on the shores of Ganryū Island.
Later life
Miyamoto Musashi, Self-portrait, c. 1640
Miyamoto Musashi in his prime, wielding two bokken; woodblock print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi
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 June 13, 1645 (Shōhō 2, 19th
day of the 5th month). The Hyoho
senshi denki described his passing:
Relationships
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.[21][22][23] Alternative
interpretations have taken his lack
of interest as an indication of
homosexuality.[24] In contrast many
legends do feature Musashi in trysts
with women, some of these also
reflect the view that he would
eventually choose to forego
physical or emotional investments
to attain further insight into his
work.[25] 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
during his middle age.[26] The Bushu
Denraiki also details Musashi
fathering a daughter by a courtesan.
It is uncertain if this courtesan and
Kumoi were the same person.[21] A
rumor also connected Musashi with
the oiran Yoshino Tayu.[27]
Teachings
Musashi created and refined a two-
sword kenjutsu technique called
二天一, "two heavens as
niten'ichi (
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, such as a katana
with a wakizashi.[28]
Timeline
The following timeline follows, in
chronological order (of which is
based on the most accurate and
most widely accepted information),
the life of Miyamoto Musashi.
Date Age Occurrence
11–
1596 Musashi duels with Arima Kihei in Hirafuku, Hyōgo Prefecture.
12
14– Duels with a man named Tadashima Akiyama in the northern part of Hyōgo
1599
15 Prefecture.
Believed to have fought in the Battle of Sekigahara (October 21) as part of the
1600 16
western army. Whether he actually participated in the battle is currently in doubt.
Musashi has three matches with the Yoshioka clan in Kyoto. (1) Match with
19– Yoshioka Seijuro in Yamashiro Province, outside the city at Rendai Moor (west of
1604
20 Mt. Funaoka, Kita-ku, Kyoto). (2) Match with Yoshioka Denshichiro outside the
city. (3) Match with Yoshioka Matashichiro outside the city at the pine of Ichijō-ji.
Visits Kōfuku-ji, Nara and ends up dueling with Okuzōin Dōei, the Buddhist priest
trained in the style of Hōzōin-ryū.[31]
1605– 20–
Begins to travel again.
1612 28
22–
1607 Munisai (Musashi's father) passes his teachings onto Musashi.
23
Duels with the kusarigama expert Shishido (swordsman) in the western part of
Mie Prefecture.
23–
1608 Duels Musō Gonnosuke, master of the five-foot staff in Edo.
24
25–
1610 Fights Hayashi Osedo and Tsujikaze Tenma in Edo.
26
26–
1611 Begins practicing zazen meditation.
27
Duel with Sasaki Kojirō takes place on April 13, on Ganryujima (Ganryu or Funa
1612 28
Island) off the coast of Shimonoseki in which Kojiro is defeated.
1615– 30– Comes into the service of Ogasawara Tadanao in Harima Province as a
1621 37 construction supervisor.
36–
1621 Duels Miyake Gunbei in Tatsuno, Hyōgo.
37
37–
1622 Sets up temporary residence at the castle town of Himeji, Hyōgo.
38
38–
1623 Travels to Edo.
39
41–
1626 Adopted son Mikinosuke commits seppuku following in the tradition of Junshi.
42
42–
1627 Travels again.
43
43–
1628 Meets with Yagyū Hyōgonosuke in Nagoya, Owari Province.
44
45–
1630 Enters the service of Lord Hosokawa Tadatoshi.
46
48–
1633 Begins to extensively practice the arts.
49
49– Settles in Kokura, Fukuoka Prefecture for a short time with son Iori as a guest of
1634
50 Ogasawara Tadazane.
Serves a major role in the Shimabara Rebellion (December 17, 1637 – April 15,
1637– 53–
1638) and is the only documented evidence that Musashi served in battle. Was
1638 54
knocked off his horse by a rock thrown by one of the peasants.
56–
1641 Writes Hyoho Sanju-go.
57
57–
1642 Suffers severe attacks from neuralgia.
58
Finishes Go Rin No Sho/The Book of Five Rings. Dies from what is believed to be
1645 61
lung cancer.
Philosophy
Calligraphy by Musashi
Way of strategy
As an artist
Shrike in a barren tree, by Miyamoto Musashi
Miyamoto Musashi Budokan located in Ōhara-chō, Mimasaka province where Miyamoto Musashi was
born on March 12 of the Tenshō era.
Kamidana of the Heiho Niten Ichi Ryu Official School established at the inauguration of the Miyamoto
Musashi dojo on March 4, 1999 in Gleizé under the aegis of the Emperor.
In popular culture
Gallery
Statue of Hosokawa Tadatoshi within
Suizen-ji Jōju-en
Bibliography
Hyodokyo (The Mirror of the Way of
Strategy)
Hyoho Sanjugo Kajo (Thirty-five
Instructions on Strategy)
Hyoho Shijuni Kajo (Forty-two
Instructions on Strategy)
Dokkōdō (The Way to be Followed
Alone)
Go Rin No Sho (The Book of Five
Rings; a reference to the Five Rings
of Zen Buddhism). Translated into
English by Victor Harris as A Book of
Five Rings, London: Allison & Busby,
1974; Woodstock, New York: The
Overlook Press.
See also
Martial
Arts
portal
Asia
portal
Japan
portal
History
portal
War
portal
Biography
portal
Yagyū Munenori
Gosho Motoharu
Hōjō Akinokami
Sasaki Kojiro
Takuan Soho
Terao Magonojō
Eiji Yoshikawa
Bizen
Mimasaka
Ōhara-chō
Miyamoto Musashi Budokan
Miyamoto Musashi Station
Philosophy of war
List of military writers
References
1. Tokitsu, Kenji (1998). Miyamoto Musashi:
17th century Japanese saber master:
man and work, myth and reality ;
Miyamoto Musashi : maître de sabre
japonais du XVIIe siècle : l'homme et
l'œuvre, mythe et réalité (https://www.wor
ldcat.org/oclc/41259596) . Editions
désiris. pp. 19, 20. ISBN 9782907653541.
OCLC 41259596 (https://www.worldcat.o
rg/oclc/41259596) .
2. Toyota Masataka. "Niten Ki (A Chronicle
of Two Heavens)", in Gorin no Sho, ed.
Kamiko Tadashi (Tokyo: Tokuma-shoten,
1963), 239.
3. Miyamoto Musashi, trans.S. F. Kaufman
(1994), Book Of Five Rings, Tuttle
Publishing.
4. "Budokan" (http://www.ecole-miyamoto-
musashi.com/budokan_uk.html) .
Miyamoto Musashi school. 2009.
Retrieved 12 August 2020.
5. Miyamoto Musashi. "Go Rin No Sho", in
Gorin no Sho, ed. Kamiko Tadashi (Tokyo:
Tokuma-shoten, 1963), 13.
6. Toyota, p. 239
7. Miyamoto, p. 18ff.
8. Miyamoto, 13.
9. Miyamoto, p. 17ff.
10. Musashi, Miyamoto (2018). Complete
Musashi : the Definitive Translations of
the Complete Writings of Miyamoto
Musashi—JapanÆs Greatest Samurai (ht
tps://www.worldcat.org/oclc/10762367
83) . Alexander Bennett. La Vergne:
Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4629-2027-
3. OCLC 1076236783 (https://www.world
cat.org/oclc/1076236783) .
11. Musashi, Miyamoto (2006). Rosemary
Brant (ed.). The Book of Five Rings: the
classic text of Samurai sword strategy.
New York: Barnes & Noble. ISBN 978-0-
7607-8457-0. Translated by Ashikaga
Yoshiharu.
12. Harris, Victor, p. 10, Miyamoto p. 16ff.
The latter footnote by Kamiko reads: "For
his entire life, Musashi never took a wife,
cut his hair, or entered a bath".
13. William Scott Wilson. (2004). The Lone
Samurai. Kodansha International.
ISBN 978-4-7700-2942-3.
14. Kenji Tokitsu (2004). Miyamoto Musashi:
His Life and Writings. Shambhala.
15. Lowry, Dave (1986). Bokken: Art of the
Japanese Sword. Ohara Publications.
pp. 21–27. ISBN 978-0-89750-104-0.
16. Wilson, William Scott (2004). The Lone
Samurai: The Life of Miyamoto Musashi
(https://books.google.com/books?id=0p0
C7Y8lkH8C&q=musashi+came+late+and
+unkempt&pg=PA18) (1st ed.). Tokyo:
Kodansha International. p. 19.
ISBN 9784770029423.
17. "Art of Miyamoto Musashi" (http://www.e
cole-miyamoto-
musashi.com/liens.html) . Miyamoto
Musashi Dojo. 2009. Retrieved 12 August
2020.
18. Toyota, p. 250
宮本武蔵 – Musashi" (http://www.ecole-
19. "
miyamoto-musashi.com/musashi_jp.ht
ml) . Miyamoto Musashi dojo. 2009.
Retrieved 13 August 2020.
20. Almo, Leif. "Musashi Miyamoto – the
Legend" (http://kendo.com/miyamotomu
sashi) . Kendo.com. Scandnet AB.
Retrieved 4 March 2017.
21. K. Groff, David (2016). The Five Rings:
Miyamoto Musashi's Art of Strategy.
Book Sales. p. 21. ISBN 9780785834007.
22. Thomas F., Cleary (2000). Classics of
Strategy and Counsel: Thunder in the sky.
Shambhala. p. 269.
ISBN 9781570627286.
23. William Scott, Wilson (2013). The Lone
Samurai: The Life of Miyamoto Musashi.
Shambhala Publications. p. 78.
ISBN 9781590309872.
24. Tokitsu, Kenji (2004). Miyamoto Musashi:
His Life and Writings. Shambhala. p. 222.
ISBN 9781590300459.
25. "Miyamoto Musashi" (https://www.nakas
endoway.com/miyamoto-musashi/) .
Nakasendoway.
26. William Scott, Wilson (2013). The Lone
Samurai: The Life of Miyamoto Musashi.
Shambhala Publications. p. 79.
ISBN 9781590309872.
27. Downer, Lesley (2002). Women of the
Pleasure Quarters: The Secret History of
the Geisha. Broadway Books.
ISBN 9780767904902.
28. Ratti, Oscar; Westbrook, Adele (20
December 2011). Secrets of the Samurai:
The Martial Arts of Feudal Japan (https://
books.google.com/books?id=Y47TAgAA
QBAJ&q=Musashi+created+and+refined+
a+two-sword+kenjutsu+technique&pg=P
A241) . Tuttle Publishing. p. 241.
ISBN 978-1-4629-0254-5.
29. Niten Institute. "The life of Miyamoto
Musashi" (http://niten.org/english/institut
o/miyamoto_musashi/musashi-biografi
a) . Instituto Cultural Niten. Retrieved
15 January 2019.
30. Hyakutake-Watkin, Colin; Masayuki, Imai;
Norikazu, Iwata. "Hyōhō.com" (https://we
b.archive.org/web/20040615033613/htt
p://www.hyoho.com/) . Archived from the
original (http://www.hyoho.com) on 15
June 2004.
31. Kagita, Chūbei. "The sickle-spear of the
Hōzōinryū (7) | SojutsuDE" (http://www.so
jutsu.de/en/home/texte-vom-20-soke/der
-sichelspeer-der-hozoinryu-7) .
www.sojutsu.de. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
First published in the Nara town
magazine Ubusuna on 8 July 2009.
32. "Ancient Wisdom for Modern Life: Five
Lessons from Miyamoto Musashi's 'Way
of the Warrior' – The Objective Standard"
(https://theobjectivestandard.com/2020/
05/ancient-wisdom-for-modern-life-five-le
ssons-from-miyamoto-musashis-way-of-t
he-warrior/) . theobjectivestandard.com.
28 May 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
33. Miyamoto, p. 57.
獨行道" (https://web.archive.org/web/20
34. "
081218202853/http://www.pref.kumamo
to.jp/education/hinokuni/isan/siteijoukyo
u/2003.9.12/dokoudou.html) . Archived
from the original (http://www.pref.kumam
oto.jp/education/hinokuni/isan/siteijouky
ou/2003.9.12/dokoudou.html) on 18
December 2008.
35. Uozumi Takashi (25 July 2019). "Master
Swordsman Miyamoto Musashi: The Man
Behind The Book of Five Rings" (https://w
eb.archive.org/web/20200305121209/htt
ps://www.nippon.com/en/japan-topics/g
00689/master-swordsman-miyamoto-mu
sashi-the-man-behind-the-book-of-five-rin
gs.html) . Nippon.com. Archived from the
original (https://www.nippon.com/en/jap
an-topics/g00689/master-swordsman-mi
yamoto-musashi-the-man-behind-the-boo
k-of-five-rings.html) on 5 March 2020.
36. "the 10 th, Tadashi Chihara, hyouhou
niten ichiryū musashi seitannochi" (http
s://54369d1c-e4d2-4025-8e17-8bf19b68
e412.filesusr.com/ugd/c7032e_aab689e
3cf384be28fbad53526b96dbd.pdf)
(PDF). 11 April 2020.
Further reading
Fiction
Children's books
Essays
Tokitsu, Kenji (2004). Miyamoto
Musashi: His Life and Writings.
Shambhala Publications, Inc.
ISBN 978-1-59030-045-9.
Turnbull, Stephen R. (1990). The
Lone Samurai and the Martial Arts (h
ttps://archive.org/details/lonesamur
aimarti0000turn) . London: Arms
and Armour Press. ISBN 978-0-
85368-967-6.
Wilson, William Scott (2004). The
Lone Samurai. Kodansha
International. ISBN 978-4-7700-
2942-3.
De Lange, William (2010). The Real
Musashi: The Bushu denraiki.
Floating World Editions. ISBN 978-1-
891640-56-8.
De Lange, William (2011). The Real
Musashi: The Bukoden. Floating
World Editions. ISBN 978-1-891640-
60-5.
De Lange, William (2016). The Real
Musashi: A Miscellany. Floating
World Editions. ISBN 978-1-891640-
86-5.
De Lange, William (2014). Miyamoto
Musashi: A Life in Arms. Floating
World Editions. ISBN 978-1-891640-
629.
Testimony
External links
Wikiquote has quotations related to
Miyamoto Musashi.
miyamotomusashi.eu (http://www.miya
motomusashi.eu)
Miyamoto Musashi Dojo (http://ww
w.memorial-niten-ichy-ryu.com/mus
ashi.html) (in French)
Some artwork by Miyamoto
Musashi (http://www.kampaibudoka
i.org/MusashiArt.htm) (archive link
(https://web.archive.org/web/20070
707073253/http://www.kampaibud
okai.org/MusashiArt.htm) )
The samurai warrior and Zen
Buddhism (website of the Asian Art
Museum, San Francisco) (https://we
b.archive.org/web/2012110300123
8/http://www.asianart.org/blog/inde
x.php/2009/05/29/5-samurai-fact
s/)
Complete texts in English by
Miyamoto Musashi (https://web.arc
hive.org/web/20190125131917/htt
p://www.bookoffiverings.com/)
Miyamoto Musashi; his
Swordsmanship and Book of Five
Rings (https://www.nitojuku.com/ar
ticles)
Profile on Shambhala Publications
website (https://www.shambhala.co
m/miyamoto-musashi)
Retrieved from
"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Miyamoto_Musashi&oldid=113220536
9"