By Archie Wilson III
Miyamoto Musashi, the legendary swordsman who never lost a duel, is a popular historical figure both in Japan and throughout the world. Musashi lived in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries during the late Sengoku and early Edo periods of Japan. Musashi has been made famous worldwide through the fictionalized Japanese novel Musashi written in 1953 by Eiji Yoshikawa inspiring the popular manga Vagabond (1998-2015) which is written and illustrated by Takehiko Inoue. The novel and the manga both shape most people’s understanding of Musashi as a person, but that begs the question who really was Miyamoto Musashi?
Most historians agree that Musashi was likely born in 1584 AD during the Sengoku Period of Japan. The Sengoku period of Japan (1482-1558) also known as the “Warring States” period was a time of turmoil and conflict in Japan. Japan was essentially in a civil war where feudal lords known as daimyo fought for control of Japan’s fractured government. For those who are familiar with European history the daimyo are comparable to lords in medieval Europe. In fact, the feudalistic governments of Medieval Europe and Japan have many similarities even though they developed separately from each other. Musashi also lived in the early Edo or Tokugawa period (1603-1868) in which Japan was unified under the Tokugawa shogunate after decades of daimyo struggling for independence. Knowing this brief historical setting is important to understanding the world that shaped Musashi.
According to Japan-history.org Musashi’s father or adoptive father is believed to have been Shinmen Muni, a shōgunate approved military tactician whose skill was in the art of Jitte, in which he used a small metal weapon called a “truncheon” that was used in close combat fighting. At some point in Musashi’s youth he lived with his uncle Dorin, a monk from Shōrenin temple according to musashi-miyamoto.com. While living with his uncle Musashi was taught Zen Buddhism, reading and writing. This time of Musashi’s life would be of great service to Musashi in his later years. According to musashi-miyamato.com, Musashi left the temple when he was between sixteen to twenty years old.
At the age of twenty-one, Musashi, fought a series of duels against the Yoshioka clan which were a family of master swordsmen who served as personal instructors to the Ashikaga shogun family for generations according to Japan-history.org. Musashi claims to have won three fights against the Yoshioka, but other documents dispute that claim. Historians believe that most of Musashi’s duels were against small no name swordsmen that he met during his travels and that most of these duels were fought with wooden swords instead of real swords. Other historical documents confirm that Musashi fought with the shogunate’s army in what is known as the siege of Osaka. Another interesting part of Musashi’s history is his rivalry with Sasaki Kojiro which is prominent in the historical fictions about Musashi. However, even less is known about Kojiro other than his rivalry with Musashi that came to an end in 1612 with Musashi reigning victorious.
According to Japan-history.org, in 1626 Musashi adopted a son named Iori and they helped put down a conflict that is known as the Shimabara Rebellion. After the Shimabara Rebellion, Musashi lived in Kyushu where he took on disciples in swordsmanship mainly from the Hosokawa clan. When Musashi was not teaching, he would paint and write. Many of Musashi’s paintings can be viewed today and his writings the Book of Five Rings (1645) and Dokkōdō (1645) or The Path of Aloneness.
Musashi wrote the Book of Five Rings which according to Japan-history.org is a five part anthology covering Musashi’s philosophy, strategy and sword techniques. The Book of Five Rings includes the Book of Earth, Water, Fire, Wind , and Void. The Book of Five Rings gives little description of Musashi’s life, but it is revealed that he began his journey as a samurai at the age of thirteen. From the age of thirteen to twenty-nine Musashi fought sixty master swordsmen in which he won every duel. However, only eighteen of those sixty battles are recorded in other documents. Scholars speculate whether Mushashi was simply trying to survive or was he the bloodthirsty samurai depicted in fiction. Regardless of this it is evident based on what is known about Musashi that as he grew older like most men do he gained wisdom and “mellowed” out.
As it happens a lot in history, much of Mushashi’s life is speculative. What is known is that he wrote the Book of Five Rings and that he was a swordsman during Japan’s Warring States and early Edo periods. It is fascinating how a person that lived 500 years ago is turned into a fictionalized version of themselves. Mushashi is not unique in this instance, several historical figures often have a romanticized version of their characters made based on little information. The pirate Edward Teach or “Blackbeard” is a great example of this. That being stated it is important to look into the historical accuracy behind historical figures because you might find out that what you thought you knew is actually a stretched out version of the truth. So I encourage everyone who found this article interesting to look more into the life of Miyamoto Musashi because there is more information out there.
Sources
Jesner, Richard, and Richard Jesner. “Miyamoto Musashi – Was He Real?” Japan History, 15 Apr. 2025, japan-history.org/miyamoto-musashi-was-he-real.
Musashi Miyamoto | Discover Japan’s Greatest Swordsman. musashi-miyamoto.com.