Miyamoto Musashi
Miyamoto Musashi (宮本 武蔵, c. 1584 – 13 June 1645), also known as Shinmen Takezō, Miyamoto Bennosuke or, by his Buddhist name, Niten Dōraku, was a Japanese swordsman, philosopher, strategist, writer and rōnin, who became renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed swordsmanship and undefeated record in his 61 duels (next is 33 by Itō Ittōsai). Musashi, as he was often simply known, is considered a Kensei, a 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 The Book of Five Rings (五輪の書, Go Rin No Sho) and Dokkōdō (獨行道, The Path of Aloneness).
| Miyamoto Musashi | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Contemporaneous portrait of Miyamoto Musashi (Edo period) | |||||
| Born | Shinmen Bennosuke c. 1584 Harima Province or Mimasaka Province, Japan | ||||
| Died | 13 June 1645 (aged 60–61) Higo Province, Japan | ||||
| Native name | 宮本武蔵 | ||||
| Other names | Niten Dōraku; Shinmen Musashi no Kami Fujiwara no Harunobu | ||||
| Residence | Japan | ||||
| Style | Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū Kenjutsu (二天一流), Enmei-ryu (圓明流), (二天流) | ||||
| Children | Mikinosuke (adopted) Kurōtarō (adopted) Iori (adopted) Yoemon (adopted) | ||||
| Notable students | Takemura Yoemon; Terao Magonojō; Terao Motomenosuke; Furuhashi Sōzaemon | ||||
| Japanese name | |||||
| Kanji | 宮本 武蔵 | ||||
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Both documents were given to Terao Magonojō, the most important of Musashi'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.
The Miyamoto Musashi Budokan training center, located in Ōhara-chō (Mimasaka), Okayama prefecture, Japan was erected to honor his name and legend.