Revered Sword Master

 

Miyamoto Musashi followed a tight set of 21 commandments for the rest of his life in order to become Japan's best samurai. These principles are still studied by aspirant businesspeople today.

Miyamoto Musashi is Japan's most revered swordmaster and one of the country's most recognized cultural icons.

Though he had won at least 60 duels by the age of 30, it was his final duel against master swordsman Sasaki Kojiro that cemented his place as a true great.

Becoming Miyamoto Musashi

Fable and fancy frequently obfuscate details of Musashi's existence. Even his mother's identity is being disputed. Nonetheless, some historians have been able to paint a vivid portrayal of the guy.

Bennosuke, the kid who would murder his first opponent at the age of 13, was born in Japan's Harima prefecture in western Honshu in the town of Miyamoto, from whence the family acquired their surname. He was also known as Shinmen Takez or Niten Draku, and his full name was Shinmen Musashi no Kami Fujiwara no Genshin.

But history will remember this child as master swordsman Miyamoto Musashi, possibly the finest of the samurai.

The "Dokkōdō" (Japanese: 獨行道) ("The Path of Aloneness", "The Way to Go Forth Alone", or "The Way of Walking Alone") is a short work written by Miyamoto Musashi a week before he died in 1645. It consists of 21 precepts. "Dokkodo" was largely composed on the occasion of Musashi giving away his possessions in preparation for death, and was dedicated to his favorite disciple, Terao Magonojō (to whom the earlier Go rin no sho [The Book of Five Rings] had also been dedicated), who took them to heart. "Dokkōdō" expresses a stringent, honest, and ascetic view of life.

Miyamoto Musashi grew up in a troubled family.

His father, Miyamoto Munisai, was a well-known martial artist. Perhaps this is how Musashi's heart and spirit received a love of the sword, and he grew to want to become Japan's finest swordsman. His connection with his father, on the other hand, was volatile and unstable.

Musashi, as a child of divorce, was frequently subjected to rumors and innuendo regarding his birth mother. He had a strained relationship with his stepmother. Musashi became critical of his father's martial arts tactics as he became older and more competent with the sword. This enraged his father, and Musashi frequently fled the household to the home of his Uncle Dorinbo, a Shinto priest who would eventually become responsible for him.

When Musashi questioned his father's technique one day, he elicited a furious reaction from the dad, who then hurled a knife and a sword at the boy. Musashi avoided both by leaving his boyhood home for the final time to live with his Uncle.

Miyamoto Musashi Transforms Into A Ronin

Musashi grew up in Japan during a period of rapid change. As the ancient governing Ashikaga Shogunate deteriorated and eventually dissolved in 1573, the land was rife with feudal conflicts.

By 1600, Japan was divided into two camps: those in the East who backed Tokugawa Ieyasu, the last Shogunate's founder, and those in the West who supported Toyotomi Hideyori.

"Miyamoto Musashi killing a giant" By UTAGAWA KUNIYOSHI