Life Of Miyamoto Musashi

Shinmen Musashi No Kami Fujiwara No Genshin was born in the village of Miyamoto in the province Mimasaka in 1584. He was born into a family whose ancestors were a branch of the powerful Harima clan of Kyushu. Hirada Shokan, his grandfather, was a retainer of Shinmen Iga No Kami Sudeshige, the lord of Takeyama castle. His father Munisai, a samurai famous for his mastery of the jitte, abandoned his the child when he was seven years old, about a year after his mother passed away.

Ben No Suke, as Musashi was known as a child, was then raised with several different family members. With his aggressive nature and some urging from his uncle he began to train with the sword. He became very good, very fast; so good in fact that at the age of only thirteen he killed a man in armed combat. The opponent was Arima Kigei, a samurai of the Shinto Ryu school of Military Arts, was skilled with both the sword and the spear. When Arima Kigei drew his sword, Musashi threw the man to the ground, and beat him about the head with a stick until he was dead.

Musashi’s next contest was when he was sixteen years old, a samurai named Tadashima Akiyama traveled through his village, and challenged everyone to duel. After excepting the challenge, Musashi killed the samurai as the samurai attacked, with just one swing of the sword.

Japan at this time was going through turbulent times; the Shogun Hideyoshi was in the middle of a violent, bloody campaign to unite the whole country. War was coming, and as a young samurai, Musashi felt it his duty to go and do his part. Musashi join the ranks of the Ashikaga army on the side of the Shogun Hideyoshi. Hideyoshi was at war with his greatest rival lord Tokugawa Ieyasu. The battle of Seki ga Hara, Japan’s civil war; lasted three days. Musashi lasted the three bloody days in witch over seventy thousand samurai died, he also survived the hunting down and massacre of the samurai who swore allegiance to Hideyoshi. Tokugawa Ieyasu was now the Shogun, and Musashi was now on the run.

When Musashi returned to his village, he was not welcomed home as a hero. He was known as a wild youth that most of the elder people in the village knew as a troublemaker and he was considered uncontrollable. He was accused of a crime that he did not commit, but he could not be captured by the authorities by ordinary ways.

One person though had not given up on the young man; a young Zen priest named Takuan Soho hunted down Musashi, and brought him back to the village. He was held captive in Hejime castle for three years studying the ways of the samurai, and both Chinese and Japanese classics on the Art of War. When he was finally released: he was offered employment by the Daimyo, but he declined. He chose instead to set off on a "musha shugyo", a Warrior’s quest of enlightenment. Musashi headed to Kyoto, the capital. This was the scene of his vendetta against the Yoshioka family. The Yoshiokas had been fencing instructors to the Ashikaga House for generations. Munisai, Musashi’s father had been invited to Kyoto some years earlier by the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaka. Munisai fought three battles with the Yoshiokas, winning two of the duels, this perhaps had some bearing on feeling toward the family.

Musashi challenged the Yoshioka family. His first battle was with Yoshioka Seijiro, the head of the family, was armed with a real sword and Musashi used a bokken, a wooden sword. Musashi charged with in at Seijiro with a fierce attack, and beat him savagely as he went to the ground. The retainers carried the lord off on a rain-shutter. Seijiro would lose him arm to the injuries, and later cut off his samurai topknot in shame. After the fight Musashi stayed on in Kyoto, his presence irked the Yoshiokas; he had cost them enough face. The second brother Denshichiro, applied to Musashi for a duel, Musashi accepted. This fight only lasted a few minutes; both samurai came together, with Musashi breaking Denshichiro’s skull. Denshichiro was dead.

The Yoshioka house issued another challenge with Hanshichiro, the young son of Seijiro, as their representative. Hanshichiro was only a boy, not yet in his teens. The battle was to be held by the pine tree near the rice fields. Musashi arrived at the meeting place long before the appointed time and waited in hiding for his enemy to come. Hanshichiro arrived dressed formally in war gear, with hundreds of well-armed samurai as retainers. Musashi hid in the shadows, and just as they were thinking that he had fled; Musashi suddenly appeared and cut Hanshichiro down, killing him. Then he drew his other sword, and with both swords he cut a path through the samurai and made his escape.

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