“When we think of fencing, we think of sword fighting techniques. This is quite natural, but incorrect, according to the words of the legendary Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. And indeed, everyone who has heard of Musashi knows that he was much more than just a skilled swordsman. Judging by his calligraphy and ink drawings, he was an excellent calligrapher and a master of sumi-e painting, but he also dabbled in sculpture and the production of wooden and metal swords. In addition to that, he was involved in the planning and construction of medieval castles and fortresses.”
“Such versatility should not come as a surprise, as true samurais strived to develop their artistic side alongside their warrior skills. Many of them were masters of painting, calligraphy, tea ceremonies, and other arts inspired by Zen. Musashi himself says: It is said that the Way of the Warrior is twofold: the Way of the Sword and the Way of the Brush, and it is a rule to practice both. Even if one does not have natural inclinations for these paths, a warrior is expected to excel in various other skills and arts.” The team demonstrates its abilities. He has also shown this by his own example: he has created masterpieces of calligraphy and sumi-e painting, some of which are considered national treasures, while also being a symbol of the samurai spirit, of someone who has dedicated themselves to the Way of the sword and is called “saint of the sword” in Japan.
Biography
The main reliable source of information about Musashi is a memorial plaque erected by his adopted son Miyamoto Iori nine years after his death in Kokuri, which mostly speaks about his achievements, as well as his first biography, Niten-ki, published in 1776 by Toyota Kagehide based on the memories of his grandfather, who was a second generation disciple of Musashi. We learn about his duels from the Tales of the Late Master (Hyoho senshi denki) written by his disciples.
However, as Musashi’s life has gradually become a legend, today we do not know with certainty the place and date of his birth, nor who his parents were, as there are different accounts of that. Reading often conflicting information. According to the most accepted story, he was born in 1584 as the son of samurai Munisai Shinmen from the village of Miyamoto near present-day Osaka. His father was a very skilled fighter, a master of jittom and sword handling, which led the then shogun to declare him the best swordsman in Japan. It is assumed that Musashi’s mother was Munisai’s second wife.
He himself says that he started fighting at a very young age and that he won his first duel at the age of thirteen. Sometime in his sixteenth year, he leaves the village and embarks on a musha-shugyo, a “warrior’s pilgrimage,” towards Kyoto. From then on, he travels throughout Japan. participating in a large number of duels in which he allegedly used a bokken, a wooden sword, and won every time, becoming a legend even in his lifetime.
A warrior’s pilgrimage was common in Japan at that time. The traveling warrior consciously sought out opponents to fight in order to perfect his skills and prove his fearlessness. Such duels also represented a competition between different swordsmanship schools. A master swordsman was one who had conquered fear and doubt and was always ready to die honorably in battle; it was an integral part of the Way of the Sword. Musashi writes: The warrior’s path is the resolute and unconditional acceptance of death.
Records state that he had unusually strong jawbones, powerful cheekbones, yellowish whites of the eyes, and a prominent nose. He had long hair which he sometimes tied with a cord, not caring too much about his appearance. He was 175 centimeters tall, which was exceptional height for the Japanese of that time, and he had a strong, robust body. He was left-handed, although he He used both hands equally well. They say he spoke very quietly, almost in a whisper. Legend has it that he never entered a bath without his weapon, so as not to be caught unarmed.
Since then, he became even more isolated and dedicated his life to the search for the true meaning of the Way of the sword. As he says: Around the age of fifty, I came face to face with the true path of heiho… The true path The uniqueness of this technique is that it can be applied at any time and in any circumstances.
There are few records of this twenty-year period of his life. It is mentioned only that he attempted several times to enter the service of some nobles, but without much success.
In 1615, he obtained a position with Tadanao Ogasaware from the Harima province. Because of his reputation for versatility and responsibility, at Ogasawarin’s request, he became a supervisor in spatial planning and the construction of the Akashi city-fortress, where his designed garden still exists to this day and bears his name. After that, he also worked on the planning of the Himeji city-fortress.
After this service, in his desire to expand his skills and knowledge, he continued with a series of journeys in search not only of great swordsmen, but also of other knowledgeable individuals, artists, craftsmen, priests… Meanwhile, he tried to find a position in the service of the shogun, which he did not succeed in, but in 1633, he entered the service of Hosokawa Tadatos. he settled in Kumamoto. Soon he became its official companion and friend. There, he finally found peace and dedicated himself to practicing and painting. During this period, he also wrote a work called “Thirty-five Instructions on Military Doctrine” (Hyoho Sanju Go Kajo), which he dedicated to Tadatoshi, as well as short essays on the Song and Yuan periods of Chinese painting.
The work Tales of the Deceased Master describes his death: At the moment of death, he rose up. He had a tight belt, and behind it, a wakizashi (short sword) tucked in. He sat with one knee lifted vertically, holding the sword in his left hand and a staff in his right hand. He died in that posture at the age of sixty-two.
At his request, he was buried with all his weapons and in full armor, although he had never worn them in his lifetime. His tomb is located in the village of Yuge on Mount Iwato, next to the road his lord Hosokawa used to pass when traveling to Edo.
“A Record of Five Rings” or circles. The circle is also a symbol of perfection in Japanese culture, so the title of this work could also be interpreted as a record of five perfections. This also reminds me of the Chinese teaching of the five elements. Similarly, Musashi titled parts of the book: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Void.
Although Musashi claims that he did not directly use classical works from the East in his writing, their wisdom occasionally emerges in the book. Musashi was well-versed in the philosophical and religious teachings of that time: Japanese classics, Buddhism, Taoism, Shintoism. He had a good understanding of Confucian teachings as he befriended Yagyu Munenori, a Confucian scholar who was also a master swordsman. Additionally, he practiced zazen in the Myoshinji temple.
In this book, Musashi shares his life experiences, and his life wisdom is condensed into every sentence. He dedicated it to Terau Magono, one of his disciples.
On his warrior path, Musashi created his own He taught a fencing school called Niten-ichi, “Two Skies – as one” or Nito-ichi, “Two swords – as one”. Musashi taught the use of two swords simultaneously, which was not customary among samurai of that time, hence the second name. But he also says the following: The spirit that is capable of winning, regardless of the type of weapon, that is the teaching of my school.
The first name, “Two Skies – as one”, has its roots in Buddhist teachings and speaks of the harmonization of a person’s consciousness (sky) with the consciousness of the entire nature (Sky), which in this case become one.
This dual name indicates that for Musashi, martial art had a deeper meaning than mere technique. Moreover, he says: If someone only focuses on the technique of fencing, it is not possible to discover the true path of heiho. Therefore, in the first chapter of the book titled Earth, through simple messages, he presents the foundation of his philosophy for those who seek to follow the Way of the warrior:
In order to follow the Way of the warrior, Musashi says, it is necessary to develop an invincible spirit and an iron will. However, o. There is no distinction between battle and everyday life. In all military arts, it is essential to make the everyday attitude an attitude in battle, and the attitude in battle an everyday attitude. It demands that a person be open-minded in both cases, and not succumb to extremes. It advises against being tense or drowsy, relaxed or indifferent. It emphasizes the importance of alertness: Make the main canal (deeply investigate the essence of things), the subsidiary channel (observe the movements of external phenomena, what your opponent wants you to see). It recommends that by avoiding extremes, a person finds and masters the middle path – the path of harmony.
The warrior is the one who has mastered many other skills besides swordsmanship. He emphasizes the usefulness of knowing the diversity of paths, the need to expand knowledge, and the necessity of refining and deepening one’s own path. He spent his whole life searching for answers to the big questions in life, learning from different people and improving himself. However, he warns of the danger that a person, while engaging in different skills, can easily get lost: It is important for a person to practice different things, but to excel in only one. He points out that the sword is not meant to conquer the outer world, but the one that is much closer to us. In order to master oneself, a person needs to live by certain moral principles: If you want to follow the path of a samurai, you must understand the way of swordsmanship correctly, adopt various techniques, not lose sight of anything, preserve a pure heart, practice diligently every day and every hour, acquire wisdom and exercise mental strength, develop the power of judgment and alertness in order to free oneself in that way. about every appearance. (…) By educating your power of judgment, you will learn to distinguish right from wrong, good from evil in everything.