The Most Deadly Man That Ever Did Live

There may be many discussions/arguments about who is the deadliest person to ever live and up until recently I would have said it was either Jean Claude van Damme or the Terminator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger, but upon further investigation I now have to consider a Ronin called Miyamoto Musashi to be the holder of this title.

The man was undefeated in 61 bladed weapon duels, considered a Kensi in Japan (literal translation: sword saint), was a father, an author, an accomplished artist and never took a bath because he “did not want to be surprised unarmed”. Already a fricking LEG-END!

Musashi was born Shinmen Musashi-no-Kami Fujiwara no Harunobu (新免武蔵守藤原玄信) in the year of the Monkey, 1584, in his own words. Verifiable records are hard to come by about his early life but I’m not gonna call him a liar, he killed thousands for much less!

His father, Shinmen Munisai (新免無二斎), was an accomplished sword master and martial artist; and after beating Yoshioka Kenpo in a duel, the shōgun gave him the title of “Unrivaled Under The Sun”.

So, it’s not like Musashi had much to live up to!

Speculation on my part but maybe having a father who was near God like pushed Musashi on feats of greatness from a young age. His first duel was at the age of 13!

Arima Kihei, a samurai who was looking to hone his skills, put out a public challenge in the village that Musashi was staying in and when Musashi saw it wild horses couldn’t hold him back. When a messenger came to inform him that his number had been called and Kihei would battle him the next day, Dorin, Musashi’s uncle was mortified and petitioned Kehei to call off the duel due to his nephew’s age. Kihei would only acquiesce to the request if Musashi came and apologised at the time of the duel.

So at the appointed time Musashi duly turned up and charged at Kehei with a six foot quarterstaff while shouting a challenge! Kehei was taken aback but drew his wakizashi and faced off against Musashi, bad move. Musashi judo threw Kehei to the ground and repeatedly head eyesed him with the quarterstaff and beat him to death.

I’d just started smoking at 13 and thought I was all that and a bag of chips but Musashi was out there straight up murking people!

At the age of 15, Musashi travelled around Japanese provinces honing his technique and fighting style, a concept called musha shugyō. Most Samurai would take this pilgrimage in order to find a daimyō to serve but Musashi just wanted to stretch his legs as he never settled in any one place for too long.

In 1604 and at the age of 20 years old, he arrived in Kyoto and got into beef with the Yoshioka clan. This was the clan that his father had previously beaten and earned the moniker of “Unrivaled Under The Sun”, so there was history here and maybe to prove he truly was his fathers son he threw down the challenge to the clan. In the intermittent years since his fathers victory the Yoshioka clan had grown and was one of the most formidable fighting schools in all of Japan but Musashi was like “whatevs yo”.

He challenged Seijuro Yoshioka, who was head of the clan, to a duel using wooden swords (bokken). Seijuro readily accepted and let Musashi pick the location and time of the duel, NOOB!

Musashi picked an outside location and turned up a long time after the time that he himself had chosen. He basically started psychological warfare on Seijuro and stated that his style was “irritating his opponent” long before the actual battle had begun. He reasoned that taking an opponent outside of their comfort zone and pissing them off as well, gave him an advantage.

When Musashi eventually turned up, Seijuro was pissed. The duel would be decided by a single blow and Musashi struck first and in the process breaking Seijuro’s arm and forcing him to retire as the head of the clan and take up the life of a Zen Monk.

Obvs, this slight couldn’t be left by the Yoshioka clan and Seijuro’s younger brother, Denshichiro who was now the head of the clan, threw down a fresh challenge to Musashi to regain honour. Like Musashi was gone say noppers and he agreed readily even though this was a fight to the death, cos Denshichiro was mad AF.

Again, Musashi turned up late and just smiled as Denshichiro shouted and screamed expletives at him, which further antagonised Denshichiro.

Alas, by all accounts it was a one sided fight and Musashi disarmed Denshichiro and killed him with his own sword.

So the story of this feud ends… NOT! (Does anyone remember that? NOT!)

The youngest brother of the Yoshioka clan decided to get involved, a 12 year old named Matashichiro. When your older brother gets “Monked” and then your second oldest brother gets murked maybe take some notice and just let bygones be bygones but no, VENGANZA!

Although the saying “third time’s a charm!” is well known now, it wasn’t that well known back in feudal Japan, and Musashi’s spidey sense was tingling. Rather than turn up late for this duel, he turned up super early and hid in a bush. Quite rightly so, as the youngest Yoshioka was accompanied by archers and swordsmen who all slunk off into hiding places. While they were doing this, Musashi sprang forth and… DECAPITATED A 12 YEAR OLD!

He drew his second sword and fought off the rest of the young clan leaders’ retinue, which may have given rise to his Niten Ichi-ryū school, but still…

Musashi went a wandering after this and had duels with many legendary experts all over Japan, occasionally joining an uprising or a daimyo’s army to further his skills. He fought Musō Gonnosuke a master in the five foot staff, Okuzōin Dōei a master of the spear and someone who was an expert in Kusarigamajutsu, which is sick AF and there’s a video below of what it is!

Musashi’s last and most “important” (if he would have lost then I suppose his legacy wouldn’t have been cemented) was against Sasaki Kojirō.

Sasaki Kojirō went by the fighting name of Ganryū (巌流, “Large Rock style”) and was one of the most devastating and formidable opponents in bladed combat, not only because he had a signature move, Tsubame Gaeshi (燕返し, “Swallow Reversal / Return”), that was known, feared and respected throughout Japan, not only because in the late 1500’s he fought off three opponents using a tessen (a metal bladed fan) but maybe because Sasaki was honored by Lord Hosokawa Tadaoki as the chief weapons master of the Hosokawa fief in the north of Kyūshū.

Again, Musashi was like “What evs, if it breathes I can kill it” (I wasn’t there but I guess that’s what he thought!).

There may be legend and myth surrounding this duel, but as the great late Tony Wilson once said “When you have to choose between the truth and the legend, choose the legend.”

So as the story goes, the duel was to take place on the shores of the island of Ganryujima in the early morning. As Kojirō was a warrior of pose and followed the Bushido code to the letter, he turned up on the dot dressed in immaculate robes with the best nodachi (bigger than normal sword that most samurai would wield) that money could buy.

Musashi slept in and after a couple hours of waiting around Kojirō sent a messenger to get him. According to legend, while rowing to the island Musashi fashioned a towel into a headband and to kill the time on he whittled an oar into an oversized bokken.

When Musashi finally arrived at the island, Kojirō was apoplectic and unloaded a barrage of insults at his opponent while Musashi just stood and smiled at him. Kojirō super lost his shit and threw his scabbard into the sea in a fit of pique, to which Musashi retorted “You’ve lost, Kojirō. Only the loser will have no need for his scabbard.” OH SNAP, IT’S ON MF!

Kojirō struck the first blow to Musashi’s head but the towel/headband absorbed the blow and he struck back with his oar sword. He smashed Kojirō over the head and followed up with a blow to the ribs that cracked bones and blood poured from Kojirō’s mouth and nose and he fell to the ground. Musashi checked for signs of life, found none, bowed to the witnesses and got the hell out of dodge before Kojirō’s students could take issue, even helping to row with his oar sword.

After this duel Musashi retired from one on one death combat, he did participate in minor duels but never really took it serious although he remained unbeaten. He said in later years:

“I understood that I had not been a victor because of extraordinary skill in the martial arts. Perhaps I had some natural talent or had not departed from natural principles. Or again, was it that the martial arts of the other styles were lacking somewhere? After that, determined all the more to reach a clearer understanding of the deep principles, I practiced day and night. By about the time I was fifty, I realized the Way of this martial art quite naturally.”

By the age of 45(ish) he started to be creative and jumped into it with the free abandon that he jumped into murdering people. He smashed it basically, his calligraphy and Shrike painting’s are described as masterpieces.

In 1643, just as the child Sun King Louis the 14th was taking power, Musashi retired to a cave to live the life of a hermit. He knew the end was near and just wanted to chill.

According to the Hyoho senshi denki:

At the moment of his death, he had himself raised up. He had his belt tightened and his wakizashi put in it. He seated himself with one knee vertically raised, holding the sword with his left hand and a cane in his right hand. He died in this posture, at the age of sixty-two.

RIP to a real one!

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miyamoto_Musashi#cite_note-lowry-15