Shimmen Musashi No Kami Fujiwara No Genshin was born in 1584 in a village called Miyamoto in the province of Mimasaka. His father Hirata Munisai was a samurai in the service of the sovereign, and his mother Omasa came from the Shinmen clan. Musashi bore the name Shinmen Bennosuke for a long time, which he later changed again. Musashi was already known for his wild nature in his younger years. It is said that he fought and won his first battle at the age of 13 against a skilled samurai named Arima Kihei. It is not entirely known where Musashi was apprenticed. Only assumptions have been made. When he reached the age of 16, he began travelling throughout Japan. From this point on, he only called himself Miyamoto Musashi. Over the course of his journey, he fought in six wars and contested over 60 duels, all of which he won. He also fought in the legendary Battle of Sehigahara. Musashi dedicated his life entirely to his swordsmanship. Here he developed his swordsmanship in numerous duels. What was typical of his art was fighting with both long and short swords. This was very unusual at the time as the short sword (kodachi) was actually used for ceremonial purposes and emergencies. According to Musashi’s philosophy, you should use everything at your disposal in battle. This is what it says in the Gorin-no-sho (Book of the 5 Rings). Read more >>>

# This article was written by students of Tatsu-Ryu-Bushido between 2007 and 2012!

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