The Real Musashi: A Miscellany (Origins of a Legend III)

Miyamoto Musashi (c. 1584–1645) is the most revered and celebrated swordsman in Japanese history; unfortunately, our modern portrait of this folk hero is derived mainlyfrom popular books, comics, and film, with little heed paid to the early denki, chronicles that faithfully recorded what was passed down by those who knew Musashi.This book presents translations of nearly two dozen texts describing important events in Musashi’s life, dating from the mid-seventeenth to the late-nineteenth century. They include the Tomari jinja munefuda, traceable to the swordsman’s adopted son Iori, and the Numata kaki, written by the keeper of the castle where Musashi stayed at the time of his famous duel on Ganryu Island. Together with the author’s previously published translations, they make available to the English reader virtually all of the extant early historical material relevant to the life of this enigmatic and solitary swordsman. They throw new and refreshing light on many aspects of Musashi’s life—his encounters with the members of the Yoshioka clan, the events leading up to his duel with Sasaki Kojirô, his heroic role in the siege of Osaka castle, his contribution to the reconstruction of Akashi castle, his liaisons with women, and his remarkable artistic talents.