Myamoto Musashi

Karate and Culture

I Samurai più famosi – Miyamoto Musashi 宮本武藏

Pubblicato da Kojin Sensei in 25 maggio 2020

Miyamoto Musashi 宮本武藏 *non ha mai posseduto terre e non ha mai servito formalmente un Daimyō, nonostante ciò ben pochi Samurai possono essere paragonati a lui come duellante. Rimase imbattuto in almeno 60 duelli, e grazie alla sua esperienza fondò diverse scuole di scherma, più avanti negli anni condensò le sue conoscenze nel testo “Il Libro dei cinque anelli” * *(Go Rin no Sho 五輪書), libro letto ancora oggi non solo per approfondire la sua tattica e filosofia, ma anche come testo di strategia generale.

Anche se c’è incertezza sul suo luogo di nascita, Musashi nel “Libro dei cinque anelli” affermò di essere nato nella provincia di Harima, nella parte meridionale di quella che ora è la prefettura di Hyogo. Si crede che sia nato nello sperduto villaggio di Miyamoto, proprio a ovest, vicino al confine con la provincia di Mimasaka. Il padre di Musashi era un abile spadaccino al servizio del signore del castello di Takeyama che dominava il villaggio.

I cinque Makimono che compongono il Libro dei Cinque Elementi

Musashi dal carattere arrogante e incosciente, vinse il suo primo duello a 12 o 13 anni accettando la sfida di samurai di passaggio con la tecnica a sorpresa che comprendeva l’uso di un bokken e poi colpendoli a morte mentre erano a terra. Arrivato alla maggiore età, appena dopo la fine del periodo Sengoku, si discute ancora in quali particolari battaglie abbia partecipato e per quale schieramento. Alcuni lo mettono dalla parte perdente della battaglia di Sekigahara (combattuta il 21 ottobre del 1600), battaglia che consolidò il dominio di Tokugawa, altri però lo collocano altrove. Non si è certi neppure da che parte stesse nell’assedio di Osaka (1614-1615), quando i Tokugawa eliminarono le ultime minacce al loro dominio.

Sicuramente i suoi duelli sono più noti delle sue battaglie. Spesso li ha vinti usando solo una spada di legno. All’inizio della sua carriera ha sconfitto diversi membri della famiglia Yoshioka, ponendo così fine alla supremazia della scuola di Kyoto. Dal 1605 al 1612 ha viaggiato in Giappone in un pellegrinaggio guerriero (o musha shugyō 武者修行) duellando con i maestri di diverse scuole e armi.

Nel 1612 combatté il suo duello più famoso contro Sasaki Kojiro sulla minuscola isola di Funajima, situata nello stretto di Kanmon tra l’isola principale del Giappone e il Kyūshū. Musashi irritò volutamente il suo avversario arrivando con quasi tre ore di ritardo e nel corso di un feroce ma breve duello lo colpì a morte usando un bokken che aveva intagliato da un remo durante la traversata.

Dopo l’assedio di Osaka, Musashi contribuì a costruire il castello di Akashi in quella che oggi è la prefettura di Hyogo e aiutò anche a creare la città di Himeji. Viaggiò nuovamente per qualche anno, offrendosi come istruttore nell’ Arte della spada o come vassallo per diversi personaggi importanti tra cui Tokugawa Ieyasu stesso (che lo respinse). Nel 1633 prese finalmente residenza nel castello di Kumamoto dove dedicò più tempo all’apprendimento della pittura che ai duelli.

Nel 1643 si ritirò in una grotta nella zona occidentale di Kumamoto nota come Reigando (霊巌洞)*** per scrivere il libro dei cinque anelli. Completò la stesura a febbraio del 1645 e morì in quella stessa grotta all’età di 62 anni intorno al 13 giugno.

Reigando 霊巌洞

Musashi è stato protagonista di innumerevoli film e drammi d’epoca ed è particolarmente noto per il suo stile a due spade Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū (兵法二天一流, Scuola della strategia dei due Cieli in uno – Musashi la chiamò Niten Ichi (二天一, “Due cieli in uno”) o Nitō Ichi (二刀一, “Due spade in una”) che perfezionò mentre era a Kumamoto.

Come lascito al discepolo Terao Magonojo stilò il Dokkodo (独行道), che potremmo rendere con Cammino della solitudine oppure Via da percorrere da solo.

Si tratta di un breve elenco di precetti, diciannove o ventuno secondo le versioni antica o più recente, (i precetti racchiusi dalla parentesi non compaiono nelle versioni più antiche) rilasciati da Musashi al momento di abbandonare ogni suo possedimento terreno, prima di ritirarsi nel Reigando per riflettere e scrivere, in attesa della morte.

Accetta ogni cosa cosi come è.
Non cercare il piacere per la tua propria soddisfazione.
Non dipendere, sotto alcuna circostanza, da impressioni parziali.
[Pensa con leggerezza di te stesso e con profondità del mondo] .
Sii distaccato dal desiderio durante tutta la tua vita.
Non rimpiangere quello che hai fatto.
Non essere mai geloso.
Non lasciarti mai rattristare da una separazione.
Risentimento e lamentele non si addicono né a te stesso né ad altri.
Non lasciarti guidare da sentimenti di lussuria o passione.
In tutte le cose, non avere preferenze.
Sii indifferente al luogo dove vivi.
Non ricercare il gusto del buon cibo.
Non attaccarti al possesso di quanto non ti serve più.
Non agire seguendo idee dettate dall’abitudine.
Non collezionare armi e non praticare con armi quando non sia utile.
Non temere la morte.
Non cercare il possesso di beni o feudi per la tua vecchiaia.
Rispetta Budda e gli dei ma non contare sul loro aiuto.
[Puoi abbandonare il tuo corpo, ma devi conservare il tuo onore.]
Non allontanarti mai dalla via.

*(Nato probabilmente con il nome di Takezo, il guerriero scelse di adottare all’inizio del suo difficile percorso una pronuncia alternativa degli ideogrammi: Musashi)

** Il libro è conosciuto anche come “Il libro degli elementi” o “Il libro dei cinque elementi”, dato che ognuno dei cinque capitoli del libro ha il nome di uno degli elementi che secondo l’autore costituivano il mondo. I cinque anelli sono: terra, acqua, fuoco, vento, vuoto.

Ogni elemento rappresenta un differente aspetto della strategia e si presume che il guerriero che sia in grado di padroneggiare perfettamente i cinque elementi sia un guerriero invincibile. Quando è stata presentata la prima traduzione in inglese il libro ha riscosso subito un notevole successo tra i manager che interpretavano gli insegnamenti del maestro nell’ottica della competizione economica. Per i membri della Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryu invece è solamente un manuale della strategia e della filosofia del combattimento.

Nell’introduzione, Musashi dice «siamo nei primi dieci giorni del decimo mese nel ventesimo anno di Kanei», il che fa datare il libro al 1645. Un paragone quasi obbligato, è confrontare questo con lo Hagakure (葉隠 Hagakure kikigaki, lett. “Annotazioni su cose udite all’ombra delle foglie”), l’altro testo relativo all’etica dei samurai, posteriore di 70 anni (1716), scritto da Yamamoto Tsunetomo.

*** Reigando (霊巌洞, “grotta spirito”) è una grotta situata nei monti ad ovest della città di Kumamoto, nelli’sola di Kyūshū, Giappone, in cui ha risieduto per un certo periodo il leggendario samurai Miyamoto Musashi.

A partire dal 1643, Musashi passò molti dei suoi ultimi giorni nella grotta, meditando e lavorando alla scrittura del Libro dei Cinque Anelli (五輪書, Go rin no sho).

La grotta è facilmente accessibile via bus dalla città di Kumamoto e dalla vicina Tamana.

Miyamoto Musashi

(宮本武蔵, c. 1584 – June 13, 1645)

Miyamoto Musashi (宮本武蔵, c. 1584 – June 13, 1645), also known as Shinmen Takezō, Miyamoto Bennosuke or, by his Buddhist name, Niten Dōraku,^[1] was a Japanese swordsman, philosopher, strategist, writer and rōnin. Musashi, as he was often simply known, became renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed swordsmanship and undefeated record in his 61 duels (next is 33 by Itō Ittōsai). He is considered a Kensei, a sword-saint of Japan.^[2] He was the founder of the Niten Ichi-ryū school or Nito Ichi-ryū style of swordsmanship, and in his final years authored The Book of Five Rings (五輪の書, Go Rin No Sho), and Dokkōdō (The Path of Aloneness). Both documents were given to Terao Magonojō, the most important of Musashi's students, seven days before Musashi's death. The Book of Five Rings deals primarily with the character of his Niten Ichi-ryū school in a concrete sense e.g. his own practical martial art and its generic significance; The Path of Aloneness on the other hand, deals with the ideas that lie behind it, as well as his life's philosophy in a few short aphoristic sentences. The Musashi Budokan training center - in a remarkable architecture - located in Mimasaka, Okayama prefecture, Japan was erected to honor his name and legend.

Biography

The details of Miyamoto Musashi's early life are difficult to verify. Musashi himself simply states in The Book of Five Rings that he was born in Harima Province.^[3] Niten Ki (an early biography of Musashi) supports the theory that Musashi was born in 1584: "[He] was born in Banshū, in Tenshō 12 [1584], the Year of the Monkey."^[4] The historian Kamiko Tadashi, commenting on Musashi's text, notes: "Munisai was Musashi's father ... he lived in Miyamoto village, in the Yoshino district [of Mimasaka Province]. Musashi was most probably born here."^[5] His childhood name was Bennosuke (弁之助), and his father worked as a farmer. "Bennosuke" often worked the fields there before his restless nature eventually led him to the life of the sword.

Musashi gives his full name and title in The Book of Five Rings as Shinmen Musashi-no-Kami Fujiwara no Harunobu (新免武蔵守藤原玄信).^[6] His father, Shinmen Munisai (新免無二斎) was an accomplished martial artist and master of the sword and jutte (also jitte).^[5] Munisai, in turn, was the son of Hirata Shōgen (平田将監), a vassal of Shinmen Iga no Kami, the lord of Takayama Castle in the Yoshino district of Mimasaka Province.^[7] Hirata was relied upon by Lord Shinmen and so was allowed to use the Shinmen name. As for "Musashi", Musashi no Kami was a court title, making him the nominal governor of Musashi Province. "Fujiwara" was the lineage from which Musashi claimed descent.

Munisai and Musashi's birth date[edit]

Munisai's tomb says he died in 1580, which conflicts with the commonly accepted birth date of 1584 for Musashi. Further confounding his birthdate, the genealogy of the extant Miyamoto family recounts Musashi was born in 1582. Kenji Tokitsu has suggested that the accepted birth date of 1584 for Musashi is wrong, as it is primarily based on a literal reading of the introduction to The Book of Five Rings where Musashi states that the years of his life "add up to 60" (yielding the twelfth year of the Tensho era, or 1584, when working backwards from the well-documented date of composition), when it should be taken in a more literary and imprecise sense, indicating not a specific age but merely that Musashi was in his sixties when he wrote it. He may have also written it two years prior to when it was considered a composition.

There is considerable uncertainty surrounding Munisai, such as when he died and whether he was truly Musashi's father, and even less is known about Musashi's mother. The following are a few possibilities:

Munisai's tomb was correct. He died in 1580, leaving two daughters and son Iori; his wife adopted a recently born child, from the Akamatsu clan, intended to succeed Munisai at his jitte school. Omasa, Munisai's widow, was not Musashi's biological mother.
The tomb was wrong. Munisai lived a good deal longer, later than 1590 possibly. Musashi, then, was born to Munisai's first wife, Yoshiko (daughter to Bessho Shigeharu, who formerly controlled Hirafu village until he lost a battle in 1578 to Yamanaka Shikanosuke). Munisai divorced her after Musashi's birth, whereupon she decamped for her father's house, leaving Musashi with Munisai. Musashi grew up treating Munisai's second wife, Omasa (daughter to Lord Shinmen) as his mother. This second scenario is laid out in an entry to the Tasumi family's genealogy. The daughter of Bessho Shigeharu first married Hirata Munisai and was divorced from him a few years later. After that she married Tasumi Masahisa. The second wife of Tasumi Masahisa was the mother of Miyamoto Musashi. Musashi's childhood name was Hirata Den. During his childhood, he went to Hirafu to find his real mother. He moved in with the Tasumi family.^[8]
A variant of this second theory is based on the fact that the tombstone states that Omasa gave birth to Musashi on 4 March 1584, and died of it. Munisai then remarried to Yoshiko. They divorced, as in the second theory, but Yoshiko took Musashi, who was 7 at the time, with her, and married Tasumi Masahisa.
Kenji Tokitsu prefers to assume a birth date of 1581, which avoids the necessity of assuming the tombstone to be erroneous (although this poses the problem of from whom then Musashi received the transmission of the family martial art).
There is another possibility that Munisai's tomb was correct he died in near the end of 1580 but also got Omasa pregnant near the time of his death and had the baby in 1582 because she had her pregnancy which was a couple weeks late, and had Musashi within January or February meaning the Miyamoto family was correct and she hid him from everyone till 1584. Miyamoto Musashi was told he was born in 1584 to another man so he stated in The Book of Five Rings that he was born in 1584. He had received his training from his uncle.

Regardless of the truth about Musashi's ancestry, when Musashi was seven years old, the boy was raised by his uncle, Dorinbo (or Dorin), in Shoreian temple, three kilometers (~1.8 mi.) from Hirafuku. Both Dorin and Tasumi, Musashi's uncle by marriage, educated him in Buddhism and basic skills such as writing and reading. This education is possibly the basis for Yoshikawa Eiji's fictional education of Musashi by the historical Zen monk Takuan. He was apparently trained by Munisai in the sword, and in the family art of the jutte. This training did not last for a very long time, as in 1589, Munisai was ordered by Shinmen Sokan to kill Munisai's student, Honiden Gekinosuke. The Honiden family was displeased, and so Munisai was forced to move four kilometers (~2.5 mi.) away to the village of Kawakami.

In 1592, Munisai died, although Tokitsu believes that the person who died at this time was really Hirata Takehito.

Musashi contracted eczema in his infancy, and this adversely affected his appearance.^[9] Another story claims that he never took a bath because he did not want to be surprised unarmed. While the former claim may or may not have some basis in reality, the latter seems improbable.^[10] An unwashed member of the warrior caste would not have been received as a guest by such houses as Honda, Ogasawara, and Hosokawa. These and many other details are likely embellishments that were added to his legend, or misinterpretations of literature describing him.

His father's fate is uncertain, but it is thought that he died at the hands of one of Musashi's later adversaries, who was punished or even killed for treating Musashi's father badly. However, there are no exact details of Musashi's life, since Musashi's only writings are those related to strategy and technique.

Training in swordsmanship[edit]

Miyamoto Musashi having his fortune told. Print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi

The name "Musashi" was thought to be taken from the name of a warrior monk named Musashibō Benkei who served under Minamoto no Yoshitsune, but this is unconfirmed.

It is said that he may have studied at the Yoshioka-ryū school, which was also said to be the school Musashi defeated single-handedly during his later years, although this is very uncertain. He did have formal training either by his father until he was seven years old or from his uncle beginning at the age of seven. Ultimately the name was taken from his own original kanji characters, 武蔵, which can be read as Takezō or as Musashi, as stated in Eiji Yoshikawa's book Musashi.

First duel[edit]

I have trained in the way of strategy since my youth, and at the age of thirteen I fought a duel for the first time. My opponent was called Arima Kihei, a sword adept of the Shinto ryū, and I defeated him. At the age of sixteen I defeated a powerful adept by the name of Akiyama, who came from Tajima Province. At the age of twenty-one I went up to Kyōtō and fought duels with several adepts of the sword from famous schools, but I never lost.

— Miyamoto Musashi, Go Rin No Sho

According to the introduction of The Book of Five Rings, Musashi states that his first successful duel was at the age of 13, against a samurai named Arima Kihei who fought using the Kashima Shintō-ryū style, founded by Tsukahara Bokuden (b. 1489, d. 1571). The main source of the duel is the Hyoho senshi denki ("Anecdotes about the Deceased Master"). Summarized, its account goes as follows:

In 1596, Musashi was 13, and Arima Kihei, who was traveling to hone his art, posted a public challenge in Hirafuku-mura. Musashi wrote his name on the challenge. A messenger came to Dorin's temple, where Musashi was staying, to inform Musashi that his duel had been accepted by Kihei. Dorin, Musashi's uncle, was shocked by this, and tried to beg off the duel in Musashi's name, based on his nephew's age. Kihei was adamant that the only way his honour could be cleared was if Musashi apologized to him when the duel was scheduled. So when the time set for the duel arrived, Dorin began apologizing for Musashi, who merely charged at Kihei with a six-foot quarterstaff, shouting a challenge to Kihei. Kihei attacked with a wakizashi, but Musashi threw Kihei on the floor, and while Kihei tried to get up, Musashi struck Arima between the eyes and then beat him to death. Arima was said to have been arrogant, overly eager to battle, and not a terribly talented swordsman.

— William Scott Wilson, The Lone Samurai^[11]

Travels and duels[edit]

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In 1599, Musashi left his village, apparently at the age of 15 (according to the Tosakushi, "The Registry of the Sakushu Region", although the Tanji Hokin Hikki says he was 16 years old in 1599, which agrees time-wise with the age reported in Musashi's first duel).^[8] His family possessions such as furniture, weapons, genealogy, and other records were left with his sister and her husband, Hirao Yoemon.

He spent his time traveling and engaging in duels, such as with an adept called Akiyama from the Tajima Province.

In 1600, when a war began between the Toyotomi and Tokugawa clans, Musashi apparently fought on the side of the Toyotomi's "Army of the West", as the Shinmen clan (to whom his family owed allegiance) had allied with them. Specifically, he participated in the attempt to take Fushimi castle by assault in July 1600, in the defense of the besieged Gifu Castle in August of the same year, and finally in the Battle of Sekigahara. Some doubt has been cast on this final battle, as the Hyoho senshi denki has Musashi saying he is "no lord's vassal" and refusing to fight with his father (in Lord Ukita's battalion) in the battle. Omitting the Battle of Sekigahara from the list of Musashi's battles would seem to contradict The Book of Five Rings's statement that Musashi fought in six battles, however. Regardless, as the Toyotomi side lost, it has been suggested that Musashi fled as well and spent some time training on Mount Hiko.

After the battle, Musashi disappears from the records for a while. The next mention of him has him arriving in Kyoto at the age of 20 (or 21), where he began a series of duels against the Yoshioka School. Musashi's father, Munisai, also fought against a master of the Yoshioka school and won 2 out of 3 bouts in front of the shōgun at the time, Ashikaga Yoshiaki who granted him the title of "Unrivaled Under Heaven". The Yoshioka School (descended from either the Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū or the Kyo-hachi-ryū) was the foremost of the eight major schools of martial arts in Kyoto, the "Kyo-ryū" / "Schools of Kyoto". Legend has it that these eight schools were founded by eight monks taught by a legendary martial artist resident on the sacred Mount Kurama. At some point, the Yoshioka family also began to make a name for itself not merely in the art of the sword but also in the textile business and for a dye unique to them. They gave up teaching swordsmanship in 1614 when they fought in the Army of the West against Tokugawa Ieyasu in the Battle of Osaka, which they lost. But in 1604, when Musashi began duelling them, they were still preeminent. There are various accounts of the duels—the Yoshioka family documents claim that there was only one, against Yoshioka Kenpō, which Musashi, once again, won.

Musashi challenged Yoshioka Seijūrō, master of the Yoshioka School, to a duel. Seijūrō accepted, and they agreed to a duel outside Rendaiji in Rakuhoku, in the northern part of Kyoto on 8 March 1604. Musashi arrived late, greatly irritating Seijūrō. They faced off, and Musashi struck a single blow, per their agreement. This blow struck Seijūrō on the left shoulder, knocking him out, and crippling his left arm. He apparently passed on the headship of the school to his equally accomplished brother, Yoshioka Denshichirō, who promptly challenged Musashi for revenge. The duel took place in Kyoto outside a temple, Sanjūsangen-dō. Denshichirō wielded a staff reinforced with steel rings (or possibly with a ball-and-chain attached), while Musashi arrived late a second time. Musashi disarmed Denshichirō and defeated him. This second victory outraged the Yoshioka family, whose head was now the 12-year-old Yoshioka Matashichiro. They assembled a force of archers, musketeers and swordsmen, and challenged Musashi to a duel outside Kyoto, near Ichijō-ji Temple. Musashi broke his previous habit of arriving late, and came to the temple hours early. Hidden, Musashi assaulted the force, killing Matashichiro, and escaping while being attacked by dozens of his victim's supporters. To escape and fight off his opponents he was forced to draw his second sword and defend himself with a sword in each hand. This was the beginning of his niten'ichi sword style. With the death of Matashichiro, this branch of the Yoshioka School was destroyed.

After Musashi left Kyoto, some sources recount that he travelled to Hōzōin in Nara, to duel with and learn from the monks there, widely known as experts with lance weapons. There he settled down at Enkoji Temple in Banshū, where he taught the head monk's (one Tada Hanzaburo's) brother. Hanzaburo's grandson would found the Ensu-ryū based on the Enmei-ryū teachings and iaijutsu.

From 1605 to 1612, he travelled extensively all over Japan in musha shugyō, a warrior pilgrimage during which he honed his skills with duels. He was said to have used bokken or bokuto in actual duels. Participants in most of the engagements from these times did not try to take the opponent's life unless both agreed, but in most duels, it is known that Musashi did not care which weapon his foe used—such was his mastery.

A document dated 5 September 1607, purporting to be a transmission by Miyamoto Munisai of his teachings, suggests Munisai lived at least to this date. In this year, Musashi departed Nara for Edo, during which he fought (and killed) a kusarigama practitioner named Shishido Baiken. In Edo, Musashi defeated Musō Gonnosuke, who would found an influential staff-wielding school known as Shintō Musō-ryū. Records of this first duel can be found in both the Shinto Muso-ryu tradition and the Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū (Miyamoto Musashi's school). The Shinto Muso Ryu tradition states that, after being defeated by Musashi, Muso Gonnosuke spent time developing a stick-fighting technique to counter swords and beat Musashi in a rematch. There are no current reliable sources outside the Shinto Muso Ryu tradition to confirm that this second duel took place.

Musashi is said to have fought over 60 duels and was never defeated, although this is a conservative estimate, most likely not accounting for deaths by his hand in major battles. In 1611, Musashi began practicing zazen at the Myōshin-ji temple, where he met Nagaoka Sado, vassal to Hosokawa Tadaoki; Tadaoki was a powerful lord who had received the Kumamoto Domain in west-central Kyūshū after the Battle of Sekigahara. Munisai had moved to northern Kyūshū and became Tadaoki's teacher, leading to the possibility that Munisai introduced the two. Nagaoka proposed a duel with a certain adept named Sasaki Kojirō. Tokitsu believes that the duel was politically motivated, a matter of consolidating Tadaoki's control over his fief.

Duel with Sasaki Kojirō[edit]

Main article: Sasaki Kojirō

Sasaki Kojiro (right) engages Miyamoto Musashi on the shores of Ganryū Island. Note that in this rendering, Musashi is using two bokken.

On April 13, 1612, Musashi (about age 30) fought his duel with Sasaki Kojirō, who was known as "The Demon of the Western Provinces" and who wielded a nodachi, the Japanese great sword. Musashi came late and unkempt to the appointed place—the island of Funajima, in the Kanmon Straits separating Honshū and Kyūshū. The duel was short. Musashi killed his opponent with a bokken that legend says he had carved from an oar used on the boat that carried him to the island.

Musashi's late arrival is controversial. Sasaki's outraged supporters thought it was dishonourable and disrespectful, while Musashi's supporters thought it was a fair way to unnerve his opponent. Another theory is that Musashi timed the hour of his arrival to match the turning of the tide. The tide carried him to the island. After his victory, Musashi immediately jumped back in his boat and his flight from Sasaki's vengeful allies was helped by the turning of the tide. Another theory states he waited for the sun to get in the right position. After he dodged a blow, Sasaki was blinded by the sun.

Musashi briefly established a fencing school that same year.

In 1614–1615, Musashi participated in the war between the Toyotomi and the Tokugawa. The war had broken out because Tokugawa Ieyasu saw the Toyotomi family as a threat to his rule of Japan; most scholars believe that, as in the previous war, Musashi fought on the Toyotomi side. Osaka Castle was the central place of battle. The first battle (the Winter Battle of Osaka; Musashi's fourth battle) ended in a truce. The second (the Summer Battle of Osaka; Musashi's fifth battle) resulted in the total defeat of Toyotomi Hideyori's Army of the West by Ieyasu's Army of the East in May 1615. Some reports go so far as to say that Musashi entered a duel with Ieyasu, but was recruited after Ieyasu sensed his defeat was at hand. This may seem unlikely since Ieyasu was in his 70s and was in poor health already, but it remains unknown how Musashi came into Ieyasu's good graces.

Other claims he actually served on the Tokugawa side are unproven, although Musashi had a close relationship with some Tokugawa vassals through his duel with Sasaki Kojirō, and in the succeeding years, he did not drop out of sight as might be expected if he were being persecuted for being on the losing side. In his later years, Ogasawara and Hosokawa supported Musashi greatly—an atypical course of action for these Tokugawa loyalists, if Musashi had indeed fought on behalf of the Toyotomi.

In 1615 he entered the service of Ogasawara Tadanao (小笠原忠直) of Harima Province, at Ogasawara's invitation, as a "Construction Supervisor," after previously gaining skills in craft. He helped construct Akashi Castle and in 1621 to lay out the organisation of the town of Himeji. He also taught martial arts during his stay, specializing in instruction in the art of shuriken(ninja-star)-throwing. During this period of service, he adopted a son.

In 1621, Musashi defeated Miyake Gunbei and three other adepts of the Togun-ryu in front of the lord of Himeji; it was after this victory that he helped plan Himeji. Around this time, Musashi developed a number of disciples for his Enmei-ryū although he had developed the school considerably earlier; at the age of 22, Musashi had already written a scroll of Enmei-ryū teachings called "Writings on the Sword Technique of the Enmei-ryū" (Enmei-ryū kenpō sho). 円/"En" meant "circle" or "perfection"; 明/"mei" meant "light"/"clarity", and 流/"ryū" meant "school"; the name seems to have been derived from the idea of holding the two swords up in the light so as to form a circle. The school's central idea is given as training to use the twin swords of the samurai as effectively as a combination of sword and jutte.

In 1622, Musashi's adoptive son, Miyamoto Mikinosuke, became a vassal to the Himeji Domain. Possibly this prompted Musashi to leave, embarking on a new series of travels, winding up in Edo in 1623, where he became friends with the Confucian scholar Hayashi Razan, who was one of the Shōgun's advisors. Musashi applied to become a swordmaster to the shōgun, but as he already had two swordmasters (Ono Jiroemon Tadaaki and Yagyū Munenori—the latter also a political advisor, in addition to his position as the head of the Shogunate's secret police) Musashi's application was denied. He left Edo in the direction of Ōshū, ending up in Yamagata, where he adopted a second son, Miyamoto Iori. The two then travelled, eventually stopping in Osaka.

In 1626, Miyamoto Mikinosuke, following the custom of junshi, performed seppuku because of the death of his lord. In this year, Miyamoto Iori entered Lord Ogasawara's service. Musashi's attempt to become a vassal to the lord of Owari, like other such attempts, failed.

In 1627, Musashi began to travel again. In 1634 he settled in Kokura with Iori, and later entered the service of the daimyō Ogasawara Tadazane, taking a major role in the Shimabara Rebellion. Iori served with distinction in putting down the rebellion and gradually rose to the rank of karō – a position equal to a minister. Musashi, however was reputedly injured by a thrown rock while scouting in the front line, and was thus unnoticed.

Later life and death[edit]

Miyamoto Musashi, Self-portrait, Samurai, writer and artist, c. 1640

The grave-marker of Miyamoto Musashi, in present-day Kumamoto Prefecture (熊本県)

Miyamoto Musashi kills a shark fish (Yamazame) in the mountains across the border of Echizen Province, by Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Miyamoto Musashi kills a monstrous bat in the mountains of Tanba Province, by Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Six years later, in 1633, Musashi began staying with Hosokawa Tadatoshi, daimyō of Kumamoto Castle, who had moved to the Kumamoto fief and Kokura, to train and paint. Ironically, it was at this time that the Hosokawa lords were also the patrons of Musashi's chief rival, Sasaki Kojirō.^{[clarification needed]} While he engaged in very few duels; one would occur in 1634 at the arrangement of Lord Ogasawara, in which Musashi defeated a lance specialist by the name of Takada Matabei. Musashi would officially become the retainer of the Hosokowa lords of Kumamoto in 1640. The Niten Ki records "[he] received from Lord Tadatoshi: 17 retainers, a stipend of 300 koku, the rank of ōkumigashira 大組頭, and Chiba Castle in Kumamoto as his residence."^[12]

In the second month of 1641, Musashi wrote a work called the Hyoho Sanju Go ("Thirty-five Instructions on Strategy") for Hosokawa Tadatoshi; this work overlapped and formed the basis for the later The Book of Five Rings. This was the year that his third son, Hirao Yoemon, became Master of Arms for the Owari fief. In 1642, Musashi suffered attacks of neuralgia, foreshadowing his future ill-health. In 1643 he retired to a cave named Reigandō as a hermit to write The Book of Five Rings. He finished it in the second month of 1645. On the twelfth of the fifth month, sensing his impending death, Musashi bequeathed his worldly possessions, after giving his manuscript copy of The Book of Five Rings to the younger brother of Terao Magonojo, his closest disciple. He died in Reigandō cave around June 13, 1645 (Shōhō 2, 19th day of the 5th month). The Hyoho senshi denki described his passing:

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. The principal vassals of Lord Hosokawa and the other officers gathered, and they painstakingly carried out the ceremony. Then they set up a tomb on Mount Iwato on the order of the lord.

Miyamoto Musashi died of what is believed to be thoracic cancer.^[13] He died peacefully after finishing the text Dokkōdō ("The Way of Walking Alone", or "The Way of Self-Reliance"), 21 precepts on self-discipline to guide future generations.

His body was interred in armour within the village of Yuge, near the main road near Mount Iwato, facing the direction the Hosokawas would travel to Edo; his hair was buried on Mount Iwato itself. (NB - Mount Iwato is part of the Mount Kinpu range in Kumamoto and actually where Musashi wrote The Book of Five Rings in the Reigando cave. His grave is not there, but about 45 minutes away, to the east and on the other side of Kumamoto, in the Musashizuka area). Some of his remains were given to Mimasaka so that he could be buried (in part) with his parents. The Mimasaka graves are located in the precincts of Musashi Shrine.

Nine years later, a major source about his life—a monument with a funereal eulogy to Musashi—was erected in Kokura by Miyamoto Iori^{[definition needed]}; this monument was called the Kokura hibun. An account of Musashi's life, the Niten-ki 二天記, was published in Kumamoto in 1776, by Toyota Kagehide, based on the recollections of his grandfather Toyota Masataka, who was a second generation pupil of Musashi.

Teachings

Musashi created and refined a two-sword kenjutsu technique called niten'ichi (二天一, "two heavens as one") or nitōichi (二刀一, "two swords as one") or 'Niten Ichi-ryū' (A Kongen Buddhist Sutra refers to the two heavens as the two guardians of Buddha). In this technique, the swordsman uses both a large sword, and a "companion sword" at the same time, such as a katana with a wakizashi.^[14]

The two-handed movements of temple drummers may have inspired him, although it could be that the technique was forged through Musashi's combat experience. Jutte techniques were taught to him by his father—the jutte was often used in battle paired with a sword; the jutte would parry and neutralize the weapon of the enemy while the sword struck or the practitioner grappled with the enemy. Today Musashi's style of swordsmanship is known as Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū.^[15]

Musashi was also an expert in throwing weapons. He frequently threw his short sword, and Kenji Tokitsu believes that shuriken methods for the wakizashi were the Niten Ichi Ryu's secret techniques.^[16]

Musashi spent many years studying Buddhism and swordsmanship. He was an accomplished artist, sculptor, and calligrapher. Records also show that he had architectural skills. Also, he seems to have had a rather straightforward approach to combat, with no additional frills or aesthetic considerations. This was probably due to his real-life combat experience; although in his later life, Musashi followed the more artistic. He made various Zen brush paintings, calligraphy, and sculpted wood and metal. Even in The Book of Five Rings he emphasizes that samurai should understand other professions as well. It should be understood that Musashi's writings were very ambiguous, and translating them into English makes them even more so; that is why so many different translations of The Book of Five Rings can be found. To gain further insight into Musashi's principles and personality, one could read his other works, such as Dokkōdō and Hyoho Shiji ni Kajo.^{[citation needed]}

Timeline[edit]

The following timeline follows, in chronological order (of which is based on the most accurate and most widely accepted information), the life of Miyamoto Musashi.^{[citation needed]}

DateAgeOccurrence1578−6Musashi's brother, Shirota, is born.15840Miyamoto Musashi is born.15917Musashi is taken and raised by his uncle as a Buddhist.159613Musashi duels with Arima Kihei in Hirafuku, Hyōgo Prefecture.159915Duels with a man named Akiyama in the northern part of Hyōgo Prefecture.160016Believed to have fought in the Battle of Sekigahara as part of the western army. Whether he actually participated in the battle is currently in doubt.160420Musashi has three matches with the Yoshioka clan in Kyoto. (1) Match with Yoshioka Seijuro in Yamashiro Province, outside the city at Rendai Moor (west of Mt. Funaoka, Kita-ku, Kyoto). (2) Match with Yoshioka Denshichiro outside the city. (3) Match with Yoshioka Matashichiro outside the city at the pine of Ichijō-ji.160420Visits Kōfuku-ji, Nara and ends up dueling with the Buddhist priest trained in the style of Hōzōin-ryū.1605–161221–28Begins to travel again.160723Munisai (Musashi's father) passes his teachings onto Musashi.160723Duels with the kusarigama expert Shishido Baiken in the western part of Mie Prefecture.160824Duels Musō Gonnosuke, master of the five-foot staff in Edo.161026Fights Hayashi Osedo and Tsujikaze Tenma in Edo.161127Begins practicing zazen meditation.161228Duel with Sasaki Kojirō takes place on Ganryujima (Ganryu or Funa Island) off the coast of Shimonoseki in which Kojiro is defeated.Briefly opens a fencing school.1614–161530–31Believed to have joined the troops of [Toyotomi Hideyori] in the Winter and Summer campaigns at Osaka Castle, but no significant contributions are documented.1615–162131–37Comes into the service of Ogasawara Tadanao in Harima Province as a construction supervisor.162137Duels Miyake Gunbei in Tatsuno, Hyōgo.162238Sets up temporary residence at the castle town of Himeji, Hyōgo.162339Travels to Edo.Adopts a second son named Iori.162642Adopted son Mikinosuke commits seppuku following in the tradition of Junshi.162743Travels again.162844Meets with Yagyū Hyōgonosuke in Nagoya, Owari Province.163046Enters the service of Lord Hosokawa Tadatoshi.163349Begins to extensively practice the arts.163450Settles in Kokura, Fukuoka Prefecture for a short time with son Iori as a guest of Ogasawara Tadazane.163753Serves a major role in the Shimabara Rebellion and is the only documented evidence that Musashi served in battle. Was knocked off his horse by a rock thrown by one of the peasants.164157Writes Hyoho Sanju-go.164258Suffers severe attacks from neuralgia.164359Migrates into Reigandō where he lives as a hermit.164561Finishes Go Rin No Sho/The Book of Five Rings. Dies from what is believed to be lung cancer.

Philosophy[edit]

Calligraphy by Musashi.

In Musashi's last book, The Book of Five Rings (五輪書, Go Rin no Sho), Musashi seems to take a very philosophical approach to looking at the "craft of war": "There are five ways in which men pass through life: as gentlemen, warriors, farmers, artisans and merchants."

Throughout the book, Musashi implies that the way of the Warrior, as well as the meaning of a "true strategist" is that of somebody who has made mastery of many art forms away from that of the sword, such as tea drinking (sadō), laboring, writing, and painting, as Musashi practiced throughout his life. Musashi was hailed as an extraordinary sumi-e artist in the use of ink monochrome as depicted in two such paintings: "Shrike Perched in a Dead Tree" (Koboku Meigekizu, 枯木鳴鵙図) and "Wild Geese Among Reeds" (Rozanzu, 魯山図). Going back to the Book of Five Rings, Musashi talks deeply about the ways of Buddhism.

He makes particular note of artisans and foremen. When he wrote the book, the majority of houses in Japan were made of wood. In the use of building a house, foremen have to employ strategy based upon the skill and ability of their workers.

In comparison to warriors and soldiers, Musashi notes the ways in which the artisans thrive through events; the ruin of houses, the splendor of houses, the style of the house, the tradition and name or origins of a house. These too, are similar to the events which are seen to have warriors and soldiers thrive; the rise and fall of prefectures, countries and other such events are what make uses for warriors, as well as the literal comparisons: "The carpenter uses a master plan of the building, and the way of strategy is similar in that there is a plan of campaign".

Way of strategy[edit]

Throughout The Book of Five Rings, Musashi explains the principles of strategy. In the first book (the Ground Book) he compares his concept of strategy to a foreman carpenter. The foreman carpenter knows his tools and men so well that he is able to guide them; delegating who does what based on their abilities, while also being aware of their morale. The foreman carpenter, if he wants the better finished product, will treat his men in such a way as to receive their best work. This illustration begins many more battle-specific lessons in strategy.

Musashi says to learn one-thousand things from one thing; as a builder may build a large structure from a small one, so too must a strategist learn to see on the large scale of things.

Initially, Musashi notes that throughout China and Japan, there are many "sword fencers" who walk around claiming they are strategists, but are, in fact, not, which may be because Musashi had defeated some such strategists, such as Arima Kihei.

The idea is that by reading his writings, one can become a true strategist from ability and tactical skill that Musashi had learned in his lifetime. He argues that strategy and virtue are something that can be earned by knowing the ways of life, the professions around, and perhaps to learn the skills and knowledge of people and the skills of their particular professions.

However, Musashi seems to state that the value of strategy seems to be homogeneous:

The attendants of the Kashima Kantori shrines of the province Hitachi received instruction from the gods, and made schools based on this teaching, travelling from province to province instructing men. This is the recent meaning of strategy.

As well as noting that strategy is destined to die;

Of course, men who study in this way think they are training the body and spirit, but it is an obstacle to the true way, and its bad influence remains forever. Thus the true way of strategy is becoming decadent and dying out.

As a form, strategy was said to be one of "Ten Abilities and Seven Arts" that a warrior should have, but Musashi disagrees that one person can gain strategy by being confined to one particular style, which seems particularly fitting as he admits "I practice many arts and abilities—all things with no teacher"—this perhaps being one of the reasons he was so highly regarded a swordsman.

Musashi's metaphor for strategy is that of the bulb and the flower, similar to Western philosophy of "the chicken or the egg", the "bulb" being the student, the "flower" being the technique. He also notes that most places seem to be mostly concerned with their technique and its beauty. Musashi writes, "In this kind of way of strategy, both those teaching and those learning the way are concerned with colouring and showing off their technique, trying to hasten the bloom of the flower" (as opposed to the actual harmony between strategy and skill).

With those who are concerned with becoming masters of strategy, Musashi points out that as a carpenter becomes better with his tools and is able to craft things with more expert measure, so too can a warrior or strategist become more skilled in his technique. However, just as a carpenter needs to be able to use his tools according to plans, so too must a strategist be able to adapt his style or technique to the required strategy of the battle he is currently engaged in.

This description also draws parallels between the weapons of a trooper (or soldier) and the tools of a carpenter; the idea of "the right tool for the right job" seems to be implied a lot throughout The Book of Five Rings. Musashi also puts into motion the idea that when a carpenter is skilled enough in aspects of his job, and creates them with expert measure, then he can become a foreman.

Although it is not expressly mentioned, it may be seen that Musashi indicated that when one learned the areas in which your craft requires (carpentry, farming, fine art or battle) and is able to apply them to any given situation, one is experienced enough to show others wisdom, as foreman of craftsmen or as a general of an army.

From further reading into the book, the idea of "weapons within strategy" as well as Musashi referring to the power of the writer may seem that the strategy that Musashi refers to does not exclusively reside within the domain of weaponry and duels, but within the realm of war and battles with many men:

Just as one man can beat ten, so a hundred men can beat a thousand, and a thousand can beat ten thousand. In my strategy, one man is the same as ten thousand, so this strategy is the complete warrior's craft.

Ni-Ten Ichi Ryu[edit]

Main article: Niten Ichi-ryū

Within the book, Musashi mentions that the use of two swords within strategy is mutually beneficial to those who use the skill for individual duels or large engagements. The idea of using two hands for a sword is an idea that Musashi opposes because there is no fluidity in movement with two hands: "If you hold a sword with both hands, it is difficult to wield it freely to left and right, so my method is to carry the sword in one hand." He also disagrees with the idea of using a sword with two hands on a horse and/or riding on unstable terrain, such as muddy swamps, rice fields, or within crowds of people.

To learn the strategy of Ni-Ten Ichi Ryū, Musashi employs that by training with two long swords, one in each hand, one will be able to overcome the cumbersome nature of using a sword in both hands. Although it is difficult, Musashi agrees that there are times in which the long sword must be used with two hands, but one whose skill is good enough should not need it.

After using two long swords proficiently enough, mastery of a long sword, and a "companion sword", most likely a wakizashi, will be much increased: "When you become used to wielding the long sword, you will gain the power of the Way and wield the sword well."

In short, it could be seen, from the excerpts from The Book of Five Rings, that real strategy behind Ni-Ten No Ichi Ryu, is that there is no real iron-clad method, path, or type of weaponry specific to the style of Ni-Ten No Ichi Ryu:

You can win with a long weapon, and yet you can also win with a short weapon. In short, the Way of the Ichi school is the spirit of winning, whatever the weapon and whatever its size.

Other old schools about Musashi[edit]

Before Niten-ichi-ryū were named, Musashi says his kenjutsu "Enmei-ryu (圓明流)" in 1624 Owari-no-Kuni (尾張國) and near the area. (Now passed on Owari-Yagyū kenjutsu group.) It also contains Shuriken-jutsu.

Next, his kenjutsu named "Niten-ryū (二天流).This is handed down to Kokura-han (小倉藩). It tells single sword kenjutsu also.

His Student Aoki Ienao Kyūshin (青木家直休心) started Tetsujin-ryū (鉄人流). Aoki Kaneie Tetsujin (青木金家鉄人) started Jitte-ryū (實手流). Each ryūha also has same 1st kata "Tougassetsu" (當合切). In some region, Tetsujin-ryū changed the name to "Jichū-ryū" (時中流), "Heishin-ryū" (平信流), "Shinmei-ryū" (神明流). And all the Miyamoto Musashi related ryūha were called "Musashi-ryū" (武蔵流) by other ryūha.

In some ryūha (ex) Shingyo Tōryū (心形刀流)), the variation of the twin sword technique of Musashi-ryū is remaining. And [Tamiya shinken-ryū] (田宮神剣流) has same kata name as Tetsujin-ryū, for example, "Tougassetsu" (刀合切).

In Tottori-han (鳥取藩) Musashi-Enmei-ryū (武蔵円明流) exists. The technique is drawn in old text of Suzuka family letters (鈴鹿家文書) possessed by the All Japan Kendo Federation, and the form is different from other Musashi-ryū.

The father of Miyamoto Musashi is told he was Tori-ryū (當理流) master, Miyamoto Muninosuke Fujiwara Isshin (宮本無二助藤原一真). So some opinions say Miyamoto Musashi arranged Tori-ryū and produced each Musashi-ryū in later years.

Long sword[edit]

The strategy of the long sword is different from other strategies in that it is much more straightforward. In the strategy of the longsword, it seems that Musashi's ideal was that by mastering gripping the sword, it could become a platform used for moving onto the mastery of Ni-Ten Ichi Ryu as well as being able to use a companion sword better.

Musashi often use the term "two fingers" to describe the way to hold the long sword. That does not mean he actually taught the grip with only two fingers. In "The Water Book" he notes:

Grip the long sword with a rather floating feeling in your thumb and forefinger, with the middle finger neither tight nor slack, and with the last two fingers tight. It is bad to have play in your hands.

However, just because the grip is to be light, it does not mean that the attack or slash from the sword will be weak. As with any other technique in the Ni-Ten Ichi Ryu:

If you try to wield the long sword quickly, you will mistake the way. To wield the long sword well, you must wield it calmly. If you try to wield it quickly, like a folding fan or a short sword, you will err by using "short sword chopping". You cannot cut down a man with a long sword using this method.

As with most disciplines in martial arts, Musashi notes that the movement of the sword after the cut is made must not be superfluous; instead of quickly returning to a stance or position, one should allow the sword to come to the end of its path from the force used. Thus, the technique becomes freely flowing, not abrupt.

Musashi also discouraged the use of only one sword for fighting and the use of overlarge swords like nodachi because they were cumbersome and unwieldy.

Religion[edit]

Even from an early age, Musashi separated his religion from his involvement in swordsmanship. Excerpts such as the one below, from The Book of Five Rings, demonstrate a philosophy that is thought to have stayed with him throughout his life:

There are many ways: Confucianism, Buddhism, the ways of elegance, rice-planting, or dance; these things are not to be found in the way of the warrior.^[17]

However, the belief that Musashi disliked Shinto is inaccurate, as he criticises the Shintō-ryū style of swordsmanship, not Shinto, the religion. In Musashi's Dokkōdō, his stance on religion is further elucidated: "Respect Buddha and the gods without counting on their help."^[18]

Musashi as an artist[edit]

Shrike on a Dead Branch, by Miyamoto Musashi

In his later years, Musashi said in his The Book of Five Rings: "When I apply the principle of strategy to the ways of different arts and crafts, I no longer have need for a teacher in any domain." He proved this by creating recognized masterpieces of calligraphy and classic ink painting. His paintings are characterized by skilled use of ink washes and an economy of brush stroke. He especially mastered the "broken ink" school of landscapes, applying it to other subjects, such as his Kobokumeikakuzu ("Shrike Perched on a Withered Branch"; part of a triptych whose other two members were "Hotei Walking" and "Sparrow on Bamboo"), his Hotei Watching a Cockfight, and his Rozanzu ("Wild Geese Among Reeds").

In popular culture[edit]

Further information: Miyamoto Musashi in fiction

Even in Musashi's time there were fictional texts resembling comic books. It is therefore quite difficult to separate fact from fiction when discussing his life. There have been numerous works of fiction made about or featuring Musashi. Eiji Yoshikawa's novelization (originally a 1930s daily newspaper serial) has greatly influenced successive fictional depictions (including the manga Vagabond by Takehiko Inoue) and is often mistaken for a factual account of Musashi's life. In 2012, writer Sean Michael Wilson and Japanese artist Chie Kutsuwada published an attempt at a more historically accurate manga entitled The Book of Five Rings: A Graphic Novel, based on research and translations by William Scott Wilson. The 2008 video game Yakuza Kenzan was based around his life and personality. He also appeared in the manga Baki-Dou as a revived clone of himself with his real soul intact as one of the strongest fighters in the series, and used his two-sword style in almost every combat he was shown in.

Bibliography[edit]

Hyodokyo (The Mirror of the Way of Strategy)
Hyoho Sanjugo Kajo (Thirty-five Instructions on Strategy)
Hyoho Shijuni Kajo (Forty-two Instructions on Strategy)
Dokkōdō (The Way to be Followed Alone)
Go Rin No Sho (The Book of Five Rings; a reference to the Five Rings of Zen Buddhism). Translated into English by Victor Harris as A Book of Five Rings, London: Allison & Busby, 1974; Woodstock, New York: The Overlook Press.

Miyamoto Musashi 宮本武蔵

Miyamoto Musashi (宮本武蔵^?), de son vrai nom Shinmen Bennosuke (新免辨助^?), né le 12 mars 1584 à Harima et mort le 13 mai 1645 à Higo est l'une des figures emblématiques du Japon, maître bushi, calligraphe, peintre reconnu, philosophe et le plus célèbre escrimeur de l'histoire du pays.

Son nom complet était Shinmen Musashi-no-Kami Fujiwara no Harunobu (新免武蔵守藤原玄信^?), Musashi-no-kami était un titre honorifique (et obsolète) dispensé par la cour impériale le rendant gouverneur de la province de Musashi (dans la région de l'actuelle Tokyo). Fujiwara est le nom de la lignée aristocratique à laquelle il appartient. Harunobu était un nom cérémoniel, similaire à un prénom composé pour gentilhomme sinisé, notamment utilisé par tous les samouraïs de haut rang et les nobles de Cour.

Adepte du kenjutsu

Ichijoji Sagarimatsu, monument sur le lieu du combat entre Musashi et la koryū Yoshioka.

Son grand-père était un très bon escrimeur et son seigneur, Shinmen Iga-no-kami, en récompense, lui permit de porter son nom de famille. C'est pourquoi Musashi a signé le Livre des cinq anneaux (Go rin no sho) du nom de Shinmen Musashi. Le père de Musashi était connu sous le nom de Muni¹. Aujourd'hui, il est aussi connu sous le nom de Munisai, nom fictif qui est une création de l'écrivain Yoshikawa Eiji.

Pour des raisons obscures, peut-être à cause de la jalousie qu'il avait suscitée autour de lui, Munisai s'éloigna de l'entourage du seigneur Shinmen et se retira dans le village de Miyamoto-mura situé aux alentours. Il semble que Musashi y soit né et ce serait là l'origine du surnom qui lui fut donné : Miyamoto Musashi. Cependant, au tout début du Rouleau de la terre, dans le Go rin no sho, Musashi écrit : « Je suis né dans la préfecture de Harima » (une partie de l'actuelle Hyōgo). Son lieu de naissance est donc sujet à controverse.

Son père mourut alors qu'il était âgé de 7 ans. Des chercheurs japonais indiquent qu'il s'agirait plutôt de son beau-père. Selon une légende, Miyamoto Musashi se serait moqué de son père escrimeur et aurait fini par l'impatienter. Ce jour-là, Munisai était occupé à se tailler un cure-dent et, lassé des moqueries de son rejeton, il perdit son sang-froid et lança son couteau en direction de son fils qui esquiva l'arme de la tête. Encore plus furieux, Munisai aurait relancé la lame. Mais Musashi sut l'éviter à nouveau. Hors de lui, son père l'aurait chassé de son foyer, ce qui contraignit le petit à passer son enfance sous la tutelle de son oncle, moine et propriétaire d'un monastère.

Il combattit en duel et tua pour la première fois à 13 ans (contre Arima Kihei en 1596). Âgé de 16 ans, il participa à la bataille de Sekigahara (1600) qui vit la victoire de l'armée de Tokugawa Ieyasu à la suite de la mort de Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Engagé dans le camp des perdants, il fut laissé pour mort sur le champ de bataille mais survécut à ses blessures. Jusqu'à l'âge de 29 ans, il participa à une soixantaine de duels, la plupart avec un sabre en bois (bokken) alors que ses adversaires avaient de vrais sabres (nihonto). Il défia et anéantit à lui seul la totalité de l'école d'escrime Yoshioka, en se battant contre 60 combattants ou davantage (certaines sources mentionnent qu'il aurait tué 79 disciples du style Yoshioka lors de l'escarmouche aux pieds du Pin Parasol, au temple de Ichijō-ji de Kyoto). C'est là qu'il pratiqua pour la première fois — sans en avoir conscience — sa technique si célèbre des deux sabres qu'il développa ensuite.

Son dernier duel (le plus fameux) eut lieu le 13 avril 1612 contre l'autre plus grand escrimeur du Japon, Sasaki Kojirō, qu'il vainquit sur l'île de Funa, probablement grâce à un long bokken, qui aurait été taillé dans une rame du bateau qui l'y avait amené, mais les différents récits de cette bataille sont peu sûrs². Aucune source fiable n'indique le nom de Sasaki. Il se pourrait qu'il se soit plutôt appelé Kojirō Ganryū. Musashi entra ensuite au service de la famille des Hosokawa, fidèle famille apparentée à celle du shogun. Il y entra uniquement à titre d'invité, ce qui expliquerait la solde relativement modeste qu'il toucha pour ses services. Il arrêta ensuite les duels.

Dans aucun texte écrit par Musashi, il ne mentionne directement ses adversaires, mis à part Arima Kihei, le premier. Il ne nomme pas Sasaki Kojirō ou Shishido Baiken, pas plus que la famille Yoshioka, pourtant nombre d'entre eux sont restés célèbres, intégrés à sa légende.

Dans l'un de ses combats, Musashi affronte Nagatsune Hachiemon, un maître lancier au service de Tokugawa Yoshinao, d'Owari. Après une conversation, ils décident qu'un duel serait inutile et, à la place, Nagatsune l'invite à disputer une partie au jeu de go contre son fils, ce que Musashi accepte. Pendant la partie, le fils de Nagatsune se révèle fort talentueux et ils sont vite absorbés par le jeu, quand soudain Musashi s'écrie : « N'essaie même pas ! » En effet, Nagatsune s'était faufilé discrètement dans une pièce adjacente et s’apprêtait à poignarder son invité avec sa lance. Ayant brisé l'élan de son opposant, Musashi retourna au jeu sans bouger ni rien dire d'autre, à la grande perplexité de ses deux adversaires. Nagatsune ayant senti que les aptitudes de Musashi étaient supérieures aux siennes s'avoua silencieusement vaincu et Musashi gagna aussi la partie de go³.

La Grotte Reigandō, où Musashi rédigea son ouvrage majeur (Livre des cinq anneaux), Nishi-ku, Kumamoto.

On sait aussi que Musashi était doué d'une force physique extraordinaire, nécessaire pour trancher les os lorsqu'on utilise un sabre d'une seule main. Dans un passage du Nitenki, le seigneur Nagaoka prie Musashi de l'aider à choisir des bambous pour faire des hampes de drapeau. À sa demande, le seigneur lui apporte tous les bambous disponibles, une centaine au total. Musashi les lance et effectue une attaque rapide dans les airs : tous les bambous se brisent sauf un, qu'il tend au seigneur Nagaoka. Celui-ci lui dit que c'est une excellente façon de les tester, mais que seul Musashi en est capable.

Par la suite, il fut chargé du commandement d'un corps d'armée du seigneur Ogasawara et participa au siège du château de Hara en 1638, lors de la révolte des chrétiens, menés par Shirō Amakusa. Après être retourné à Kumamoto, il se consacra essentiellement à des activités artistiques, mais on sait qu'il garda un esprit vif et certaines capacités physiques. Par exemple, alors qu'il était un vieillard, Musashi fut piégé sur un toit lors d'un incendie ; il utilisa une poutre ou une échelle pour s'enfuir en courant lestement dessus, se rendant sur une autre maison.

Musashi eut deux fils adoptifs : Miyamoto Iori (en)⁴^,⁵ et Takemura Yoemon (en) dont les témoignages en tant que disciples sont précieux.

À l'âge de 59 ans, en 1643, Shinmen Musashi-no-kami partit pour le mont Iwato, situé près de Kumamoto, où il s'installa dans la grotte de Reigandō (« Grotte du roc-esprit »). Il y disposa une table basse et commença, le dixième jour du dixième mois, à rédiger le Gorin no shō (Traité des cinq roues).

Derniers jours[modifier | modifier le code]

Portrait de Hosokawa Tadatoshi, protecteur de Miyamoto Musashi.

Au début du printemps 1645, Musashi mit son corps perclus de douleurs à rude épreuve et entreprit la pénible ascension du sentier menant à la grotte Reigandō (霊巌洞, qui signifie « esprit de la grotte »). En avril de la même année, conscient de l'imminence de sa mort, il rédigea une missive courtoise à l'attention des vasseaux supérieurs du clan Hosokawa :

« [...] Dans mon analyse des lois des Deux sabres, je n'ai pas étayé mon exposé de maximes et principes empruntés au confucianisme ou au bouddhisme⁶ ; je n'ai pas non plus repris les anecdotes éculées par trop connues des adeptes des arts militaires. J'ai longuement médité sur toutes les voies et réalisations artistiques. Considérez cet effort comme une volonté de me conformer aux principes de l'univers ; et aujourd'hui, je regrette vraiment de n'avoir pas été mieux compris.
Quand je me livre, en ce jour, à une critique du chemin que j'ai parcouru au long de mon existence, je suis tenté de me reprocher un investissement excessif dans les arts guerriers ; cela est certainement imputable à mon syndrome martial. J'ai recherché la gloire et il me semble que je lègue un patronyme empreint de notoriété à ce monde instable. Aujourd'hui toutefois, mes bras et jambes sont usés et je ne peux, sous le poids des années, que de me résoudre à cesser de dispenser moi-même l’enseignement de mon école. Aussi, il me semble, dans ces conditions, bien difficile d'envisager quelque projet ; je ne désire plus que m'isoler de la société et me retirer dans les montagnes en attendant sereinement la mort, ne fût-ce qu'un seul jour. Je vous sais gré de voir dans ces propos l'expression de ma requête. »

— Le 13 avril 1645. Miyamoto Musashi

Peu de temps après avoir expédié cette lettre aux destinataires, Musashi entreprit l'ultime et pénible ascension du Mont Iwato, en direction de la grotte Reigandō où, isolé du commerce des hommes, il attendit sereinement la mort.

Veiller sur le vieux Maître

Donjon du vieux château de Kumamoto, entre 1871 et 1874.

L'homme chargé de veiller au bien-être de Musashi au cours de ses dernières années de vie se nommait Matsui Nagaoka Sado no Kami Okinaga. Eu égard au fait qu'Okinaga avait été, jadis, élève du père de Musashi, il n'est pas étonnant que ce vassal, et Yoriyuki, son fils adoptif, fussent chargés de veiller sur le vieux guerrier. Par un beau jour de printemps, en ce début du mois de mai, prétextant une excursion pour chasser au faucon, Yoriyuki entreprit l'ascension des montagnes, fit un détour par la grotte et le « convainquit » de rentrer avec lui. Le vieillard avait toujours mis un point d'honneur à lutter pour son indépendance et il se retrouvait, là, contraint de redescendre dans la vallée. À cette époque de l'année, le soleil est écrasant sur Kyūshū, mais Yoriyuki ne faillit pas à son devoir et Musashi put bientôt s'étendre sur son futon, à même le sol dans sa résidence du vieux château de Chiba, étant aux petits soins, sous la bienveillance de ses disciples Terao Kumanosuke et Nakanishi Magonosuke.

Ultimes instructions

Le 12 mai, il fit appeler ses élèves pour leur faire part de ses ultimes instructions. Il commença par offrir ses sabres en souvenir à Okinaga Yoriyuki et à son élève favori, Terao Katsunobu, il offrit l'œuvre qu'il venait juste d'achever, « Livre des cinq anneaux » et, à son frère Terao Kumanosuke, il confia « Les Trente-cinq articles des arts martiaux ». Après avoir ainsi partagé ses biens entre ses élèves, il mit de l'ordre dans ses effets personnels, s'empara pour la dernière fois d'un pinceau et calligraphia un petit manuscrit d'une traite. Il l'intitula « La Voie du solitaire » - ou « Voie de l'indépendance ». Les vingt-et-une maximes qui composent cette œuvre sont en réalité un condensé de son expérience de la vie, sur les plans biographique et spirituel⁷.

Musashi décéda le 13 mai 1645, dans sa résidence, dans l'enceinte du château de Chiba. Il était dans sa soixante-deuxième année. Conformément à ses dernières volontés, son corps fut vêtu d'une armure et d'un casque, équipé des six accoutrements militaires et fut inhumé à Handagun, au village de Tenaga Yuge⁸. C'est le prêtre Katsukawa Shunzan qui officia pour l'occasion dans le temple Taihō-ji, sa pierre tombale est encore en place de nos jours. Peu de temps allait s'écouler avant que d'autres, proches du défunt guerrier, ne passent à leur tour de vie à trépas. Dès le mois de décembre de cette même année Hosokawa Tadaoki et Takuan Sōhō décédaient.

Héritage et continuité

Les secrets relatifs à une manière de manier le sabre ne furent pas l'apanage exclusif de quelques élèves privilégiés (Ishikawa Chikara, Aoki Jœmon, Takemura Yœmon, Matsui Munesato et Furuhashi Sozaemon). Tous étaient d'excellents hommes d'épée. Ainsi, si Le Livre des cinq roues et les Trente-cinq articles des arts martiaux furent offerts comme présents aux frères Terao, ce qu'il transmit réellement à chacun de ses élèves était sa propre détermination d'ordre spirituel à éclaircir la sibylline question de la vie et de la mort.

Avec un pareil legs spirituel pour toile de fond, l'enseignement du maître ne pouvait donner lieu à l'émergence d'une véritable école dotée de ses propres règles, certificats et diplômes. Musashi pouvait enseigner ses techniques, prodiguer des conseils mais, finalement, c'était à l'élève lui-même de mesurer sa propre force, d'évaluer sa Voie et de s'approprier vraiment celle-ci. Ainsi, le style Musashi est encore enseigné de nos jours, mais le contenu véritable du Niten Ichi-ryu disparut en même temps que son fondateur. Comment pouvait-il en être autrement ? Lorsqu'il enseignait à Owari, Yagyū Hyōgonosuke le fit remarquer qui déclara :

« L'épée de Musashi lui appartient à lui seul et nul autre que lui ne saurait la brandir avec autant d'efficacité ».

Mutation[modifier | modifier le code]

Dans le Japon du temps de Musashi, une mutation majeure affectait l'armement. Durant la seconde moitié du xvi^e siècle, les mousquets à mèche⁹, introduits depuis peu par les Portugais, étaient devenus sur le champ de bataille les armes décisives ; mais dans un pays en paix les samouraïs purent tourner le dos aux armes à feu qui leur déplaisaient, et renouer leur idylle traditionnelle avec le sabre (nihonto (日本刀, « sabre japonais »).

Les école d'escrimes prospérèrent (Budō, Les budō (武道). Toutefois, à mesure que se réduisait la possibilité d'utiliser l'épée dans les combats véritables, les talents martiaux devinrent peu à peu les arts martiaux, lesquels soulignèrent de plus en plus l'importance de la maîtrise intérieure de soi-même et des qualités de l'escrime en vue de la formation du caractère, plutôt que de son efficacité militaire. Il se développa toute une mystique du sabre, plus apparenté à la philosophie qu'à la guerre.

Fluidité[modifier | modifier le code]

Dans la stratégie de l'attaque sans attaque¹⁰, Musashi évoque comment, d'un imperceptible mouvement on passe d'une position à une autre, d'une manière souple et fluide :

« vous devez adopter une attitude qui vous permette de passer à un autre mode de combat sans avoir à prendre une décision consciente. Vous devez être disponible et ne devez pas privilégier une technique particulière au détriment des autres [...]. Un guerrier n'a qu'un seul objectif - détruire l'ennemi quel que soit le moyen employé. »

La fluidité suppose l'absence totale d'entraves, et notamment au niveau de l'esprit. Ne pas créer sois-même les chaînes qui contraindront notre esprit, à ne pas le rigidifier. Dans le Livre du Vent, l'auteur évoque ce principe :

« La connaissance des techniques d'attaque au sabre [...] est indésirable dans les arts martiaux. Réfléchir aux diverses façons de pourfendre l'adversaire confond le mental.

Il est préjudiciable de se spécialiser dans certaines gardes. Créer des vérités immuables à la va-vite n'a rien à voir avec la Voie de la victoire.

En fixant le mental sur un endroit précis, ils le brouillent et contaminent l'art martial. »

Une anecdote relative à Musashi et Takuan Sōhō¹¹ illustre ces propos. Alors qu'ils discutaient des vertus du zen et de ses applications dans la vie quotidienne, le prêtre suggéra à l'homme d'épée de l'attaquer à l'aide d'un sabre de bois. Takuan, lui, se défendrait muni de son seul éventail. On rapporte que Musashi, en garde, se trouva fort embarrassé devant Takuan et ne parvint pas, malgré ses changements de garde, à trouver la faille. Takuan, lui, se tenait là, immobile, l’éventail en main, les bras relâchés. Au bout d'un certain temps, Musashi finit par jeter son arme de dégoût et déclara qu'il n'avait pas trouvé l'ouverture dans laquelle s'infiltrer. L'esprit de Takuan était partout et donc, nulle part ; et, dans cet état de parfaite fluidité, il était devenu inattaquable.

Sans aucun doute, Musashi médita longuement sur cet « affrontement ». C'est fort de cette expérience qu'il écrivit :

« Sans fixer votre esprit nulle part, frappez l'ennemi vite et avec détermination ».

Voilà qui nous donne une perspective différente du vers de Kamo no Chōmei - « Si le débit de la rivière est infini, l'eau qui s'écoule est en perpétuel mouvement » -, une lecture certainement très prisée du vieil anachorète¹².



« La Voie [...] de la victoire consiste à élaborer les difficultés de votre ennemie. »

À l'aube de ses trente ans, Musashi était déjà sortie vainqueur de soixante duels singuliers et, de son propre aveu, cet exploit n'était pas imputable à une force physique, à une vélocité supérieurs ou à des dons peu ordinaires. Errant sur les routes du Japon, on peut penser qu'il réfléchit longuement aux dispositions d'esprit de ses adversaires et - ne l’oublions pas - aux siennes. C'est cette capacité d’introspection, associée à une curiosité naturelle et une recherche constante de l'essentiel qui le distingua à ce point de ses contemporains. C'est en tout cas la raison pour laquelle son ouvrage concis rencontre, de nos jours, un tel succès.

Outre ces principes, il traita également longuement de l'importance de la prise d'initiative en combat, de l'importance liée au fait d'éprouver réellement chacune des armes dont le guerrier dispose, de percevoir les différents rythmes, d'avoir un point de vue à la fois global et précis et, surtout, de lire l'esprit de l'adversaire à livre ouvert sans le laisser lire le vôtre.

Musashi croyait en une somme de principes et non en une association de combines et autres ruses, et il prisait la substance, l'essence aux dépens de la forme et de la mise en scène. Les principes que son expérience l'autorisa à découvrir apparaissent dans le « Livre des cinq anneaux », fût-ce de manière explicite ou implicite.

Pour comprendre le contenu de l'ouvrage, le lire avec attention, à travers le filtre de notre propre expérience. L'auteur n'écrit-il pas :

« Une simple lecture de cet ouvrage ne vous permettra pas d'atteindre l'essence des arts martiaux. En parcourant les lignes du regard, considérez que le contenu vous est spécifiquement adressé et ne vous contentez pas d'un simple écrémage. Imprégnez-vous de leurs enseignement et n'essayez pas de l'imiter. Considérez les principes énoncés comme vôtre, comme s'ils étaient le fruit de votre propre réflexion, et efforcez-vous constamment de les éprouver sur le plan physique. »

Le Japon ferme ses portes au monde extérieur[modifier | modifier le code]

Kumamoto-shi. En haut: vue du centre de Kumamoto, château de Kumamoto, tramway de la ville, sanctuaire Fujisaki Hachiman-gū, jardin Suizen-ji Jōju-en.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi succède à Oda Nobunaga assassiné en 1582. Inquiet d’une éventuelle colonisation du Japon et de la révolte et conversion de plusieurs seigneurs, il promulgue un décret d’interdiction du christianisme le 24 juillet 1587. Les missionnaires sont interdits de séjour, seuls les navires de commerce des pays chrétiens sont admis. Les massacres sont alors considérables et vont durer plusieurs décennies. Le Japon ferme ses portes au monde extérieur, favorisant dès lors deux cent cinquante ans de paix. Miyamoto Musashi, né en 1584 à Ōhara-Cho dans la province de Mimasaka est chargé du commandement d'un corps d'armée du seigneur Ogasawara, et participe au siège du château de Hara en 1638 contre la révolte des chrétiens menés par Shirō Amakusa.

Finalement il retourne à Kumamoto et se consacre essentiellement à des activités artistiques¹³ en tant qu'invité auprès du mécène Hosokawa Tadatoshi¹⁴, troisième seigneur de Kumamoto et descendant d’Hosokawa Gracia, figure éminente convertie au christianisme. Il laisse une œuvre appartennant désormais au trésor national japonais¹⁵.

Artiste[modifier | modifier le code]

Article détaillé : Peinture japonaise.

Sa notoriété l'autorisa par ailleurs à découvrir, en tant que spectateur, d'autres arts auxquels il manifesta un intérêt certains. Tel fut le cas notamment de la peinture à l'encre de Chine, de la sculpture ou encore de l'art du jardin. C'est à cette période¹⁶ qu'il rencontra le célèbre artiste Kaihō Yūshō.

Il fut un calligraphe et un peintre reconnu dont on peut encore admirer les productions de sumi-e. Ses peintures s'inspiraient de Liang Kai et de l'école Kanō, en vogue à l'époque. L'une de ses œuvres les plus connues est sa représentation de Daruma, le fondateur du zen, qui aurait été louée par le seigneur Hosokawa comme un pur chef-d’œuvre.

達磨 daruma, (Bodhidharma), de Miyamoto Musashi.

Il conçut un jardin à Kumamoto, qui fut détruit pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale.

Musashi, s’inscrira dans la tradition des grands artistes itinérants de l'archipel nippon - Saigyō Hōshi, Enkū, Matsuo Bashō et Hiroshige, parmi tant d'autres - et sa source d'inspiration artistique provenant du cœur de la nature elle-même.

Peindre avec l'esprit du sabre[modifier | modifier le code]

On ne sait pas exactement quand Musashi commença à manier le pinceau même si, à l'âge précoce de treize ans, il exécuta un portrait de Daruma (達磨^?) au temple Shōren-in dans la province de Harima, lieu où il élut résidence suite à son départ du foyer paternel.

Il est assuré toutefois que, au moment où il entra dans Kokura, dans le Nord de Kyūshū en 1634, il était doué de talents peu communs. Toutes les peintures qui ont traversé les siècles pour venir jusqu'à nous sont effectivement comprises entre cette année de 1634 et la mort du maître en 1645.

Selon les peintres adeptes du bouddhisme zen, dans le suibokuga, le coup de pinceau donne à lire le tempérament qui anime l'artiste et l'esprit s'incarne spontanément dans l'ustensile. Convaincu que la Voie du sabre était un sésame pour les autres Voies artistiques, Musashi soutenait que fondamentalement, le coup de pinceau et le coup de sabre étaient identiques : ne peut-on, dans les deux cas, lire à livre ouvert dans l'esprit de l'artiste¹⁷ ?

Urbanismes et jardins[modifier | modifier le code]

Le bassin sud du Ritsurin-kōen, un jardin historique dans la ville de Takamatsu, Préfecture de Kagawa.

Article détaillé : Jardin japonais.

Son travail d'urbaniste de la ville fortifiée d'Akashi, pour les Ogasawara dans les domaines de la stratégie défensive et de l'art du jardin lui valut une certaine notoriété, c'est la raison pour laquelle, quelques années plus tard, le Clan Honda, installé à quelques kilomètres de là, à Himeji, s'offrit à son tour les services de l'artiste.

Sans pour autant relâcher les efforts qu'il consacra à la maturation de son propre style, il travailla à Himeji, au plan d'urbanisme de la ville fortifiée et conçut les jardins de certains de ses temples. Les deux clans - Ogasawara et Honda - entretenaient à l'endroit de Musashi un profond respect et accordaient à ses services beaucoup de crédit.

Alors qu'il approchait de la quarantaine, il semble que le temps qu'il partagea entre les nouvelles villes fortifiées de Akashi et Himeji se compte en années. On peut imaginer que sa notoriété et son prestige furent considérables. Dans ces conditions, il fut très certainement capable de préserver sa liberté tant en conservant le statut de « convive » plutôt qu'en endossant celui de « samouraï »¹⁸.

Œuvres[modifier | modifier le code]