LEGEND OF THE OLD ERA

On 1621, Musashi Sensei held a legendary duel, but it was not because of his
challenger,

Musashi Sensei Autoportrait showing the two sword

position
 but mainly because this was the first official record of a
two sword duel that became his trademark at Hyoho
Niten Ichi Ryu. Miyaki Gunbei was his opponent, who
tried to strike Musashi Sensei several times in a roll,
being blocked in each one of the failed tentative. Gunbei
desperately stroke a direct stab, blocked by the short
sword carried on the left hand by Musashi Sensei,
simultaneously to a direct attack over Gunbei’s front
face with the long sword carried by Musashi Sensei’s
right hand. Gunbei recognized that he lost the duel and
ask deep apologies to Musashi Sensei, bowing to him
and asking to become his disciple.

Musashi Sensei did not marry, but adopted two kids,

Mikinosuke and Iori. Both became vassals of important
Feudal Lords.

Musashi Sensei was not a simple ronin. He was considered a Master of the Way
and a person with great sensibility and wisdom, an advisor to be always listened
and a Leader to be followed. He was often invited to stay on Castles and had in his
inner circle the trust of respected personalities, as Takuan Soho Monk (an advisor
for the Tokugawa Shogun), Honami Koetsu (a very important celebrity of the
artistic movement called “Kyoto Renascence”) and the feudal Lords Ogasawara
Tadazana and Hosokawa Tadatoshi. Together with Hosokawa Lord, Musashi
Sensei embraced in a very long and deep friendship.

Musashi Sensei recalls on the Book of Five Rings that at his 50s he finally reached
the full comprehension of the strategy. The level of understanding reached on the
Way was so deep that, according with his words, he was able to “see” the Way in
everything and on every detail of his life, from the time he waked up until he back
to bed to sleep. Some of his paintings, sculptures and calligraphies masterpieces
reached us nowadays. He reached the perfection on the Swordsmanship techniques
and, thereafter, he was able to reach the same level of perfection in all of these
Ways.

The last years of the Grand Master

The legacy Musashi Sensei left to the following generations was mainly focused
on the Hyoho Niten Ichi Ryu, resulting from his life experience on combats and his
deep life perception developed over decades of practicing and observation. In our
School we follow the forms and positions (the katas) in the exact manner Musashi
Sensei created long time ago.

The Reigando Sanctuary

Musashi Sensei spent the last years of his life in Kumamoto, as a guest of his
fellow friend Hosokawa Tadatoshi. Thanks to a Lord Hosokawa request, Musashi
Sensei registered his techniques and his thinking in a short article called “35
sections on the Art of Kenjutsu”. While in Kumamoto he taught the Hyoho Niten
Ichi Ryu to his disciples and dedicated to study Buddhism, meditation and artistic
development.

At the end of his life Musashi Sensei lived as an eremite in the Reigando
Sanctuary, where he dedicated to meditation and the constant practice of his style.
He wrote the Book of Five Rings, leaving all the teachings to his disciple Terao
Magonojo.

Musashi Sensei died on May 19, 1645. He was buried (at his request) using a
complete War Dress (yoroi armor) in the Yuji village, near to Iwato Mount. It is
recalled that during his funeral services a hard lightning bolt stroke at the sky, as
Gods were welcoming the Powerful Warrior.