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Miyamoto Musashi portrait. Photo outsourced from

Top 10 Interesting facts about Miyamoto Musashi

Miyamoto Musashi is one of the most famous swordsmen in Japanese history. He became renowned through stories of his unique doubled-bladed swordship and undefeated record in his 61 duels.

He was the founder of the Niten-Ichi-ryu swordsmanship, and during his final years, he authored the book of five rings.

Musashi’s impact remains in the modern world as a master, swordsman, wanderer, artist, writer, and philosopher.

He was a man whose skills knew no bounds and never limited himself to a single discipline.

Musashi’s strategy has inspired so many. Discover more about Miyamoto Musashi in these top 10 interesting facts.

1. He founded Niten-Ichi-ryu

Niten-Ichi-ryu is a technique in which a swordsman uses both a large and short sword together while fighting.

Niten-Ichi-ryu is a style of classical Japanese swords. This style brought a significant contribution to the world of martial arts.

The style was particularly unique at the time. It was one of the first disciplines to use the short and long swords together.

After the incident with Matashichiro Yoshioka, he began to work on a sword fighting style that uses two swords instead of the one he introduced.

2. Musashi duels

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Musashi began fighting in duels at the age of 13 years. He continued to surmount opponents throughout his adolescence and into his adult life as he travelled through Japan.

His first successful duel was at the age of 13, against a Samurai named Arima Kihei, who fought using the Kashima Shinto-ryu style founded by Tsukahara Bokuden.

Musashi’s famous duel was against Sasaki Kojiro. Sasaki Kojiro was known as the demon of the western provinces and had a fearsome reputation as a swordsman.

He duelled him at the age of 30. As usual, he arrived late at the duel and appeared unkempt since. It was known that Musashi didn’t like to bathe.

The exact number of victories he claimed is challenging to quantify, and most historians place Musashi’s successful duels over 60.

3. A Book of Five Rings

Musashi wrote many profound texts throughout his life. A book of five rings loves on as his most notable work.

The book is a text on general Kenjutsu and the martial arts and takes a very philosophical approach to the craft of war.

Musashi explains five ways men pass through life as gentlemen warriors, farmers, artisans, and merchants.

The book is hard to classify; to some, it reads as a straightforward text on martial arts. As the book progresses, Musashi reinforces the idea of favouring simplicity over excess, an ethos evident in every other aspect of the man’s life.

The book’s widespread application is a practice for a poetry professor as it is for martial arts instructors.

4. He was known for arriving late to duels

The famous duel between the sword Master Miyamoto Musashi (left) and Sasaki Kojiro during a duel. Photo from

Musashi was often late when it came to duels; it was quite reasonable to expect him to be late.

One occasion was during Sasaki Kojiro’s duel. He arrived late and unkempt. This is because the duel was to take place on the island of Funajima. Musashi had to make his way across the water to meet his opponent.

People speculate that Musashi arrived late so he could take advantage of the changing tides.

Others speculate that Musashi’s late arrival was part of a more measured plan to produce psychological distress in Kojiro.

Even after being late, he won the duel and continued to arrive in many of his significant duels late.

5. Musashi served in wars

Most of Musashi’s fighting took place in one-on-one fights, but he occasionally served in the military force.

At 16, Musashi left the monastery, began wandering Japan, became a Sumarai under the Ashikaga clan, and fought the famous battle, Sekigahara.

He fought in the principal battle of the war between the Toyotomi and the Tokugawa, which took place at Osaka castle in 1614.

Musashi’s significant military service came years later, in 1627, during the battle of the Shimabara rebellion. Although he never committed to a life of military service, he offered his skills when needed.

6. Musashi was an artist

This is a painting of a cormorant that was made by Miyamoto Musashi. Photo outsourced from

Musashi wasn’t just a swordsman but also a great painter and artist. He encouraged others to learn and practice a variety of arts.

His chosen style was called Sumi-e, a minimalist style of ink painting. Musashi used black ink on brown paper and commonly depicted animals in nature.

He writes that he used the virtue of strategy to paint and perform other arts and never had a teacher. He believed that art and strategy were closely linked and wrote about this in his famous work on strategy, the Go Rin No Sho.

In woodblock prints and calligraphy, he expressed his artistic side and received wide acclaim for his works, many of which can still be found in galleries today.

 7. His legacy lives in films, television, books and music

Musashi’s influence is still relatively permanent in modern pop culture in films, music, and television. He serves as fertile ground for captivating entertainment.

Toshiro Mifune, a Japanese actor, portrayed Musashi in Hiroshi Inangakil’s notable Sumarai trilogy from the 1950s.

Musashi served as the inspiration from British Drum and Bass producer Photek’s 1997 masterpieces Niten-Ichi-ryu.

The anime series Shura No Toki adapted Musashi as a character. There are several more instances of Musashi’s impact on popular culture.

8. Musashi adopted children

Musashi’s legacy as a father is less known, but it was an essential part of his adult life. He adopted his first son, Miyamoto Mikinosuke, after a long journey across the settu road.

For a long time, Musashi desired a mentee and saw that Mikinosuke was a great fit, and they travelled together for many years.

In 1623 he also adopted another son, Miyamoto Lori, mentorship and lifelong teaching in martial arts and other artistic practices.

9. He was a man of many professions

A swordsman from the early Edo period. Photo from

He spent a significant portion of his life travelling. As a hard worker and a dynamic personality, his travels presented him with many work opportunities.

In these early years, he worked as a farmer in the fields; in most of his roles, he served as a retainer for various lords.

With much mastery of martial arts and duels, he became a commodity to every lord he served.

10. Musashi was more than a fighter

Musashi’s reputation concretes him as a swordsman and reduces him to a mere fighter. His artistic and philosophical output shows that he was much more than his muscles.

He believed that greatness could be obtained through any practice. Musashi advocated a well-rounded set of skills.

During his lifetime, Musashi painted, wrote books, created sculptures and planned military strategy.

According to Musashi, his excellence was evident in a masterful painting as it was in a sword fight.