COUNTERSTROKE AT SOLTSY - Strategy & Tactics Press

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Musashi the Ronin
The warlords maintained large private armies of
samurai to defend their estates and extend their power
over weaker neighbours. By cleverly controlling the
movement of the warlords and by the use of spies and
assassins, the Tokugawas maintained their position.
Consequently, the need to maintain private armies declined
and many samurai found themselves without
work. They became ronin (“wave men”) and offered
their swords to fight as the opportunity arose. Many of
the warrior brotherhood gave up the struggle to maintain
their status and became artisans or merchants.
Those samurai who remained in service had little
to occupy them. Real or imagined insults frequently
resulted in duels and deadly combat, simply as tests of
skill. A ronin depended on his courage, skill and reputation
to precede him and make him a welcome guest
at the castles of local lords. With so many professional
warriors in the land, the martial arts flourished among
the nobility and was regarded as the highest form of
study.
It was within that context Musashi joined the ranks
of the ronin. Under the new class system he had been
granted high status but no means of support. So he
wandered throughout Japan, following the tide of fortune
and seeking enlightenment. Still, there were many
brave and skilled samurai who did not fear Musashi.
They too had no fear of death and were willing to test
their skill and courage by challenging him to duels—
duels from which Musashi inevitably emerged the victor.
In 1605, Musashi arrived in Kyoto and began a
vendetta against the powerful Yoshioka clan of fencing
instructors. It is unclear if the feud extended back
to his father, but it resulted in a series of duels between
Musashi and several of the Yoshiokas. The first fight
Kendo, Zen & Shinto
Japanese society developed a unique combination of religion and the
military arts. Kendo became an integral part of Japanese society and was
interwoven into religion. The ultimate enlightenment for a warrior was
to spiritually accept death in combat. For the samurai the abandonment
of life without regret was the goal. Killing an opponent or being killed in
combat were outcomes to be accepted with equanimity. That is why the
last chapter of Musashi’s book is called “Void” in which the understanding
of the student has reached such heights the knowledge of all things
reduces everything to nothing. The end becomes the beginning and everything
is simplicity.
Few samurai claimed to have ever achieved that state of consciousness.
To the Western mind it is an almost incomprehensible concept,
though Zen precepts are often quoted by Westerners as a way of providing
insight into the unknowable.
Shintoism is essentially a peaceful religion, but it also was preferred by
the samurai class. It recognized death as a transcendence from one state to
another and was therefore particularly appropriate for those who routinely
faced their own demise. For Musashi, it was no unattainable goal—it was
a life’s quest and one he claimed to have succeeded in achieving.
occurred because Musashi insulted Seijiro, head of the
Yoshioka clan. To add further insult, Musashi fought
Seijiro with a wooden sword while Seijiro used a
steel blade. Musashi defeated him easily and beat him
fiercely when he fell. Seijiro lost face and withdrew
from the samurai ranks. He had been defeated with
inferior weapons and had survived.
This insult to the clan could not go unanswered,
and Seijiro’s brother, Denshichiro, issued his own
challenge. In a few seconds of combat Musashi killed
his opponent with a blow to the head with his wooden
sword. On the third occasion the challenge came from
a boy who had no chance against Musashi, but it was
an ambush. Many heavily armed Yoshioka retainers
were present at the appointed site determined to kill the
famous swordsman, but it was Musashi who surprised
them. He rushed from hiding and in seconds fought his
way through the small army of warriors determined to
kill him. It was a ruthless, fanatically courageous and
impressive demonstration of his unparalleled martial
skills.
As a result of those duels Musashi’s fame spread
throughout Japan. Musashi found his reputation led
to more and more challenges. Not every duel was to
the death, but anyone crossing blades with him could
not be certain of that. In the Niten Ki, or Two Heavens
Chronicle, his followers recorded each of his contests.
In eight years he fought over 100 duels and won them
all, killing at least 60 of his opponents. Musashi’s opponents
used real swords, but he had become so convinced
of his own invincibility he usually preferred to
use a wooden practice sword. Even so, he carried his
long and short steel swords at all times. For instance,
when he killed Shishido Baikin with a knife during a
duel, Baikin’s followers attacked him and he had to
draw both his blades to fight them off.
Musashi continued to find employment as a mercenary
in several local wars, and continued to duel with
all-comers. In Edo, he once defeated another famous
samurai, Muso Gonosuke, with a willow sword. He
did not kill Gonosuke, who chivalrously accepted his
defeat as Musashi struck him with his willow while
avoiding the cut of Gonosuke’s sharp steel. After
further wanderings, Musashi visited Izumo province
where he defeated both Lord Matsudaira and his fencing
instructor in mock combat duels, though both his
opponents used real weapons. At Matsudaira’s invitation,
Musashi stayed on as his teacher.
Probably Musashi’s most famous fight—and the
one in which he probably came closest to losing—was
with Sasaki Kojiro in 1612. The duel was to be held
on an island near Ogura. Musashi arrived late by boat
and was particularly unkempt, even by his standards.
His weapon was a wooden sword fashioned from an
oar. Kojiro’s first slash cut the scarf from Musashi’s
head, narrowly missing him. Musashi’s riposte was
true and smashed into Kojiro’s skull, killing him. As