Which two-sword fencing school did Musashi found?
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Niten Ichi-ryū
The name means roughly “two heavens as one”: the long and the short sword are wielded together.
💡 Did you know? The school is still taught today in an unbroken line.
All questions with answers
Which treatise on strategy did Musashi write shortly before his death?
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The Book of Five Rings
Its five parts are named Earth, Water, Fire, Wind and Void.
💡 Did you know? He wrote it in the Reigandō cave near Kumamoto.
Which swordsman did Musashi face in his most famous duel in 1612?
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Sasaki Kojirō
Kojirō carried an unusually long sword and was regarded as the master of a school of his own.
💡 Did you know? Musashi kept him waiting on purpose to unsettle him.
Which weapon, according to legend, did Musashi carve from an oar on the way to his most famous duel?
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Bokken
It was longer than his opponent’s sword, which gave Musashi the greater reach.
💡 Did you know? The island of the duel has been called Ganryūjima ever since.
What number does Musashi give in his major work for the duels he won?
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60
He writes that between the ages of 13 and 29 he fought more than 60 times and never lost.
💡 Did you know? Later he concluded that he had not won through true mastery and set out to seek the deeper way.
How old was Musashi when he killed his first opponent?
Show answer
13
His opponent was Arima Kihei, an experienced swordsman who had publicly invited challengers.
💡 Did you know? Musashi is said to have thrown him to the ground and beaten him to death with a stick.
In which city did Musashi spend his last years as a guest of the Hosokawa?
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Kumamoto
Lord Hosokawa Tadatoshi took him in in 1640 and gave him a stipend and a house.
💡 Did you know? His grave is still in Kumamoto today.
Which writer made Musashi famous throughout Japan with a serialised novel from 1935?
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Eiji Yoshikawa
The novel “Musashi” ran in the Asahi Shimbun until 1939 and became one of the most widely read books in Japan.
💡 Did you know? Almost every later film and manga about Musashi goes back to this novel.
Who played the lead in Hiroshi Inagaki’s Samurai Trilogy of 1954 to 1956?
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Toshirō Mifune
The three films follow Eiji Yoshikawa’s novel up to the duel on Ganryūjima.
💡 Did you know? The first part received an honorary Oscar in 1956 as the best foreign language film.
In which year did Miyamoto Musashi die?
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1645
He died only a week after handing his major work to his pupil Terao Magonojō.
💡 Did you know? Shortly before his death he also wrote the “Dokkōdō”, 21 terse rules for a solitary life.
Foto: Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Who is shown here?
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Miyamoto Musashi
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