It would be easy to write this short biography of Musashi about his numerous accomplishments and feats in swordsmanship as well as his other hobbies. But that isn’t what makes Musashi so compelling and inspiring.

Musashi fought in over sixty bladed duels many of which were to the death and won every single one of them. He trained relentlessly and became the best swordsman in Japan at the time.

At one point, later in his life, he won a duel without striking a single blow. He told his opponent that he would be unable to come closer than about six feet to where he stood. Musashi was right. His opponent said that there was a force field around him that made him unable to come closer.

This force field was no magical field but perfected skill. Musashi left absolutely no opening or opportunity and was ready for anything that his opponent could even think to try. His opponent knew this and gave up and pledged to become his student.

Musashi’s life is riddled with incredible stories like this one but those aren’t the most compelling part of Musashi’s life.

What makes Musashi’s story so compelling is how he changes over the course of his life. You can see the change in how he fights in duels and how he trains. You can see the change in his hobbies and his mindset. Musashi isn’t some bloodthirsty brute trying to prove something. Well, he may have started that way but that certainly isn’t who he ended his life as.

He trained diligently and used his craft, the Way of the sword, and strategy, to better himself and find peace.

Musashi’s Origin

There is a story about Musashi’s childhood that perfectly foreshadows his incredible future. The story goes as follows:

“When he was a child, the master often criticized his father’s art. One day, when he was nine years old, leaning against a post, he watched his father cutting some toothpicks. As usual, he criticized his father’s art. His father lost his temper and threw a knife at him. The master dodged it with a slight movement of his head, and the knife stuck in the post.”

The master spoken of in the story was Miyamoto Musashi.

This story is undoubtedly overexaggerated since it was a story that was passed down through Musashi’s school. Embellishment clearly abounds. But even if this story was heavily embellished it nonetheless paints the picture that Musashi was very skillful, very young. Younger than most people show any skill at all.

Musashi was a natural with the sword. He was destined to become a swordsman. But it’s not his natural talents that made him so good, it was his intense dedication.

Who is this Musashi? A story like this, regardless of how much of it is true, sounds like something out of a comic book. Musashi was born in 1584 in a small village in Japan. The exact village is unknown. There are many legends that say that Musashi was self-trained but this is highly unlikely.

Musashi would have probably received training from his father and then went on to pursue additional training after he had learned everything he could from his father.

But this interaction with his father was only the beginning. A few short years in the future and Musashi would fight in his first duel to the death.

Musashi’s First Duel

Fast forward into the future and Musashi has his first duel against a grown man. Musashi is 13 years old although he would have actually been 12 by today’s standards since back then they didn’t start counting until the age of one.

Musashi fought his first duel against a man named Arima Kihei. Kihei had put up signs asking if anyone wanted to fight him in a duel and Musashi put his name down. Kihei was unaware of Musashi’s age at the time and when he said he wouldn’t fight him Musashi yelled “Let’s fight” and began approaching Kihei. Musashi fought and killed him brutally by striking him between the eyes with a wooden sword.

According to the recorded accounts, Musashi carved a wooden sword from a piece of firewood and showed up to fight Kihei. After exchanging blows, Musashi was able to get Kihei to the ground where he struck him between the eyes with his wooden sword. Stunned and unable to get up quickly, Musashi struck him several more times until he expired.

Musashi is clearly quite emotional and raw in this duel. He’s out for blood and seeking recognition. There seems to be little honor in this duel although he was praised for his accomplishment.

While this is clearly a younger, less wise Musashi, it is still overwhelmingly impressive. Even if this story has a fair amount of embellishment in it, he still killed a man with a wooden sword.

But this was only the beginning of his duels. This singular duel was just number one in a long undefeated streak of duels that were soon to come.

Musashi in Battle

Over the course of Musashi’s life, he fought in six different large-scale battles. The first, and probably most famous, was the battle of Sekigahara which he fought in when he was around nineteen years old in 1600.

Musashi would write about large-scale combat in the Book of Five Rings and he believed that mastery of small-scale combat, like the duels he fought in, translated perfectly to large-scale combat.

“If you discern the underlying principles of swordsmanship clearly, when you are able to freely defeat a single opponent, you can beat anyone in the world. The mindset that overcomes one enemy, or a thousand, or ten thousand, is the same. The strategy of the commander translates the small into the large, just like taking a model of one shaku and from it building a giant statue of the Buddha.”

Musashi believed that all of life was for learning. Every experience, good or bad, was an opportunity to learn something. He didn’t waste life wandering aimlessly. While he was a Ronin which literally means a samurai with no master, he had a destination.

But his destination wasn’t a physical place. It was a state of mind.

Musashi writes significantly about large and small-scale combat and how they are similar in the Book of Five Rings. We will return to the Book of Five Rings and its significance.

Musashi’s New Path

For many years Musashi wandered the country looking for opponents to challenge himself against to test his skill. His earlier duels are filled with much more violence and brutality than his later duels. Over time he becomes more skillful and doesn’t seek out the violence he did in his youth.

He seeks deeper meaning.

But let Musashi say it himself:

“When, sometime after I turned thirty, I thought back over my past, I realized that I had not won all those bouts because I had achieved great levels of strategic skill. It could have been because I had some innate gift for this path, and thus did not get away from its natural principles, or because those other styles of swordsmanship were lacking in some respect. After seeing this, in order to attain the deeper principles I set myself to training day in and day out. In due course I realized the Way of Strategy. This was when I was about fifty years old”

Musashi realizes something so many other people have realized after they get what they thought they wanted. It’s not enough. He accomplished so much and had literally proven he was better than anyone else and still looked at himself and said “I’m not there yet, there has to be more.”

Also, notice at this point in his life he doesn’t say that he was too good for anyone else and his skills were god level. He said the exact opposite. He acknowledges that he may have some innate skill, which he clearly did, but he says it’s more likely that his opponents were simply lacking in some respect.

He’s saying that the reason he won all those matches was probably because his opponents weren’t that good. Not that he was so good but that he fought people too far below his skill level. Is it really impressive to defeat someone who isn’t anywhere near your skill level?

But this time of reflection marks the beginning of Musashi’s real journey. This is where he realizes he’s meant for more than just bladed duels to the death.

This moment of introspection also doesn’t derail Musashi. He doesn’t give up or throw in the towel. In fact, he doubles down. He said that he started training day in and day out perfecting his craft. Why would he do this if he looked back at his duels and felt discontent?

Because he started training for a higher purpose. He wasn’t training to defeat and best other people. He was training to perfect his craft and in turn, perfect himself.

He was training to find the Way.

The Way – A Story

Musashi talks about the Way in the Book of Five Rings often and is very humble about it. He doesn’t boast about the way he’s chosen and in fact, he compares his Way to the ways of other people.

He doesn’t seem to hold the opinion that his Way is any superior to the Way of the carpenter or of the philosopher, farmer, or poet provided they each work tirelessly to perfect their craft. That’s what following the way is. It’s continued self-improvement.

“She moved away from the fire and placed the vessels for tea before them. There could be no doubt that she was perfectly at home with the tea ceremony. Her movements were elegant yet natural, her delicate hands graceful. Even at seventy, she seemed to be the epitome of feminine grace and beauty.

Musashi, uncomfortably out of his depth, sat politely on his haunches, in what he hoped was the same fashion as Koetsu. The tea cake was a plain bun known as Yoda Manju, but it rested prettily on a green leaf of a variety not found in the surrounding field. Musashi knew there were set rules of etiquette for serving the tea, just as there were for using the sword, and as he watched Myoshu, he admired her mastery of them.

Judging her in terms of swordsmanship, he thought to himself, “She’s perfect! She doesn’t leave herself open anywhere.” As she whisked the tea, he sensed in her the same unearthly proficiency that one might observe in a master swordsman poised to strike. “It’s the Way,” he thought, “the essence of art. One has to have it to be perfect at anything.”

This was an excerpt from Eija Yoshikawa’s fictional novel Musashi. While this is a historical fiction novel, it still gives the most accurate rendering of Musashi that any fiction has ever done.

This was my favorite part of the novel and I believe it perfectly encapsulates Musashi and his teachings.

Musashi recognizes the Way in everything. He recognizes when people have perfected their craft and are applying that to the rest of their lives.

Musashi’s Hobbies

Musashi trained diligently to master the sword but that wasn’t the only skill he practiced. The sword and strategy were what he spent the majority of time studying and training in. He then took that same energy and effort and applied it to other arts.

“Since then I have never again needed to search for the Way in anything. By applying the principles of strategy to the practice of various arts, I have never needed a teacher in any of those things.”

Musashi isn’t boasting or making fun of students here. He’s telling you the secret to mastering anything: Work hard continually. Not just continually, but relentlessly.

How did Musashi train in the sword? He trained day in and day out and did his best to find opponents better than him to practice against. He then took this mindset and applied it to the rest of his life.

Painting

Musashi was very fond of painting and painted many paintings himself. Sadly, they were not all preserved for us to enjoy today but many still were.

Painting may seem to be an odd hobby for an intense samurai such as Musashi to have. But back then they believed that many arts flowed together and assisted each other. Like two rivers converging into an even larger and stronger one.

Through painting, Musashi learned patience and time under pressure. He learned how to better observe his surroundings and become more detail-oriented. Finally, Musashi learned how to convey meaning and emotion in a new way.

When you look at his paintings you can’t help but feel the intensity. These weren’t made by some casual painter. They were made by a true warrior. You can feel the strength of his spirit through each of the paintings.

Calligraphy

On top of painting, Musashi was well known for his calligraphy. This may once again seem like an odd choice for a Ronin but there are many things about calligraphy that he would have benefited from.

Most importantly, calligraphy would have helped him write and convey his invaluable knowledge better. It would help him socially since back then they put more value on how you wrote. Beyond this, he would have learned techniques for holding and creating letters. The process would have helped him be a better overall painter as well.

The above image is of Musashi’s famed Dokkodo. The Dokkodo is Musashi’s 21 rules for life and translates to mean “The path of aloneness.”

Writing

This is the most obvious of Musashi’s hobbies since he wrote the Book of Five Rings as well as some other pieces of writing as well. Writing is a skill that everyone should put time and effort into practicing and refining.

The Book of Five Rings is a collection of five scrolls and each scroll discusses a different aspect of martial arts and the Way. Ground, Fire, Water, Wind, and Emptiness.

The Book of Five Rings is a beautiful and motivating book to read and one I highly recommend. Just as with his sword and paintings, you can feel the strength and intensity emanating off the pages as you read his writing.

Before he wrote the Book of Five Rings, however, he wrote Thirty-five Articles on Strategy which he later expanded in the Book of Five Rings. These are techniques and practices that he wrote down most likely for teaching.

Construction/Carpentry

This is the least known skill/hobby of Musashi’s but one worth mentioning. Musashi more than likely dabbled in many different professions in his lifetime and had even more hobbies than the ones we’ve discussed.

In the Book of Five Rings Musashi compares the Way of Strategy to the way of the carpenter. His knowledge in his writings would indicate that he was well-versed in carpentry and understood it. This suspicion is confirmed in a historical record of a piece of land that was intrusted to Musashi which he then turned into a large garden.

This garden had trees, flowers, fountains, and a tea house. Musashi clearly knew how to create a plan and enact it down to the last detail.

Musashi’s Personal Development

Over the years we have the pleasure through historical accounts to watch Musashi mature and grow as he follows the Way.

If we rewind to his first duel, we see a raw, emotional, highly aggressive Musashi looking for anyone to take on. Fast forward after he’s won over 60 duels and realizes there must be more to life, we see a stark change. No longer does Musashi seek after duels or entice aggression.

The only duels Musashi took on according to the records were the ones where he was either challenged or was asked to fight on behalf of a Lord. But he did not seek out the duels himself.

No doubt his many hobbies had helped him tame his more aggressive side and find a sense of inner peace.

Musashi’s Later Duels

The best example of how Musashi changed over his life is through his duels. These are the most well-recorded parts of his life and the best way to see how he’s evolved.

“All four of you can attack me at once, if you like.” Gunbei got angry and took his place facing Musashi alone, holding his wooden sword. Intending to win with a single blow, Gunbei raised his weapon over his head, whereas Musashi backed up all the to the entrance and adopted the crossed-sword guard position.

After a moment of tension, Musashi advanced toward Gunbei with this crossed-sword guard. Gunbei struck, aiming at the top of Musashi’s head. Musashi parried, separating his two swords; then he crossed them again, pressing down on bunbei’s sword. Freeing his sword, Gunbei attacked again, and Musashi parried as he had before, then he backed one step away and recrossed his swords. Musashi now had his back to the wall. Gunbei, thinking that he had found a good opportunity, lowered his sword to the level of his chest and leaped forward to run his opponent through.

Musashi shouted: “That’s not what you should do!” and parrying Gunbei’s attack with the small sword in his left hand, touched the point of his other sword to his adversary’s cheek. Gunbei was wounded because of his own momentum and was bleeding at the cheek.

Musashi gave him some medicine and a towel, calmly told him to wipe away the blood, and waited.

This is a historically recorded story of a duel between Musashi and Miyake Gunbei. Reading this makes it sounds as though Musashi is fighting a child. But he was fighting a very skilled swordsman who was so confident in himself that he initiated the confrontation.

Notice how different this fight is compared to his first fight. Notice how little emotion there is on Musashi’s side and how calm he is. Musashi has refined and perfected his sword so much that he doesn’t even strike with his sword. He simply waits until his opponent makes a mistake and his mistake is what injured him.

In his first fight, he struck Kihei several times while he was dazed on the ground. You can practically feel the raw emotion emanating from Musashi. Contrasting that with this duel and we see none of that.

We see a calm and calculated Musashi who is judging not only his own swordsmanship but also his opponents and realizes instantly when his opponent has chosen a wrong move.

Musashi has truly mastered his sword and the evidence is clear that he was changed. He has not only found but followed the Way.

Musashi’s Death

While not for a lack of trying, Musashi was not killed in battle or duel. While he toyed with death his whole life, in the end, it was time that finally did him in.

The cause of his death is unknown other than the fact that he died of “old age.”

Musashi didn’t believe in wasting time even though he was deathly ill and on his deathbed. He followed the Way until his death. While on his deathbed he was unable to train or practice any of his hobbies. So, he took ink and brush and left us the Dokkodo. His final parting gift. His life’s work is summed up in 21 sentences.

But the warrior finally met his end in 1645 at the age of 62.

“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.”

Musashi asked to be buried in his battle armor and in a place where he could protect the Hosokawa family and bow to his lord as he went off on his travels. These wishes were carried out per his request. His hair was buried separately on Mount Iwato which was customary and a sign of great respect.

Musashi lived as a warrior and died as one. He carried his beliefs and followed the Way not only into death but beyond.

What We Can Learn From Musashi Now

Out of all the different people I’ve read about in history, no one has a more comic book story than Musashi. Everything from the things he did to his writing style and words of wisdom sound like they’re taken straight from a comic book. If I can be completely frank, he’s so freaking cool.

But we’re here for more than that. We’re here to learn and to grow just like Musashi did.

Musashi life is a life of mostly self-imposed hardship. He sought out hardship and difficulty because he wanted to be molded into something greater.

Eiji Yoshikawa once again provides us with beautiful words describing what Musashi must have been thinking:

“He stopped along the way to look at several well-known temples, and at each of them he bowed and said two prayers. One was: “Please protect my sister from harm.” The other was: “Please test the lowly Musashi with hardship. Let him become the greatest swordsman in the land, or let him die.

Later on, Musashi’s thoughts continue:

“I want to lead an important life. I want to do it because I was born a human being”

What a beautiful line. We’re all human beings but sadly we will not all lead important lives. But what even is an important life? An important life isn’t a life full of adventure and bloodshed like Musashi’s. It’s following the Way as Musashi did. It’s working, eating, breathing, and training for something greater than yourself.

Musashi is a testament to what it means to follow the Way. But he doesn’t provide the blueprint for the Way. That’s because there isn’t one. Everyone’s path will be different.

But, all the paths, in the end, lead to the same place.

What is your profession? To be a good man

Musashi used swordsmanship to train his body and mind to be “good.” Maybe for you, it’s welding construction, accounting, or waitressing. It doesn’t matter what it is. It isn’t what you have or what you do that matters. It’s how you do it.

Are you using your situation to get better?

You are a human being. Train like one.