Miyamoto Musashi's two-sword style

Inspiration for using two swords

There are many theories about how Musashi came to use two swords in his style. His father, Munisai, was a master of various martial arts, including the use of jitte. It is believed that he taught Musashi various combat styles, so Musashi's first impressions on the martial arts as a boy must have come from his father's teachings. One way to use the jitte in combat was to pair it with a long sword, and use it to parry the enemy's attack, then strike him with the sword. This theory is endorsed by a story found in the Tanji hokin hikki manuscript, that describes how Musashi left his home after an argument with his father. He criticized his father's jitte technique, and Munisai, in anger, threw a dagger, then his short sword at him, upon which Musashi dodged both weapons and fled the house. This story can also serve as a basis for one theory which holds that throwing the short sword like a shuriken was one of the techniques that Musashi taught later in his Niten Ichi-ryū style.

Another possible inspiration is believed to be the drumstick movement of taiko. As a child, Musashi had the chance to observe the rhythmic movement of the two drumsticks at the Aramaki, or Sanomo shrine, a shinto shrine in the Miyamoto village.

Without ignoring how these experiences must have influenced Musashi in using two swords, I consider his combat experience as the primary factor for his choice of dual wielding weapons. The historical records of many of his duels, including his most famous one, against Sasaki Kojirō, describe him using a single sword. But in The Ground Book section of his treatise, Musashi advocates the use of the long and short sword for fighting against a large number of enemies:

                        It is better to use two swords rather than one when you are fighting a crowd,                                        and especially if you want to take a prisoner.

He also explains about the best use of the short sword, according to the environment:

                      The best use of the companion sword is in a confined space, or when you are                                         engaged closely with an opponent.

These statements hint at the fact that the effective use of the two swords has been tested through his own experience from his many duels. He found the use of two swords beneficial in various circumstances, as dictated by the environment or number of opponents.

Duels where Musashi fought with two swords

Although few, there are descriptions about some of Musashi's duels where he used two swords. One such duel was against Shishido, a master of the kusarigama. During the fight, Shishido arrested Musashi's sword with the chain, but then Musashi threw his wakizashi and killed him. From this story it can be surmised that Musashi was indeed adept at throwing weapons.

Another duel was the one against Miyake Gunbei, when Musashi used two wooden swords, one long and one short. He restrained Gunbei's sword by combining his two swords into a gassho position,  and kept him in check, before eventually winning by parrying one of his blows with the short sword in his left hand and stabbing Gunbei on the cheek with the sword in his right hand.

This way of fighting by using the two swords like a scissors against the opponent's sword was also mentioned in the description of a match held at Tokugawa Yoshinao's request, when Musashi demonstrated his style by fighting against a swordsman from the Owari clan, and nullified all his attacks with his two swords, while leading him in circles around the dojo and not initiating any offensive action himself.

And yet another use of two swords in a match was against lord Matsudaira Izumo no kami Naomasa, who wanted to test how effective Musashi's style really is, and also had to admit defeat against him.

Two swords in the Yagyū Shinkage-ryū techniques

It is interesting to observe the fact that in the Illustrated Catalog of the Shinkage-ryū Martial Arts, there are some techniques that deal with opponents wielding two swords: the korandome (opponent has a short sword in his left hand a long sword in his right hand), and the subete koran uchimonodome (opponent holds a long sword in his left hand and a short one in his right hand).

 So, even though Musashi was the most famous practitioner and founder of a two sword style, another kenjutsu school also recognized the need to know how to fight against an enemy that is wielding two swords.

Source(s):
The Lone Samurai: The Life of Miyamoto Musashi
The Book of Five Rings
The Life-Giving Sword: Secret Teachings from the House of the Shogun

4 types of commanders who ruin themselves - Kōyō Gunkan

The Kōyō Gunkan is a military treatise of the Takeda clan, one of the prominent clans of medieval Japan, best known for the military exploits of the prodigious general Takeda Shingen. This book was completed by Obata Kagenori, a vassal of the Takeda clan, and it records in detail historical battles of the Takeda, military strategy, army organization, and other aspects pertaining to the bushido and the proper comportment of a samurai. Inside there is a section about the 4 types of commanders that bring ruin to their country and clan, which I summarized below:

The foolish commander. This is the selfish ruler who day in and day out indulges in pleasures and festivities, like trips, moon-viewing parties, hanami, and any other eccentricities that catch his fancy. He devotes himself solely to entertainment, and even though he may take up martial arts on a whim, he can't seriously practice them because his heart always drifts to one thing or another. Many flatterers gather around such a lord, while those willing to remonstrate with him grow fewer. If he were wise, he would know his abilities and recognize flattery when praised for something he isn't good at, but he gets carried away by compliments and is oblivious to right and wrong. This type of commander attracts many sycophants, while good men leave from his employ. The retainers who advance in position thanks to flattery speak ill of good retainers and spread lies to boast of their achievements, even though they haven't achieved anything by 30 or 40. The most representative example given for such a general is the son of Imagawa Yoshimoto, Ujizane. Instead of heeding the council that had served his family for successive generations, he only listened to and relied on a man named Miura Uemon and his connections, bringing the wrath of the Mikawa samurai upon his family.

The too clever general. He is prone to fits of pride or depression. Such a lord is thrifty with paying his retainers, who have to resort to taxing the peasants for their livelihood. Being confident in his cleverness, he doesn't listen to advice, or when hearing the opinions of someone knowledgeable about things, he nods approvingly, pretending to understand. If victorious in battle, he takes all the credit, ignoring the contribution of others. If there are capable men among his chief retainers, he looks at them with suspicion. A good general would acknowledge the achievements of his men and would praise them accordingly, and by doing so his men would grow braver and more loyal. The example given for this type of general is Takeda Shingen's heir, Yoshinobu. At the battle of Kawanakajima, he openly criticized his father's strategy, eventually rebelling against him, and being forced to commit seppuku.

The cowardly general. Such a lord is suspicious towards his retainers, promoting those who flatter him and treating coldly those who would remonstrate with him. He doesn't know the ability of his men, and because he is oblivious to duty, his men seek better employment. He flees from battle and is envious of others, trying to thwart them from success. The example given is of Uesugi Sadamasa of the Oogigayatsu family, who grew suspicious of his retainer Oota Doukan, who proved capable in his assignments. Sadamasa had Doukan assassinated, and because of this, he lost many retainers and became enemies with Uesugi Akisada of the Yamanouchi family. He died when he fell from his horse when crossing a river to attack Akisada.

The overly strong commander. He is confident, quick-witted, eloquent in speech and wise. Because he despises weakness in everything, including words, his retainers can't properly communicate with him, and he takes a liking to those who speak only bold and strong words. Such a lord wants to appear stronger than his predecessors, so he acts in a high and mighty manner. His men fight to the death over any minor trouble, while those who hold their lives dear feign illness so that they can be exempted from military service. Shingen's son, Takeda Katsuyori is given as example. Being the son of such an accomplished general, he wanted to surpass his father. In search of a glorious victory that would propel him forward from his father's shadow, he fought recklessly and was defeated, bringing destruction to his clan.

Takeda Katsuyori

Source(s): 武士道の名著 - 日本人の精神史

The most famous Japanese swordsman - Miyamoto Musashi

Without a doubt, Miyamoto Musashi (1584?-1645) is the most famous of the samurai of Japan. Author of the widely read strategy classic, The Book of Five Rings, and founder of the Niten Ichi-ryū two-sword style, Musashi has an undefeated record of over 60 duels. He also participated in 6 major battles. His legendary military exploits and remarkable insights that he passed on through his book aren't his only notable traits. He led a unique lifestyle, very different from the other samurai of his era, and he showed mastery in the art fields as well, in particular ink painting and calligraphy, even though, as he claimed, he never received instruction in those arts.

It is believed that Musashi learned martial arts from his father, Shinmen Munisai, a master of the Tori-ryū sword style, and also of jūjutsu and the jutte. The relationship with his father was a cold one, and after an incident between the two, he eventually left his home.


First duel
At 13, he won his first duel, against a samurai called Arima Kihei, a practitioner of the  Shinto-ryū swordsmanship style. Even since childhood, it is said that Musashi's stature was much larger than the average height of the Japanese men of that time. Arima Kihei had been searching for opponents, by placing a challenge sign, that Musashi vandalized, and then he fought Kihei and beat him to death.

Musashi also participated in the famous battle of Sekigahara, which finally decided the unification of Japan and the end of the civil strife. However, he was on the losing side, and after the battle, he probably retreated to the mountains to escape the death reserved for battlefield stragglers, and continued his sword training.

Bringing down the Yoshioka school
The Yoshioka school was a famous swordsmanship dojo in Kyoto, run by the Yoshioka brothers, Seijūrō (the eldest) and Denshichirō (younger bother). Both were excellent swordsmen, and Musashi naturally sought to challenge an opponent as strong as Yoshioka Seijūrō. In his duel against Seijūrō, Musashi used a wooden sword and defeated him with a powerful blow, but Seijūrō's disciples saved him and carried him to safety. Unable to withstand the humiliation of being defeated by an unknown country samurai, Seijūrō later abandoned the sword to become a Buddhist priest.

 To redeem the honor of the Yoshioka, Denshichirō challenged Musashi, but he was killed in the duel. After this, the disciples of the Yoshioka school plotted revenge against Musashi, and used Yoshioka Matashichiro, the 12 year old son of Seijūrō, as a lure, to bring Musashi to a third duel, at the Ichijoji temple, on the outskirts of Kyoto. Their plan was to assassinate Musashi, having assembled more than 70 men to wait in ambush for him. But he had arrived earlier and noticed their intentions, so it was them who were taken by surprise when Musashi suddenly jumped among them, killed Matashichiro, and then used the advantage of the terrain and his two sword style to cut them down, keeping them confused and leading them where they would be at a disadvantage. Few escaped with their lives, and this crushing defeat signaled the end for the Yoshioka school of swordsmanship.

The spear wielding monks of Hōzōin
After finishing with the Yoshioka, Musashi went to Nara and fought against the fabled spear technique of the Hōzōin monks, emerging victorious once again. 

Facing the kusarigama master Shishido Baiken
Around 1607, Musashi faced a skilled wielder of the chain and sickle, Shishido Baiken, whose disciples also witnessed the duel. When Musashi killed Baiken, the disciples attacked him, but were quickly put to flight by Musashi's two-sword style.

The duels against Musō Gonnosuke
Musō Gonnosuke was another wandering swordsman, an arrogant samurai who reputedly wore an embroidery on his clothing that proclaimed him the "greatest martial artist in the realm". He came to Musashi and challenged him to a duel, which Musashi won with a single blow of a wooden stick. Gonnosuke was humiliated and he retreated to the mountains to meditate on his defeat. He eventually developed the Shindō Musō-ryū style of wielding the staff (jo), and fought another duel against Musashi, which ended in a draw (the only one in all of Musashi's duels).

Sasaki Kojirō - the Demon of the Western Provinces
The strongest opponent that Musashi faced in his most famous duel was Sasaki Kojirō. He wielded a very long sword, known as the Drying Pole, and had developed a lightning-fast technique called tsubamegaeshi (swallow reverse cut, inspired from the movements of a flying swallow). Their duel happened on a small island which is now known as Ganryū-jima. Musashi arrived late to the duel and holding a wooden sword (that he carved from an oar, according to some sources). Enraged by Musashi's attitude, Kojirō supposedly threw his scabbard in the sea, prompting Musashi's famous words "You’ve lost, Kojirō. Would the winner throw away his scabbard?"
They exchanged blows and Kojirō nearly managed to cut Musashi, but it was him who was struck and killed. This marked the end of the duels where Musashi killed his opponents.

Musashi preferred the wandering lifestyle of a ronin, instead of the more traditional practice of settling down to server a lord or opening a dojo. Nevertheless, he did take disciples and took residence in his later years with the Hosokawa clan in Kumamoto. He frequently retreated to the Reigandō cave, where he wrote the famous strategy treatise, The Book of Five Rings, which explains the teachings of his style. He died in 1645, possibly from stomach cancer.

Musashi's pragmatic teachings and nonconformist lifestyle set him apart from other master swordsmen of his era.  His legacy continues to this day, in the form of his book and swordsmanship style. 

Source(s): The Lone Samurai: The Life of Miyamoto Musashi  

Miyamoto Musashi - The Way of Walking Alone

Written by Miyamoto Musashi shortly before his death, this list of principles summarizes the warrior discipline of his way of the sword:

• Do not turn your back on the various Ways of this world
• Do not scheme for physical pleasure
• Do not intend to rely on anything
• Consider yourself lightly; consider the world deeply
• Do not ever think in acquisitive terms
• Do not regret things about your own personal life
• Do not envy another's good or evil
• Do not lament parting on any road whatsoever
• Do not complain or feel bitterly about yourself or others
• Have no heart for approaching the path of love
• Do not have preferences
• Do not harbor hopes for your own personal home
• Do not have a liking for delicious food for yourself
• Do not carry antiques handed down from generation to generation
• Do not fast so that it affects you physically
• While it's different with military equipment, do not be fond of material things
• While on the Way, do not begrudge death
• Do not be intent on possessing valuables or a fief in old age
• Respect the gods and Buddhas, but do not depend on them
• Though you give up your life, do not give up your honor
• Never depart from the Way of the Martial Arts

Source(s):The Book of Five Rings