Mind Visualization

Many thanks to one of our readers for their attention to detail and pointing out a few areas in our article: Musashi’s Mind Control Technique Was a Life Saver that may need a bit more clarification.

Here are the comments from, reader, J. Kojiro:

Comment: “the battle of sekigahara occurred many years before musashi fought kojiro.”

Response: You are absolutely correct on this point. I stand corrected and have revised the article to reflect this. The battle is generally accepted as taking place on Funajima (boat island); also called Mukojima (far island) and later referred to as Ganryujima (or Ganryu Island).

Comment: “Kojiro and Musashi fought a duel not a battle.”

Response: Is not a duel a type of battle? According to Webster’s Dictionary, 9th Edition, Definition #2, Battle: “A combat between two persons.”

Comment: “musashi is the one who uses two swords, kojiro uses…1 long sword.”

Response: Unfortunately, I could not find much reference to Musashi using either two swords or even two wooden swords during this particular battle. However, I have found interesting documentation that may address why this may be construed either way.

In consideration of time (the event took place in 1612), the lack of written historical documentation, and the growing popularity surrounding Miyamoto Musashi and this duel in particular; it is difficult to separate fact from fiction.

Perhaps, this is why many books have been written and films made, inspiring colorful tales of this event.

Wikipedia shows Miyamoto Musashi with two wooden swords but it may be important to consider that Musashi was skilled in the use of a variety of weapons. And, that further down, in the section entitled Duel With Sasaki Kojiro, there is no indication that Musashi used two swords in that particular battle.

Here is an excerpt from Miyamoto Musashi- His Life and Writings, by Kenji Tokitsu. Here, the author tells us of one account of Musashi using only one wooden sword but to be fair, it is only one of many stories that is reviewed in this book. The “he” is referencing Miyamoto Musashi:

“…He asked the head of the house to give him a row boat oar, from which he fashioned a wooden sword (singular)…He left his jacket and his long sword (metal sword) in the  boat…” 

Having said this: It is possible that Musashi may have wielded a shorter sword in addition to his wooden sword since it was common practice for swordsmen at that time to carry a shorter sword in addition to their primary weapon.

Can Any of Us Truly Know Exactly What Went on at Funajima?

Perhaps it is not the details of the events that occurred but by the lessons that we can derive from it that makes the story so timeless. Even Musashi learned from his battles. You can read more about Miyamoto Musashi’s philosophies in The Book of Five Rings.

Unfortunately, not much is written about Sasaki Kojiro since his demise, but it cannot be disputed that he was one of the most famous swordfighters during his time and this fact cannot be without merit.

I wonder, how would Sasaki Kojiro have responded?

Related posts:

1. Musashi’s Mind Control Technique Was Life Saver