“Miyamoto Musashi,” a novel written by Eiji Yoshikawa, was published as a serial by Asahi Shimbun from 1935 to 1939. Since then it has been made into movies, TV series, and comic books, making Musashi a legendary swordsman not only in Japan, but worldwide. As Musashi traveled around the country training, it is said that the 21-year-old chose the Yoshioka Dojo of Kyoto to test his skills against. The Yoshioka Dojo was a famous school of swordsmen, who during the Muromachi era taught kenjutsu and battle tactics to the Shogun’s family. In the novel, Musashi deliberately arrived late to an arranged duel, apparently irritating Seijuro, who was the head of … Continue reading Yoshioka Seijuro: who did Musashi really fight?