Miyamoto musashi

champion history

Thirteen. That’s how old Miyamoto Musashi was when he won his first duel—killing a grown samurai named Arima Kihei with either a six-foot quarterstaff or a bokken (wooden sword), depending on who’s telling the tale. Not yet a man, but already a beast. Musashi went on to win over 60 duels, nearly twice as many as the next best, and stayed undefeated his entire life. No one could touch him—and no one ever did.

Musashi wasn’t just the greatest swordsman to ever walk the earth. He was a philosopher, strategist, artist, teacher, ronin (a masterless samurai), and founder of the two-sword kenjutsu technique. He was also a Kensei—a sword saint of Japan. Oh, and get this: he was one of Japan’s first comic book heroes. Seriously. Early illustrated fiction featured Musashi as a larger-than-life legend, adding wild exploits to his already epic story.

He trained by fighting live opponents, not by practicing forms. He slept in caves, painted dragons, and carved sculptures between battles. His life was a mashup of warrior grit and artistic genius.

Luckily, Musashi wrote down much of his own legacy in his final years. His Book of Five Rings (Gorin No Sho) is still considered one of the greatest martial arts texts ever written. In it, he describes his two-sword technique—wielding a katana and wakizashi at once instead of using the katana two-handed like tradition dictated. He then folds this strategy into a full-blown warrior philosophy, built around five elemental aspects: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and the Void.

Musashi wandered Japan on a musha shugyō—a warrior’s pilgrimage—seeking worthy opponents to sharpen his art. He crushed samurai after samurai, often in lethal duels. In 1612, at age 28, he faced his most famous rival: Sasaki Kojirō, on the remote island of Ganryujima. 

Legend says Musashi carved a long bokken from the boat’s spare oar and arrived three hours late just to enrage Sasaki. It worked. Sasaki shouted insults; Musashi just smiled. Both men charged. Sasaki, furious, sliced Musashi’s headband—coming within a hair’s breadth of victory. Musashi struck back with his oar-sword, shattered Sasaki’s ribs, and punctured his lungs. Sasaki died. Musashi bowed to his fallen rival and swore off lethal duels forever.

Even so, his warrior’s path continued. He opened a fencing school, fought in rebellions, and trained future legends. Musashi is remembered as the greatest of all time—the first to wield two swords as a martial style, the master of five-second victories, and the virtuoso who turned battle into art.