Miyamoto Musashi
Legendary Samurai
Time line of Miyamoto Musashi's life:
- 1584 - Born in Harima Province.
- 1596 - First successful duel at the age of 13 against a samurai named Arima Kihei.
- 1599 - Left his village at the age of 15 to spend his time traveling and engaging in duels.
- 1611 - Began practicing Zazen at the Myoshin-ji temple.
- 1612 - Had his famous duel with Sasaki Kojiro in which he defeated him with a oversized bokken that musashi carved from a ships oar.
- 1634 - Defeated lance specialist Takada Matabei in a duel arranged by lord Ogasawara.
- 1640 - Became the retainer of the Hosokowa lords of Kumamoto.
- 1641 - Wrote Hyoho Sanju Go ("Thirty-five Instructions on Strategy") which formed the basis of his most famous writing The Book of Five Rings.
- 1642 - Suffered attacks of neuralgia which foreshadowed his future ill health.
- 1643 - Wrote The Book of Five Rings after retiring as a hermit in a cave named Reigando.
- 1645 - Died of thoracic cancer peacefully at the age of 61 after writing the text Dokkodo ("The way of Walking Alone", or "The Way of Self-Reliance"), which consisted of 21 percepts about self-discipline. "There is nothing outside of yourself that can ever enable you to get better, stronger, richer, quicker, or smarter. Everything is within. Everything exists. Seek nothing outside of yourself."
--Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings