Sasaki Kojirō (佐々木 小次郎, (also known as Ganryu Kojiro) died April 14, 1612) was a prominent Japanese swordsman, born in the Fukui Prefecture, from the Sengoku and early Edo period. He is most remembered for his death while battling Miyamoto Musashi in 1612. April 14 is the 104th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (105th in leap years). ... Events January 20 - Mathias becomes Holy Roman Emperor. ... A swordsman is one skilled in the use of swords. ... Fukui Prefecture ) is located in the ChÅ«bu region on HonshÅ« island, Japan. ... The Sengoku Period (戦国時代 Sengoku jidai) or warring-states period, is a period of long civil war in the History of Japan that spans through the middle 15th to the early 17th centuries. ... Edo (Japanese: 江戸, literally: bay-door, estuary, pronounced //), once also spelled Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo. ... Miyamoto Musashi killing a nue, by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798-1861). ...

History

He went by the fighting name of Ganryū (岸柳), which was also the name of the kenjutsu school he had founded (the name translating to "Shore Willow"). It is said that Kojirō studied the Chūjō-ryu style of sword fighting from either Kanemaki Jisai or Toda Seigen. Toda Seigen was a master of the kodachi. If Kojirō had indeed learned Chūjō-ryu from Seigen, he would have been his master's sparring partner. Due to his master's use of the kodachi, Kojirō used a katana against him, therefore eventually excelling in its use. It was after defeating his master's younger brother that he left and founded the Ganryu. The first reliable account of his life states that in 1610, because of the fame of his school and his many successful duels, Kojirō was honored by Lord Hosokawa Tadaoki as the chief weapons master of the Hosokawa fief north of Kyushu. Kenjutsu ) (Lit. ... A kodachi (小太刀) literally translates into small or short tachi; this Japanese sword was too short to be considered a long sword but too long to be a dagger. ... Katana of the 16th or 17th Century, with its saya. ... The Hosokawa clan is one of strong Shugo Daimyo. ... Kyushu region, Japan Kyushu (九州 kyÅ«shÅ«) is the third largest island of Japan and most southerly and westerly of the four main islands. ...

The duel

Sasaki Kojirō was a long-time rival of Miyamoto Musashi, and is considered the most challenging opponent Musashi ever faced. Miyamoto Musashi killing a nue, by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798-1861). ...

There are a number of accounts of the duel, varying in most details except the essentials like who won.

The age of Kojirō is especially uncertain- the Nitenki says that after from childhood he:

"...received the instruction of Toda Seigen, a master of the school of the short sword, and having been the partner of his master, he excelled him in the wielding of the long sword. After having defeated his master's younger brother he left him to travel in various provinces. There he founded his own school, which was called Ganryu."

This account initially seems trustworthy, until it gives the anoge of Kojirō at the time of the duel as 18 years old, which since it is known he was two years earlier a head weapons master for a fief, is obviously wrong. A further complication is that Toda Seigen died in the 1590s. This time problem means Kojirō's age could have varied anywhere from his 20s to as late as his 50s. Even worse, a number of scholars contend that indentifying Seigen as Kojirō's teacher is a mistake, and that he was actually trained by a student of Seigen's, Kanemaki Jisai. A kodachi (小太刀) literally translates into small or short tachi; this Japanese sword was too short to be considered a long sword but too long to be a dagger. ...

Apparently, the young (~29) Musashi heard of Kojirō's fame and asked Lord Hosokawa (through an intermediary, Nagaoka Sado Okinaga, a principal vassal of Hosokawa) to arrange a duel. Hosokawa assented, and set the time and place as 13 April 1612, on the comparatively remote island of Funajima (in the strait between Honshu and Kyushu). The place was so remote probably because by this time Kojirō had acquired many students and disciples, and had Kojirō lost, they would have attempted to kill Musashi. todo mal de [ [ Shikoku ] ] a través del [ [ mar interior ] ], y noreste de [ [ Kyushu ] ] a través del [ [ estrecho de Kanmon ] ]. Es la séptima isla más grande, y la segunda isla populosa en el mundo después de [ [ Java (isla)|Java ] ] (véase [ [ lista de las islas de la población ] ]). < style=float del div... Kyushu region, Japan Kyushu (九州 kyÅ«shÅ«) is the third largest island of Japan and most southerly and westerly of the four main islands. ...

According to the legend (it is disputed how much of the story is based on fact), Musashi arrived more than three hours late, and goaded Kojirō by taunting him. When Kojirō attacked, his blow came as close as severing Musashi's top-knot. He came near to victory several times until, supposedly blinded by the sunset behind Musashi, he was struck on the skull with a bokken (wooden sword) over ninety centimeters long, which Musashi had fashioned by shaving down the spare oar of the boat in which he arrived at the duel with his wakizashi (the wood was very hard). Musashi had been late for the duel on purpose in order to psychologically unnerve his opponent (an often-used tactic of his). When Musashi finally arrived, Kojirō shouted insults at him, but Musashi just smiled. Angered even further, Kojirō leapt into combat, blinded by rage. Leaping into the air, Musashi killed Kojirō with one stroke to the skull from his oversized bokuto. Musashi then hastily retreated to his boat and sailed away. A pair of bokken A bokken (木剣, bok(u), wood, and ken, sword) is a wooden Japanese sword, usually the size and shape of a katana,but can be made to replicate any type of sword. ...

Among other things, this conventional account (drawn from the Nitenski, Kensetsu, and Yoshida Seiken's account), has some problems. Would Musashi only prepare his bokuto while going to the duel site? Could he even have prepared it in time, working the hard wood with his wakizashi, tiring him as well? Why was the island then renamed after Kojirō, and not Musashi? Other texts completely omit the arriving late part, or change the sequence of actions. Harada Mukashi and a few other scholars believes that Kojiro was actually assassinated by Musashi and his students- the Sasaki clan apparently was a political obstacle to Lord Hosokawa, and defeating Kojirō would be a political setback to his religious and political foes.

The debate still rages today as to whether or not Musashi cheated in order to win that fateful duel or merely used the environment to his advantage. Another theory is that Musashi timed the hour of his arrival to match the turning of the tide. He expected to be pursued by Sasaki's supporters in the event of a victory. The tide carried him to the island then it turned by the time the fight ended. Musashi immediately jumped back in his boat and his flight was thus helped by the turning tide.

Clothes-Drying Pole

Kojiro's favored weapon during combat was a straight-edged nodachi with a blade-length of over ninety centimeters (three feet) long. As a comparison, the average blade-length of the regular katana seldom surpassed 70 cm. It was called the Monohoshi Zao (Clothes-Drying Pole). Despite the sword's length and weight, Kojiro's strokes with the weapon were unnaturally quick and precise. The nodachi (野太刀) refers to a large Japanese sword. ...

Swallow cut

His favorite technique was both respected and feared throughout feudal Japan. It was called the "Tsubame Gaeshi" (Turning Swallow Cut), and was so named because it mimicked the motion of a swallow's tail during flight as observed at Kintaibashi Bridge. This cut was reputedly so quick and precise that it could strike down a bird in mid-flight. There are no direct descriptions of the technique, but it was compared to two other techniques current at the time, the Itto ryu's kinshi cho ohken and the Ganryu kosetsu to; respectively the two involved fierce and swift cuts downwards and upwards. Hence, the Swallow cut has been reconstructed as a technique involving striking downward from above and then instantly striking again in an upward motion from below. This strike's second phase could be from below toward the rear and then upward at an angle, like an eagle climbs again after swooping down on its prey. Genera Many, see text. ...

Sasaki Kojirō in fiction

• The epic historical adventure fiction novel Musashi, by famed Japanese author Eiji Yoshikawa, features a separate parallel plotline and various sub-plots highlighting the exploits of Sasaki Kojirō Ganryũ. Eventually the Musashi and Kojirō plotlines intertwine, with the pair's famous duel the climax and final chapter of the novel.
• The male half of Team Rocket in the Pokémon anime (Kojirō) was named after him (in English, he is known as James).
• In the game Brave Fencer Musashi, the title character's sworn rival was named after Kojirō. And in Musashi: Samurai Legend, the main villain was named Gandrake, named after 'Ganryũ'.
• Ukyo Tachibana, a character in SNK's Samurai Shodown series of games, is based on Sasaki Kojirō. Haohmaru, is based on Kojirō's rival Miyamoto Musashi.
• The birth and growth of Sasaki Kojirō is also featured in Vagabond (manga) by Takehiko Inoue, a manga dedicated to the life of Miyamoto Musashi.
• Sasaki Kojirō is featured in the visual novel game and anime series Fate/stay night as an example of the Assassin-class Servant.
• Onimusha Blade Warriors features both Sasaki Kojirō and Miyamoto Musashi as bonus characters.
• Sasaki Kojirō appears in the anime Kenyuu Densetsu Yaiba as a ghost of himself.
• Sanada Kazuki, a character in the anime series Hajime no Ippo, employs a piercing double uppercut called the "Tsubame Gaeshi", a reference to Kojirō's special sword technique.

Musashi is a Japanese novel written by Eiji Yoshikawa and serialised in 1935 in Asahi Shimbun. ... Eiji Yoshikawa (吉川 英治 Yoshikawa Eiji, August 11, 1892 - September 7, 1962) was a Japanese historical novelist, who is mostly retelling existing stories. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards and the Pokémon Collaborative Projects article style, this Pokémon-related article or section may require cleanup. ... Pokémon (ポケモン Pokemon, pronounced //, although frequently, and even intentionally mispronounced //), is a multi-billion dollar media franchise[1] created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996 (it celebrated its tenth anniversary on February 27, 2006). ... // A scene from Cowboy Bebop (1998) Anime ) is a medium of animation originating in Japan, with distinctive character and background aesthetics that visually set it apart from other forms of animation. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Brave Fencer Musashi (ブレイブフェンサー武蔵伝 Brave Fencer Musashiden) is a console role-playing game (RPG) published by Squaresoft in 1998 for the Sony PlayStation. ... Ukyo Tachibana (橘右京 Tachibana Ukyō) is a character from SNK Playmores Samurai Shodown series of fighting games. ... It has been suggested that SNK Playmore be merged into this article or section. ... Note: This article is specifically about the original Samurai Shodown game. ... Haohmaru(Japanese: 覇王丸) is a video game character from SNK Playmores Samurai Shodown series of fighting games. ... Miyamoto Musashi killing a nue, by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798-1861). ... Vagabond (バガボンド Bagabondo) is a manga drawn by Takehiko Inoue and adapted from the fictionalized accounts by Eiji Yoshikawa of the legendary sword-saint samurai, Miyamoto Musashi (宮本武蔵, 1584-1645). ... Takehiko Inoue (井上雄彦 Inoue Takehiko, January 12, 1967 - ) is one of the most famous Japanese manga artists. ... A visual novel is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art. ... Fate/stay night ) is a Japanese visual novel game created by TYPE-MOON in 2004 that has been adapted into an anime television series, currently being broadcast in Japan, as well as a manga series, currently being published in the monthly Shōnen Ace magazine. ... Assassin Assassin is an anime character from the Japanese visual novel and anime series Fate/stay night by TYPE-MOON. At the start of the story, nothing is known about Assassin beyond his existence. ... Onimusha (Japanese: 鬼武者, literally Oni Warrior) is a PlayStation 2 action-adventure game series by Capcom. ... Fighting Spirit, known in Japan as Hajime no Ippo (はじめの一歩) is a sports anime and manga series created by Jyoji George Morikawa (森川ジョージ) which was serialized by Kodansha in Shonen Weekly (週刊少年マガジン). ...

References

• Miyamoto Musashi: His Life and Writings, Kenji Tokitsu (trans. Sherab Chodzin Kohn), Shambhala Press, 2004. ISBN 1-59030-045-9
• Miyamoto Musashi, Eiji Yoshikawa (translated as Musashi by Charles S. Terry ISBN 4-7700-1957-2)
• Sengoku Jinmei Jiten Concise hen, Abe Takeshi and Nishimura Keiko. Shinjin Oraisha, 1990. ISBN 4-404-01752-9