Last Updated: May 26, 2024

Musashi’s Miyamoto

The Birthplace of this Iconic Legend

This story was originally published on donnykimball.com and has been syndicated here on Medium.

Ever since first reading the Japanese historical novelist Yoshikawa Eiji’s book Musashi, I’ve had a bit of an obsession with Japan’s most notorious swordsman. Known to history as Miyamoto Musashi, this famed fencer from the early days of the Edo period (1603–1868) originally hails from an extremely rural part of Okayama Prefecture called Mimasaka. For the longest time, I’ve been itching to make a pilgrimage to Musashi’s birthplace to pay homage to the impact much of his thinking has had on my life.

Now, as anyone who has also read Yoshikawa Eiji’s treatise on Musashi will know, Musashi grew up in a sleepy hamlet called Miyamoto. Initially called Shinmen Takezo, Musashi later changed his name when he embarked on his pilgrimage to hone his skills with the blade. Despite leaving Miyamoto, Musashi continued to reference his place of birth for the rest of his days with his adopted last name, which is known to the annals of history.

I’ll be frank in saying that Miyamoto is not the kind of place that appeals to the masses. Still, if you’re a fan of Yoshikawa Eiji’s work or even the manga Vagabond, which was loosely based on his retelling of Musashi’s story, a trip to Miyamoto is bound to be interesting. You’ll need to allocate half a day…