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meat
1st June 2003, 14:24
I read the novel written by Eiji Yoshikawa a few months ago(and loved it), I was just wondering if anyone knew how true certain parts of the book were. For instance, where he meets Yagyu Munenori, I had never heard of the two of them coming into contact. Also, the offer to tutor the Shogun i hadn't heard of either. The fight with multiple members of the Yoshioka school at once also struck me as odd. I realise that yes, it is a book and creative liberties were of course taken, just curious as to whether the really good stuff was true or embellished?

gmellis
2nd June 2003, 01:57
Hyakutake can probably fill you in better since he does Nito Ryu and I believe is quite well read in Musashi. I watched a small documentary on Musashi then a second covering Gorin-no-sho that followed it because the NHK Tiaga Drama on Musashi is airing in Japan now. If I remember correctly, his first duel was with a guy called Arima Kihei at the age of thirteen. He then entered Kyoto and defeated the Yoshioka school after first felling their head Yoshioka Seijuro (who was the fencing instructor for the Ashikaga Shogun) and his deshi Denshichiro. I wish I had my Japanese book on the guy in front of me (I'm at work) because it had how many verifiable duels he had been in (16 maybe?). Lemme see, its been some months since I saw it. Next was the match in Nara against the Hozoin Ryu spearman (name?), and after that he went to Iga to challange the Kusarigama guy Shishido Baikin. Then came the big one with Sasaki Kojiro on Ganryu-Jima. The reason it was held on the island was because the shogun at that time had outlawed duels on the mainland. As a loop hole, the daimyo of that area (Hyakutake? Anybody? Remember that family's name?), who were fond of Musashi, decided to give their concent if it was held on the island, since it would technically not be on the mainland, and thereby not incur the wrath of the shogunate. Those are all the ones I can remember off hand. The point is that the number of bouts he claims and the number we can historically verify are drastically different. Who knows how many he actually took part in. He DID have a propensity for touting himself so it wouldn't be surprising if he had inflated the numbers. At the same time, he had started writing the text near his death, and completed it a week before he died, so perhaps he was telling the truth, since one tends to !!!!!!!! less when facing your own end....unless he wanted to leave a huge name for himself to compensate for the fact that he never got any of the official posts or status he had hoped for like Yagyu. He actually turned down an offer when he was younger to be ONE OF the teachers of the Tokugawa under the Yagyu (if I remember correctly), but was too proud to work UNDER someone he felt he was superior too. I'll try to scrape up more when I get home.
Cheers

hyaku
2nd June 2003, 04:47
Yoshikawa Eiji's book is faction.

Musashi's memorable fights and duels are inscribed on the stone erected by His adopted son in his comemoration on Mount Tamuke in Kokura. It's written by Shuzan, a priest of the Ta Sho Temple in Kumamoto Prefecture. He and Miyamoto Musashi had been intimate friends. If I remember the Yoshioka Fued is mentioned.

I would say that Yoshokawa's information as writer was no more than you or I would be able to find out if we looked and asked in the right places. a lot of it is online in English anyway.

I did a run of demonstrations to help publicise the drama for NHK. Yoshikawa Eimei (the son) and the NHK producer talked of the possiblity of a second series following on Miyamoto's life. It was mentioned that they would want to seek advice from Imai Sohke to try and make the fight scenes a little more realistic.

I have only watched two parts of the drama series. The supposed longsword action of Sasaki put me right off!

I am still wading through William Scott Wilson's translation of Gorin no Sho.
In part I prefer other translations but in others he has a nice way of putting things over. But I have to say I have not found anything new yet

Hyakutake Colin

gmellis
2nd June 2003, 05:16
Hehehe. I just realized I said "Nito Ryu." My Katori Shinto Ryu vocabulary seems to have kicked in. Sorry about that Hyakutake, a thousand pardon great Sahib. :nw:

Earl Hartman
2nd June 2003, 07:04
Greg:

Shishido Baikin (Germ)?

You mean Shishido Baiken, right?

gmellis
2nd June 2003, 07:29
Right you are Earl. I am famed for my spelling errors. Thanks for the correction. I need to stop watching that damned Anpan Man cartoon.

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