Sasaki Kojirō

Sasaki Kojirō was an early seventeenth-century Japanese swordsman remembered chiefly as the celebrated rival of Miyamoto Musashi. Tradition associates him with a long sword and a distinctive technique often called the “swallow cut”, though reliable details of his life are sparse.

Kojirō was killed in his famous duel with Musashi on Ganryū-jima, usually dated to 1612. The encounter became one of the best-known stories in Japanese martial culture, and later literature greatly elaborated the personalities, motives and circumstances of both men.

In Eiji Yoshikawa’s Moon, Sun & Perfect Clarity, The long parallel journey with Sasaki Kojirō reaches its conclusion at Ganryūjima. In Eiji Yoshikawa’s Wind & Ether, Sasaki Kojirō emerges as a brilliant swordsman following a separate path towards renown.