History UsefulNotes / MiyamotoMusashi

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* A highky fictionalised Musashi is the centre of two novels by David Kirk, ''Literature/ChildOfVengeance'' and ''Literature/SwordOfHonour'', set before and after the Battle of Sekigahara respectively.

[[folder: Music And Sound Effects ]]
* "Sun And Steel" -- A song by popular British HeavyMetal band Iron Maiden about Musashi's life.

* ''VideoGame/BraveFencerMusashi'' and its sequel ''VideoGame/MusashiSamuraiLegend'' - the both of them take his story very- ''very'' loosely. With the former going for charming and light- FunSize, the latter goes for attitude and good dose of Creator/TetsuyaNomura style.
* ''VideoGame/SamuraiWarriors 2'' and ''Warriors Orochi'' (a crossover with the ''Dynasty Warriors'' franchise)- Appropriately, here he was specifically chosen to be ''THE'' premiere swordsman of the games he appeared in and true to form, he is universally considered the best in the game for that weapon. His moveset homages the notes he writes about form and technique in his book with little flash and very direct motions save for a leaping strike and his jump attack.

[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miyamoto_Musashi Miyamoto Musashi]] (1584? - June 13, 1645) was probably the [[FolkHero most famous Japanese swordsman in history]], [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff particularly outside Japan]].

** Here, he's voiced by a more famous seiyuu who EVEN voiced him in Musashi Gundoh... Creator/DaisukeNamikawa.
* Heishiro Mitsurugi of the ''VideoGame/SoulSeries'' is based almost entirely on Musashi.
* Nightmare's joke weapon in ''VideoGame/SoulCalibur 2'' is a wooden oar with the description "Perhaps it was modified by someone who heard the legend of the Japanese swordsman who won a duel with an oar and decided to try it himself."

** Funnily enough you obtain it by upgrading a cheaply bought wooden sword for an enormous price. bit of a role reversal from Musashi's famous duel (paddle>sword=sword>paddle).
* ''Ryu Ga Gotoku'' Kenzan aka Videogame/{{Yakuza}} Kenzan. [[NoExportForYou Not that the game left Japan]].

[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miyamoto_Musashi Miyamoto Musashi]] (1584?-1645) was probably the [[FolkHero most famous Japanese swordsman in history]], [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff particularly outside Japan]].

* Cloud in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'''s signature huge, oar-shaped sword is a ShoutOut to Musashi.

* In ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'', a GenderFlip version of Musashi is a Saber class Servant (voiced by Creator/AyaneSakura). Interestingly, she seems to be from an alternate universe, as when she meets the Servant versions of her contemporaries, she becomes upset and comments that they are completely different from the ones she knows. [[spoiler:Eventually, when time traveling, the party runs into the main universe's Musashi, when he was an elderly man dying of cancer. After being assured by several people, including the Servant version of Sasaki Kojiro, that he will be remembered for generations as a great swordsman, he passes away peacefully.]]

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Compare UsefulNotes/YagyuJubei. [[IThoughtItMeant Do not confuse with]] [[Creator/ShigeruMiyamoto that guy from Nintendo]].

* Tomu Uchida's five-part "Miyamoto Musashi" series, also called the "Zen and Sword" series, is also based on the Yoshikawa novel. Here, Musashi is played by Kinnosuke Nakamura, and is a much more tormented and conflicted character than Mifune's Musashi was.

* ''VideoGame/BraveFencerMusashi'' and its sequel ''VideoGame/MusashiSamuraiLegend'' - the both of them take his story very- ''very'' loosely. With the former going for charming and light- FunSize, the latter goes for attitude and good dose of TetsuyaNomura style.

* ''Film/SevenSamurai'' -- Kikuchiyo (also played by Creator/ToshiroMifune) resembles Musashi in his youth, while Kyuzo resembles Musashi near the end of his dueling career. The SingleStrokeBattle between Kyuzo and an unnamed opponent early in the film was in fact inspired by one of Musashi's duels.

** ''Film/SamuraiIMiyamotoMusashi'' -- Honorary winner of the 1955 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.

* In ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'', a GenderFlip version of Musashi is a Saber class Servant (voiced by Creator/AyaneSakura). Interestingly, she seems to be from an alternate universe, as when she meets the Servant versions of her contemporaries, she becomes upset and comments that they are completely different from the ones she knows. [[spoiler:Eventually, when time traveling, the party runs into the main universe's Musashi, when he was an elderly man dying of cancer. He passes away peacefully.]]

* In ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'', a GenderFlip version of Musashi is a Saber class Servant. Interestingly, she seems to be from an alternate universe, as when she meets the Servant versions of her contemporaries, she becomes upset and comments that they are completely different from the ones she knows. [[spoiler:Eventually, when time traveling, the party runs into the main universe's Musashi, when he was an elderly man dying of cancer. He passes away peacefully.]]

* In ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'', a GenderFlip version of Musashi is a Saber class Servant. Interestingly, she seems to be from an alternate universe, as when she meets the Servant versions of her contemporaries, she becomes upset and comments that they are completely different from the ones she knows.

* In the [[UpdatedRerelease [=PS2=]=/=[=PS3=] version]] of ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'', [[TheHero Lloyd]] can receive a title that grants him an outfit designed after Musashi's, while [[TheStoic Kratos]] receives one based on Musashi's real life [[TheRival Rival]], Kojiro Sasaki.

* In the [[NoExportForYou Japanese-only]] {{[=PS2=]}} [[UpdatedRerelease rerelease]] of ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'', [[TheHero Lloyd]] can receive a title that grants him an outfit designed after Musashi's, while [[TheStoic Kratos]] receives one based on Musashi's real life [[TheRival Rival]], Kojiro Sasaki.

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[[folder: Western Animation ]]
* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack''.
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Compare YagyuJubei. [[IThoughtItMeant Do not confuse with]] [[Creator/ShigeruMiyamoto that guy from Nintendo]].

* Hiroshi Inagaki's "Samurai Trilogy", based on Eiji Yoshikawa's novel and starring ToshiroMifune as Musashi:

* ''Film/SevenSamurai'' -- Kikuchiyo (also played by ToshiroMifune) resembles Musashi in his youth, while Kyuzo resembles Musashi near the end of his dueling career. The SingleStrokeBattle between Kyuzo and an unnamed opponent early in the film was in fact inspired by one of Musashi's duels.

** Here, he's voiced by a more famous seiyuu who EVEN voiced him in Musashi Gundoh...DaisukeNamikawa.

** ''Samurai I - Miyamoto Musashi'' -- Honorary winner of the 1955 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.

Musashi was reportedly victorious in at least 60 duels during his lifetime, and by some accounts went undefeated. In one duel, Musashi is said to have been ambushed by most of the Yoshioka school's students at once, and defeated them all. Another duel prompted him to develop a DualWielding sword style, known as ''Niten Ichi-ryu'' ("Two Heavens As One" style). However, his most famous duel was the one on Ganryū Island with UsefulNotes/SasakiKojiro, whom Musashi killed with a single blow with [[WoodenKatanasAreEvenBetter a bokken (wooden sword)]] that he carved from an oar on the boat ride to the island where the duel took place (the day of which he overslept and arrived over an hour late).[[note]] There is considerable debate about the details of this duel. Some scholars even dispute that it ever occurred at all, and think that Musashi simply murdered Kojiro for political reasons. [[/note]]

Interestingly, some accounts describe him as a rather unkempt man (these claimed he didn't bathe often due to not wanting to be vulnerable) whose looks didn't age well, and the classic depiction of him with nearly [[HairColors blue hair]] might be a reference to hair dye. However, considering how hard it would be to maintain a position as a samurai[[note]]Historical accounts seem to show he was never a samurai, though he served many masters trying to be one. Some documentation refer to him as a ronin, but that would also be false since if he was never a samurai he can't be a masterless samurai, which is what a ronin was.[[/note]] and never look presentable means that this is probably a myth.

[[folder: Literature ]]
* ''The Book of Five Rings'', of course.
* ''Literature/{{Musashi}}'' by Eiji Yoshikawa. This has been adapted for other media several times, as seen below.
* In the ''Literature/CiaphasCain'', ''' HERO OF THE IMPERIUM!!!''' novel ''Duty Calls'', Musashi is part of a two for one reference when Cain (a famously skilled swordsman) briefly thinks of his old sword instructor, Miyamoto [[Theatre/CyranoDeBergerac De Bergerac]]
* He appears as an immortal human in ''The Necromancer'', the fourth book in ''Literature/TheSecretsOfTheImmortalNicholasFlamel''.
* ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Machine_%28novel_series%29 Time Machine 3: Sword of the Samurai]]'', a [[ChooseYourOwnAdventure choose your own adventure]]-style book with Musashi as the main character.
* An {{expy}} of Musashi, Masamoto Takeshi, appears in the ''Young Samurai'' series as the founder of the Niten Ichi-Ryū school and Jack's adopted guardian.
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