Besides Being A Deadly Swordsman And Duelist, Miyamoto Musashi Was Also A Skilled Painter

Miyamoto Musashi (c. 1584-1645) was one of the most accomplished duelists in history. He claimed to have fought in around sixty duels, many of which (unfortunately for his opponents) were fought to the death. Yet, despite his life of bloodshed, Musashi had an artistic side. The art that most people know him by is his writing. The Go Rin No Sho, or Book of the Five Rings, which he wrote shortly before his death in 1645, is deemed to be his masterpiece. But words were not the only form of ar in which he excelled. The same work ethic and diligence in technique that made Musashi a legendary swordsman also made him a masterful painter.

No one knows exactly when Miyamoto Musashi began to paint, but he is known to have been creating works of art by the 1630s. His strategic mind showed through in his work—the paintings he created were made with controlled amounts of precise exertion to produce baffling effects. In many ways, his art was minimalist in nature, with simple ink being his main painting material.

Miyamoto Musashi was a master of monochrome ink-painting, and applied this art form to recreate scenes of landscapes and wildlife. Birds, in particular, seemed to be of interest to the duelist; he painted various kinds of birds in multiple locations, such as roaming through reeds, or resting on tree limbs. He also, but less frequently, painted human figures, one of which was a self-portrait. Included below are some of Miyamoto Musashi’s more notable public domain works.

 (Self-portrait of Miyamoto Musashi, [Public Domain] via Creative Commons)

 (Grapes and a Squirrel, by Miyamoto Musashi, [Public Domain] via Creative Commons)

 (Shrike Perched on Bamboo, by Miyamoto Musashi, [Public Domain] via Creative Commons)

 (Hotei Watching at Cock Fighting, by Miyamoto Musashi, [Public Domain] via Creative Commons)

 (Wild Geese and Reeds (left screen), by Miyamoto Musashi, [Public Domain] via Creative Commons)

 (Wild Geese and Reeds (right screen), by Miyamoto Musashi, [Public Domain] via Creative Commons)

Written by C. Keith Hansley.

Sources:

• The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi, translated by Lord Majesty Productions, 2005.
• http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Miyamoto_Musashi 
• http://www.biography.com/people/miyamoto-musashi-38201 
• https://www.britannica.com/biography/Miyamoto-Musashi-Japanese-soldier-artist 
• http://www.musashi-miyamoto.com/musashi-duel-years.html 
• http://www.kampaibudokai.org/MusashiArt.htm     

Yakudoshi—The Historical Japanese Superstition of Unlucky Ages

In Japan, many people have an interesting belief that certain years during a person’s life are much more deadly and unlucky than others. These treacherous years are called yakudoshi, which translates approximately to “unlucky years.” Generally, the modern unlucky years for women are the ages 19, 33 and 37; and the same for men are 25, 42 and 61. While these are the most common unlucky years feared in Japan today, they are not set in stone—people from different eras believed in different unlucky ages, and the list of unlucky years often varies significantly from region to region in Japan. In all, it is a complicated subject, with the years preceding and following the unlucky ages also being slightly tainted with misfortune.  If you fall under one of these many unlucky years, fret not. It is said that the bad luck can be overcome with a large dose of caution, prayer and some help from purchasable charms or amulets that can bring some much-needed luck.

The tradition of yakudoshi is not a new superstition. It is believed to have begun at least in the Heian Period of Japan, which spanned from 794-1185 CE. It is said to have sprung from the cosmological belief in the intermingling, but opposite, forces of Yin and Yang, which serves as a foundation for much of Asia’s religions and philosophies. The idea of yakudoshi played prominently in The Tale of Genji, considered to be the world’s first true novel, written by the 10th- and 11th-century authoress, Murasaki Shikibu. In her lengthy tale, several of the female characters suffered illness or death during yakudoshi years—the age of 37 was an especially dangerous time for women in The Tale of Genji.

As mentioned before, the superstition of yakudoshi still persists in Japan to this day, where shrines post lists of unlucky years, and items and actions are prescribed to secure good (or at least stable) fortune. Similarly, in some countries linked to the Western civilizations, there are people who fear the number “13” and are superstitious about “Friday the 13th.” That said, many people, in all cultures, are assuredly skeptical of humanity’s bizarre superstitions. Nevertheless, even the skeptics sometimes seem to willingly heed some of the superstitious advice just to be safe, or for the simple enjoyment of being “creeped out” together as a society.

Written by C. Keith Hansley.

Top picture attribution: (Japanese Shrine with a Yakudoshi list posting, photographed by mrvacbob, licensed as Creative Commons 2.0 (CC 2.0)).

Sources:

• Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji, translated by Royall Tyler. New York: Penguin Classics, 2003. 
• https://www.kcpinternational.com/2013/11/yakudoshi-japanese-unlucky-ages/ 
• https://www.japan-talk.com/jt/new/yakudoshi 
• https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2011/01/15/our-lives/facing-your-unlucky-years/#.WdZt0YZrzdc  

The Japanese Empire Printed Invasion Pesos, Cents, Shillings And Rupees

By 1942, the Japanese had conquered a large empire in the Pacific, stretching from the border between Russia and China in Manchuria, down all the way to Indonesia and the Solomon Islands. When Japan invaded new regions in China or South East Asia, the local populations suffered more than just an occupying force—the Japanese also imposed an invasion currency on the seized regions.

Japanese Invasion Money, interestingly referred to as JIM, came in many different forms. These paper currencies were tailored and modified for each region. The Japanese Military Yen was imposed on China; invasion dollars were put into circulation in Malaya (now Malaysia); Japanese rupees were disseminated in Burma (now Myanmar); paper cents and gulden were released by Japan into the Netherlands East Indies; Japanese versions of shillings and pounds were used in lands captured from the British Empire and Japanese Government pesos and centavos were also printed for the occupied Philippines.

During World War II, the United States was able to take advantage of Japan’s simplistic paper invasion money, especially the Japanese peso. The U. S. quickly counterfeited the invasion money, dropping in loads of bank notes that looked authentic on the front, but had propaganda and anti-Japanese messages printed on the back.

In the end, the Japanese Invasion Money was never very effective and often suffered devaluation because of over-printing.  When Japan surrendered to the United States on September 2, 1945, the Japanese Invasion Money lost all of its value as a currency. Even though the money is no longer legal tender, a few of the JIM bank notes (if they are in pristine condition) are still valuable to collectors, yet most JIM’s are now completely worthless, except as personal keepsakes.

Written by C. Keith Hansley.

  (Japanese Government (Philippines)-100 Pesos (1944), [Public Domain] via Creative Commons and the National Museum of American History)

(OCE-3a-Oceania-Japanese Occupation-10 Shillings ND (1942), [Public Domain] via Creative Commons and the National Museum of American History) 

(NI-125c-Netherlands Indies-Japanese Occupation-10 Gulden (1942), [Public Domain] via Creative Commons and the National Museum of American History) 

  (Malaya-Japanese Occupation-1000 Dollars ND (1945), [Public Domain] via Creative Commons and the National Museum of American History) 

(Burma, Japanese invasion currency,10 rupees (1942-44), [Public Domain] via Creative Commons and the National Museum of American History)  

(10 Yen military banknote of the 1938 series. [Public Domain] via Creative Commons and the Army Ministry of Japan)

Sources:  

• https://www.britannica.com/place/Japan/World-War-II-and-defeat 
• https://www.educationalcoin.com/media/amfile/files/(1)imagesalbumsoptjimalb.pdf 
• http://www.psywarrior.com/WWIIAlliedBanknotes.html 
• http://www.antiquemoney.com/the-japanese-government-pesos/ 
• http://www.littletoncoin.com/shop/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=29555&productId=289012      

The Japanese Master Duelist, Miyamoto Musashi, Killed A Twelve-Year-Old Boy

(Miyamoto Musashi fighting Tsukahara Bokuden (cropped), painted by Yoshitoshi  (1839–1892), [Public Domain] via Creative Commons)

The undefeated Japanese duelist, Miyamoto Musashi (c. 1584-1645), triumphed in more than sixty duels during his lifetime, many of which ended in the deaths of his opponents. His first duel (and kill) occurred in 1596, when a wandering samurai named Arima Kihei entered the region of Hirafuku, where a thirteen-year-old Musashi was living with his uncle. Kihei posted a notice that he would duel with whomever was brave enough to meet his challenge. Musashi, though only a boy with a stick, answered the challenge and faced the wandering samurai in combat. Despite all odds, the young Miyamoto Musashi knocked Arima Kihei off his feet and bludgeoned the surprised samurai to death with his stick. Musashi continued his lethal duels until 1612, when he faced the masterful nodachi swordsman, Sasaki Kojiro. After Miyamoto Musashi slew Kojiro with a long wooden sword (bokuto) that was shaped from a large oar, the great duelist immediately regretted killing such a skilled warrior. He continued dueling, but he never again dueled to the death.

Between Miyamoto Musashi’s debut as a duelist in 1596 and his refusal to participate in lethal duels in 1612, Musashi unsurprisingly fought in a lot of duels. One of the more famous (or infamous) of his fights occurred in 1604, when Musashi traveled to Kyoto to challenge the elite Yoshioka school of martial arts. The head of the Yoshioka family, Yoshioka Seijuro, agreed to meet the youthful duelist in combat. After arriving frustratingly late to the duel, it only took Musashi one devastating blow with his wooden sword to irreparably damage his opponent’s shoulder and arm. Injured in body and spirit, Seijuro resigned from his position as head of the Yoshioka family and became a monk. With Seijuro gone, the leadership of the Yoshioka family and school fell to Denshichiro. To regain the lost honor of his family, Yoshioka Denshichiro challenged Miyamoto Musashi to a duel to the death. Despite Denshichiro being a master of the staff, Musashi (who arrived late, once again) is said to have killed the man in a single blow to the head.

With Seijuro living as a monk, and Denshiciro dead at the hands of Musashi, the next heir of the Yoshioka family was Matasichiro, a boy of only twelve years. Like his predecessor, Denshichiro, Matasichiro also felt obligated to regain his family’s honor and consequentially challenged Musashi to a duel. This time, however, the Yoshioka family was furious and did not plan to fight fair. Remembering that Miyamoto Musashi had been arriving late to the duels, the Yoshioka family began to plan an ambush for the young duelist. With treachery on his mind, Matasichiro arranged for the duel to be held at night, in a private location, and when the time for the duel neared, the boy marched to the place of the fight with a small army in tow.

Miyamoto Musashi, however, rarely did the same thing twice, when it came to combat. Even though he had arrived at the other two duels strategically late, this time the duelist snuck to the location of the duel early. As a result, Musashi was already observing the area when the Yoshioka forces arrived and began setting up for their ambush.

With the intentions of the Yoshioka laid clear before his eyes, the duelist leapt from the shadows and charged at Matasichiro. Dodging through startled mercenaries, Miyamoto Musashi found, and killed, the twelve-year-old leader of the Yoshioka family. After Matasichiro was dead, the victorious duelist fought his way out of the mob of Yoshioka soldiers and fled to Nara, where he would be safe to return to his life as a traveling swordsman.

Written by C. Keith Hansley.

Read our full biography on the action-packed life of Miyamoto Musashi, HERE.

Sources:

• The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi, translated by Lord Majesty Productions, 2005.  
• http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Miyamoto_Musashi 
• http://www.biography.com/people/miyamoto-musashi-38201  
• https://www.britannica.com/biography/Miyamoto-Musashi-Japanese-soldier-artist 
• http://www.musashi-miyamoto.com/musashi-duel-years.html  
• http://www.kampaibudokai.org/MusashiArt.htm

The First Soft "Bulletproof" Garments Were Made In Japan And Korea

(Image of Polish inventor Jan Szczepanik successfully testing a bulletproof vest  (1901), [Public Domain] via Creative Commons)

Cloth and fiber armors are likely the longest-serving family of armor. Light and soft materials, from overlapping paper scales to thick fabric gambeson jackets, have long been used to create powerful armor that resists cuts and punctures. The effectiveness of these armors grew exponentially when combined with mail coats made of interwoven metal rings.

The introduction of firearms into warfare caused many armor designs to become obsolete, but armorers and inventors quickly began inventing better and stronger defensive equipment that could resist firearm projectiles. The first bulletproof armors are thought to have been reinforced metal breastplates, dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries.

Yet, the first modern soft, bullet-resistant vests are thought to have been created by the Japanese and Koreans in the mid-to-late 19th century. The Japanese found that garments that were skillfully constructed with around thirty layers of thick silk cloth could stop a bullet from puncturing the human body. The Koreans, too, constructed a bullet-resistant armor made of around ten layers of thick cotton material.

The men who popularized the modern notion of the bulletproof vest were inspired by the cloth designs of the Japanese and the Koreans. A Ukrainian immigrant priest named Casimir Zeglen and a Polish inventor named Jan Szczepanik created and marketed a bulletproof vest that consisted of a steel plate woven in between layers of silk. To prove that their product worked, the priest, Casimir Zeglen, held a demonstration where he was shot by a .44 caliber firearm at a distance of only ten steps from the shooter.

The materials of bullet-resistant armor have continued to change since the days of Japanese silk garments. Instead of steel, aluminum was tried. Kevlar replaced Asian silk, and ceramic plating was found to be a great solid material for bullet-resistant armor. Now, however, silk is making a return—yet, this time the inventors and engineers have set their gaze on scientifically-modified spider silk.

Written by C. Keith Hansley.

Sources:

• http://www.historyofarmor.com/armor-history/history-of-bulletproof-vest/  
• http://mentalfloss.com/article/24039/brief-history-bulletproof-vests 
• http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/how-a-viral-image-robbed-a-polish-priest-of-his-iconic-inventionthe-bulletproof-vest