HEIHO SANJUGOKAJO: THE 35 BUSHIDO PRINCIPLES OF THE ART AND SCIENCE OF SAMURAI STRATEGY AND TACTICS

MIYAMOTO MUSASHI wrote down what he considered the most essential strategies of his sword fighting school, Niten Ichi Ryu, The Two Swords As One School. It was the year 1641 in Japan. He presented the scroll to Hosokawa Tadatoshi, the feudal lord of Kumamoto. He had been instructing the daimyo leader on his martial arts for the previous year. This document is the Heiho Sanjugokajo, the 35 principles of Heiho.<br/><br/>Heiho, translated, is the art and science of samurai strategy and tactics. This was his obsession not only in this essay but in every aspect of his life and teaching. He began fighting in sword duels at 13 years old after training with his father since infancy. He went on to win over 60 duels, developed the two sword style of fighting with his famous swords and fought in the most instrumental battles in the unification of Japan. He helped to bring order and honor to his feudal country in a crucial time, the beginnings of the Tokugawa Shogunate.<br/><br/>The greatest swordsman in Japanese history wrote many scrolls with brush and ink. Heiho Sanjugokajo was his most coveted and secret. He presented copies of it to his most dedicated students. The original scrolls are lost in time but there are copies of the copies still around. This book is an attempt to pull together several fragments and put them together in the most cohesive way possible to gain a larger understanding of the man, the myth, Miyamoto Musashi.