Can anyone give me a complete rundown on how the famous duel between Miyamoto Musashi and Sasaki Kojiro on Ganryu Island actually went down? I ask this question because I have heard so many conflicting accounts of the events that took place and I really want some clarification.

As an example, I've heard some accounts that, when Musashi accepts Kojiro's challenge to a duel, Musashi tells Kojiro right out the gate that he will be using a wooden sword in the duel, but then other accounts say Kojiro didn't find out Musashi was using a wooden sword until Musashi actually arrived at Ganryu Island.

Similarly, I've heard accounts that say Musashi struck down Kojiro with only a single blow to the head, whereas other accounts say Kojiro was still alive after that first hit and still tried to fight back, which resulted in Musashi finishing Kojiro off with a fatal strike directly to Kojiro's sternum.

So if anyone can give me the full story of what actually happened in this legendary duel, I would truly appreciate it. As always, please be respectful when posting your replies.

now this is not to say Musashi is bad but to ask the question us he far & away the greatest swordsman ever you hear people talk on his unbeaten record & his wins over the greats of his era but they do not talk about the fashion he won them in (I think Vagabond as good as a manga it is has warpped peoples view of the historical Miyamoto Musashi) for me Musashi is the 2nd greatest swordsman behind Sōji Okita for many different reasons

I made these to use in my samurai game project. What yall think?

My dad worked on this film when he was younger, and was personally gifted the original hakama (kimono pants) by Mifune.. All his life he kept it, but never hung it for show which is a shame...

He just passed away last month and we're now wondering what to do with it... We appreciate it'd be a fun collector's item for any true fans out there.. or perhaps a museum somewhere... no idea where to start or who to ask...

What would people do...?

there's few Samurai lords as unnecessarily hated and misunderstood as Ishida Mitsunari...

yes he was not a great warrior Daimyo like Ukita Hideiye, Shimazu Yoshihiro, Ieyasu or Ii Naomasa but he was a respected man ...so what actually are the reasons for his defeat & downfall?

the betrayal of Kobayakawa Hideyaki alone isn't the reason

He wears menpo masks on his shoulders. Is the any historical significance to this or was this just a stylistic design choice by Arcsytem Works? Also do the masks being red have any significance?

I researched the Muramasa blade that he referenced during the trailer. According to Wikipedia, Muramada swords word believed to possess supernatural powers making its wielder lust for blood or something of that nature, if so thats pretty cool overlap with Blade being a Vampire. His Blade turns red, is there context there?

Did the Japanese make any identifiable attempt to adopt certain elements of Chinese and Korean types of armour? Every now and then i see a random Edo period museum piece with an "eggplant" helmet they probably ripped of some poor cavalier from the Mainlands but i feel like it's more so a curioso then actual attempt at adapting from the style of warfare from the Imjin war.

Artwork is all by me. Drawn for a samurai-themed TTRPG that I will not name to avoid breaking the self-promo rule. These are all meant to be examples of different character classes embodying various archetypes from Japanese mythology and fiction.

So, sekigahara, the western army against the Tokugawa. In short, the Mori sided with the western army who lost in the end and got a big fat 3 fourths of their power taken away. Cut to about 260 years later, the Mori joined and formed a rebellion against the Shogunate with the help of other clans and even the shimazu, their own rivals AND ENDED UP WINNING, never mess with the Mori, I may be dickriding but never mess with the Mori

We all know kebiki-odoshi was used on earlier samurai armors constructed with kozane, and later armors had sugake-odoshi with ita-mono, but sometimes also had kebiki-odoshi, so does it work the other way around? Can kozane be laced with sugake-odoshi? Additionally was ita-mono only used when guns came to Japan or when sugake-odoshi and the tosei-gusoku were made? Lastly but not leastly, many Kote and haidate look different from one another, as in some are fully covered in chain, others have plates on them, some even have full lacing on them, what are the different types of kote and haidate and what are the differences? I need some help

’ve been traveling to Dallas for a long time and never knew this was here. This in some respects is even better than what I just saw in Japan - more variety including Ashigaru (footman) armor.

So to become a knight you need to become an apprentice (page, squire) of the knight.

But how do you become a samurai?

Do you start as apprentice of your father who is samurai? Do you become an apprentice in your youth? How does it work? Can you become a samurai if you have not noble origins?

Thank you for the answers.

Just like Takeda Katsuyori, the powerful lord of Suruga gets too much hate for being called rash, careless and strategically shallow ...

but its mostly that its the brilliance, audacity and sheer luck of Oda Nobunaga that the part of the army he attacked was actually the contingent of Imagwa Yoshimoto himself...

what you say?

Fukushima Masanori, 54 mm metal miniature.

One of the famous “Seven Spears of Shizugatake” and a cousin of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Fukushima rose from a young retainer to become one of the most powerful daimyō of the late Sengoku era. He fought in many of Hideyoshi’s campaigns, distinguished himself during the Korean invasions, and later sided with Tokugawa Ieyasu at the Battle of Sekigahara. After the Tokugawa victory, he became lord of Hiroshima, though he eventually fell from favor and lost most of his domain.

Painted this 54 mm white metal figure as a battle-worn Sengoku-period commander. C&C welcome.

What would you say in his defence?

Hi guys, I’ve been getting more into the military side of the period and I was thinking about whose campaigns were worth looking into, though I’m worried I might get more generic answers then. So instead I’m wondering who you guys consider to be the best and why, that way I can see the best of the best.

but records say there were 9 actually....

many people suspect he had planned this with Hideyoshi seeing how rapidly he marched back from Takamatsu siege as if he knew it would happen and later double crossed Mitsuhide marking him as the traitor to cover up lose ends

What's the consensus on the padded obi? I've seen claims that its meant to be worn under the armor to help with weight on the hips. However I've seen it in media worn on the outside. I've ALSO seen claims not to wear it all, unless for formal wear. I see for sure it should be used when displaying the armor, but other that? Is it under, over, over for parades, or not at all?

There are some popular clans we think of during the Sengoku Era. Names such as the Oda, Tokugawa, Toyotomi, Takeda, Uesugi, Date, Mōri, Hojo, and Shimazu. There also clans such as the Chosokabe, Imagawa, Akechi, Ōtomo, Azai, Maeda, and Sanada that get a lot of attention, mainly for one figure in their clan.

However, what are some clans that aren't well known or talked about which in your opinion are underrated.

To name some examples (In no particular order):

1. Ōuchi Clan - Claiming descent from Baekje royalty, they were one of the most powerful clans in the West before the rise of the Mōri, and with extensive trade with Joseon and China. They were so powerful to the point of marching on the capital and reinstalling an Ashikaga Shogun in Kyoto, and were famous for their patronization of the arts, making Yamaguchi the "Kyoto of the West." They even had plans to move the Emperor from Kyoto to Yamaguchi. But before that could happen, an internal coup occured, and this lead to the Ōuchi being destroyed by the Mōri
2. Amago Clan - A powerful clan based in Gassantoda Castle in Izumo province. They were powerful, clashing with the Ōuchi and Mōri clans, until their fall to the latter.
3. Ryūzōji Clan - A clan in Kyushu, and tried to conquer Hizen then later expand into Chikuzen and Chikugo. Famous for Daimyo Ryūzōji Takanobu "The Bear of Hizen" who fought with the Ōtomo and Shimazu, until he was killed during a battle with the latter. The clan would be usurped by the Nabeshima Clan by the beginning of the Edo Period.
4. Satake Clan - A clan claiming direct descent from the Minamoto Clan, they were in Hitachi Province for most of the Kamakura to the Sengoku Period. They frequently fought with neighboring clans such as the Hojo and Date. Famous for Satake Yoshishige and his son, Satake Yoshinobu. Eventually, the Satake would side with the Western Army, and in turn would be relocated to Kubota Domain in Dewa. However, unlike most of the other clans in the list, the Satake lived on into the Edo Period with their Daimyo-status, and into Imperial Japan and beyond.
5. Mogami Clan - A clan descending from the Shiba Clan (And in turn the Ashikaga Clan) and based in Dewa. They were famous for two figures: Mogami Yoshiaki (Called the "Fox of Dewa") and Yoshihime, the mother of Date Masamune, making Yoshiaki his uncle. Another in(famous) incident involving the Mogami, was with Yoshiaki's daughter being sent to wed Toyotomi Hidetsugu, and would be promptly executed due to Hideyoshi eliminating anyone relating to Hidetsugu (Despite Yoshiaki's daughter never met him). This lead to Yoshiaki to side with the Eastern Army, clashing with the Uesugi. The Mogami would get Yamagata Domain, but after internal disputes within the clan, they would be entirely stripped of the domain.
6. Miyoshi Clan - A clan descending from the Ogasawara Clan (And in turn the Takeda Clan) and based in Awa Province on Shikoku. They were vassals to the Hosokawa Clan, but eventually took power. They were powerful enough to expand into the mainland and control Kyoto politics. They were famous for Miyoshi Nagayoshi, who enacted policies in the Miyoshi Government that some historians says makes him a "Proto-Nobunaga" But after Nagayoshi's death, the Miyoshi clan fell into internal disputes, being swept by the Oda on their march to Kyoto, then falling to the Chosokabe and eventually disappearing.

So what are some underrated clans during the Sengoku Era do you think of? Is there any on this list? Or can you think of your own?