number4096 said:
There are too many things i mentioned in this whole thread that you skipped over without analyzing so i will give you the benefit of the doubt on human badassery(Namely,you assume too much about past history,so what you are saying actually happened could be as right as what romances said happened because you were not there so you can only assume.In the same way i can decide that Zhao Yun was a girl disguised as a guy because you were not there to tell.This is but one factor.).
Not everyone who got their names recorded was a general.Look at Musashi Miyamoto.
And there are far too many things you refuse to think about based on my posts. You seem to have this ridiculous notion of human badassery being real that you assume it is the answer to everything.
Again, you bring Miyamoto up. Read my previous posts about him and try to find the magic word: duel.
Straight from wikipedia.
Read, learn and think. Do not assume. At every point, ask yourself: How do we know this? What evidence could there be for this? Are these the actions of an undefeatable sword-master capable of killing armies? Or just a man who was dedicated to the sword, good with it and fought with cunning against singular opponents?
"Munisai's tomb says he died in 1580,conflicts with the accepted birth date of 1584 for Musashi. Further muddying the waters, according to the genealogy of the extant Miyamoto family, Musashi was born in 1582. Kenji Tokitsu has suggested that the accepted birth date of 1584 for Musashi is wrong, as it is primarily based on a literal reading of the introduction to the Go Rin No Sho where Musashi states that the years of his life "add up to 60" when it should be taken in a more literary and imprecise sense.
Because of the uncertainty centering on Munisai (when he died, whether he was truly Musashi's father, etc.), Musashi's mother is known with even less confidence.
When Musashi was seven years old, the boy was raised by his uncle, Dorinbo (or Dorin), in Shoreian temple, three kilometers (~1.8 mi.) from Hirafuku. Both Dorin and Musashi's uncle by marriage ? Tasumi ? educated him in Buddhism and basic skills such as writing and reading. This education is possibly the basis for
Yoshikawa Eiji's fictional education of Musashi by the historical Zen monk Takuan. He was apparently trained by Munisai in the sword, and in the family art of the jitte. This training did not last for a very long time, as in 1589, Munisai was ordered by Shinmen Sokan to kill Munisai's student, Honiden Gekinosuke. The Honiden family was displeased, and so Munisai was forced to move.
Musashi contracted eczema in his infancy, and this adversely affected his appearance.[citation needed] Another story claims that he never took a bath because he did not want to be surprised unarmed. While the former claim may or may not have some basis in reality, the latter seems improbable.[9] An unwashed member of the warrior caste would not have been received as a guest by such famous houses as Honda, Ogasawara and Hosokawa.
These and many other details are likely embellishments that were added to his legend, or misinterpretations of literature describing him.
There are no exact details of Musashi's life, since Musashi's only writings are those related to strategy and technique.
His first duel:
Musashi was 13. He merely charged at Kihei with a six-foot quarterstaff, shouting a challenge to Kihei. Kihei attacked with a wakizashi, but Musashi threw Kihei on the floor, and while Kihei tried to get up, Musashi struck Arima between the eyes and then beat him to death.
Arima was said to have been arrogant, overly eager to fight, and not a terribly talented swordsman. The duel is odd for a number of reasons, not least of which is why Musashi was permitted to duel Arima, whether the apology was a ruse, and why Arima was there in the first place.
Famed Battle of Sekigahara.
Some doubt has been cast on this final battle, as the Hyoho senshi denki has Musashi saying he is "no lord's vassal" and refusing to fight with his father (in Lord Ukita's battalion) in the battle. Omitting the Battle of Sekigahara from the list of Musashi's battles would seem to contradict the Go Rin No Sho's statement that Musashi fought in six battles, however. After the battle, Musashi disappears from the records for a while. The next mention of him has him arriving in Kyoto at the age of 20 (or 21), where he famously began a series of duels (that is, 1v1) against the Yoshioka School.
Musashi challenged Yoshioka Seijūrō, master of the Yoshioka School, to a duel. Seijūrō accepted.
Musashi arrived late, greatly irritating Seijūrō. They faced off, and Musashi struck a single blow, per their agreement. This blow struck Seijūrō on the left shoulder, knocking him out, and crippling his left arm. He apparently passed on the headship of the school to his equally accomplished brother, Yoshioka Denshichirō, who promptly challenged Musashi for revenge.
Denshichirō wielded a staff reinforced with steel rings (or possibly with a ball-and-chain attached), while Musashi arrived late a second time. Musashi disarmed Denshichirō and defeated him.
Musashi broke his previous habit of arriving late, and came to the temple hours early.
Hidden, Musashi assaulted the force, killing Matashichiro, and escaping while being attacked by dozens of his victim's supporters.
From 1605 to 1612, he travelled extensively all over Japan in Musha Shugyo, a warrior pilgrimage during which he honed his skills with
duels.
Musashi is said to have fought over
60 (not that many, considering the years he supposedly duelled. This is less than a single fight in a month) duels and was never defeated, although this is a conservative estimate most likely not accounting for deaths by his hand in major battles.
Musashi (about age 30) fought his most famous duel, with Sasaki Kojirō, who wielded a nodachi. Musashi's late arrival is controversial.
Sasaki's outraged supporters thought it was dishonorable and disrespectful while Musashi's supporters thought it was a fair way to unnerve his opponent. Another theory is that Musashi timed the hour of his arrival to match the turning of the tide: The tide carried him to the island. After his victory, Musashi immediately jumped back in his boat and his flight from Sasaki's vengeful allies was helped by the turning of the tide. Another theory states he waited for the sun to get in the right position. After he dodged a blow Sasaki was blinded by the sun.
Really, I could go on but this paints a pretty clear picture: he fought in duels only, or in wars. He irritated his opponent, fought against overeager poorly trained louts, struck from hiding and/or had to escape the enemy mobs that were about to do to him what he had just done to his duelling opponent.
Hardly a superhuman: Disregarding war,
1v1 fights only. Extensive use of psychological warfare and environment against his enemies.
Escaping immediately from any enemy group after him. Not above of dirty fighting. Surrounded by the trappings of the culture and limited by them. His words on using a sword with two hands illustrate this flaw:
"If you hold a sword with both hands, it is difficult to wield it freely to left and right, so my method is to carry the sword in one hand"
This is true, if
one's sword is a katana or a like curved single-edged blade. There is little fluidity. However, using a western sword and an armored glove, the fluidity comes from gripping the blade when needed, resulting in fluidity of such a great degree that almost endless combinatory moves are theoretically possible without once stopping the movement of the blade. Miyamoto... He was a good theorist, but like everyone he was trapped by his culture. Many of his teachings regarding the sword and the strategy have been supplantent, others remain up to date, others only apply to limited situations or weapons.
