History on Fire
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EPISODE 103: The Lone Samurai, Miyamoto Musashi (Part 2)
🕑 Added 2023-11-06 22:33:02 +0000 UTC“If you know the way broadly you will see it in everything.” — Miyamoto Musashi
Ever since I started History on Fire, one topic has been the most consistently requested by listeners. Over the years, I received hundreds of messages asking me to cover the life of Miyamoto Musashi. That time has come. Here we go.
In this second and final chapter of this series, I’ll explore some of the key events in the latter parts of Musashi’s life: from the siege of Osaka to the Shimabara Rebellion, from his adopting sons to his grief over the death of his daughter, from his exploration of Zen Buddhism to his writing of the Book of Five Rings, and much more!
Comments
History on Fire
Definitely. After so many decades of civil war, even the walls in Japan had PTSD and probably a callous attitude toward life
David Volkin
Thank you for doing Mushashi as one of the people who had been asking for it. For me, he was inspirational for his self discipline in improving himself (not for his duels to the death) as well as his skills in the non martial arts. As to the violence, particularly early in his life, my study of Japanese history saw “life” as a low priority. It was common to see dead bodies hung up for crimes and left in front of villages, you covered the sepulcher culture (probably spelled that wrong) and I think that also played a role in these death matches, which as you pointed out, were with willing participants many of whom would have done the same to him.
History on Fire
thank you!
Jeff Hintz
Love your expression at the end. As someone who sometimes struggles to find day to day meaning, I agree wholeheartedly that emotional content is important
