“The Real Musashi: The Manga Edition” by Kozo Kaku and Touru Sugita, illustrated by Reiko Taki, has been released by Tuttle Publishing.
The true story of Miyamoto Musashi, Japan’s greatest swordsman — told in exciting manga form.
Miyamoto Musashi was undefeated throughout his long career as a fighter and became even more famous later in life as the author of “The Book of Five Rings” — the bible of Japanese military strategy that is still widely read today. This book tells the incredible true story of an enigmatic man who is the greatest swordfighter in history.
The exciting events recounted in this book include:
- Musashi’s first duel at the age of 13 when he succesfully defeated a much older and more experienced swordsman
- The dramatic showdown at Ganryujima, where Musashi bested his greatest rival, Sasaki Kojiro, and became a living legend throughout Japan
- His unparalleled career in fighting 61 duels without ever being defeated
- Why and how he wrote “The Book of Five Rings” later in life — a literary classic that has been read by millions of people
“The Real Musashi” is a fast-paced, action-packed story about the most exciting figure in Japanese history, a man whose story continues to be told in countless video games and anime series.
Kozo Kaku is a popular historian who has written and edited numerous books on Japanese history and the martial arts. He is a frequent guest on TV and radio and has previously served as a lecturer for the National Institute of Japanese Liberal Arts.
Touru Sugita has written numerous historical manga including “Battle of Sekigahara: The Battle that Changed Japan’s History,” “The Meiji Restoration” and “Romance of the Three Kingdoms.”
Reiko Taki is an artist based in Japan who has illustrated many best-selling manga, including “Doujinshi Project R / Project R2” and biographies of Minamoto no Yoshitune and Toyotomi Hideyoshi.