Kojiro Sasaki - Sasaki Kojiro

A swordsman from the early modern period. His story is unclear, but he is said to have come from Jokyoji Village, near Ichijodani, the home base of the Asakura clan in Echizen. He loved swordsmanship from an early age and studied under Toda Seigen of the Chujo school, or under Seigen's disciple Kanemaki Jisai. He later traveled around the country, invented a secret sword technique known as the Tsubame Gaeshi, established a school of swordsmanship, and called himself Ganryu. He served Hosokawa Tadaoki, the lord of the Kokura domain. It is said that in 1612 (Keicho 17), he fought Miyamoto Musashi (29 years old) with a sword over three feet long on Funajima (commonly known as Ganryujima) in the Kanmon Straits, and was defeated and killed. The background to this incident remains unclear, leaving him a rather questionable figure.

[Ichiro Watanabe]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

近世初期の剣客。その伝は明らかではないが、越前(えちぜん)朝倉氏の本拠一乗谷(いちじょうだに)に近い浄教寺(じょうきょうじ)村の出身と伝え、幼少より剣を好み、中条(ちゅうじょう)流の富田勢源(とだせいげん)、あるいは勢源の弟子鐘捲自斎(かねまきじさい)の門に学んだという。のち諸国を歴遊し、いわゆる燕(つばめ)返しの秘剣を案出して一流をたて、巌流(がんりゅう)を称し、小倉(こくら)藩主細川忠興(ただおき)に仕えた。1612年（慶長17）関門海峡にある船島（俗に巌流島）で、3尺余の太刀(たち)を振るって宮本武蔵(むさし)（29歳）と勝負を争い、敗死したと伝えられている。なおこの一件の背景なども不分明で、疑問の多い人物ではある。

［渡邉一郎］

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