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Kanjisenki

Miyamoto Musashi

A sample of Musashi's own calligraphy, showing his skill with the brush alongside the sword.

A surviving example of Musashi's own calligraphy, showing his artistic discipline beyond the sword.

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A tall, narrow vertical scroll of pale paper with large bold black brush calligraphy at the top reading in Japanese characters, and smaller columns of black brush characters below, with a small red seal near the bottom right.
Kanjisenki, calligraphy by Miyamoto Musashi.

About this source

What it is

This vertical scroll shows calligraphy written by Miyamoto Musashi, with bold brush characters at the top and smaller columns of text below, marked with a red seal.

Why it matters

Calligraphy was considered one of the accomplished arts for a cultivated person in Musashi's era, alongside painting and swordsmanship. This scroll shows that Musashi pursued these disciplines together, reflecting an ideal where martial skill and artistic refinement were meant to develop the same inner focus.

Look closer

  • What differences do you notice between the large bold characters and the smaller columns of text?
  • Why might a swordsman put a personal red seal on a piece of writing?
  • How might studying calligraphy have helped someone train their mind for combat?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Musashi Miyamoto on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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A tall, narrow, weathered stone monument with an inscribed upper panel of large characters and dense vertical text covering its face, set on a stone base among green trees and shrubs in a wooded park.Sculpture

Secondary source

Kokura Hibun

Miyamoto Iori · 1654

Painting of a seated man in a white kimono with dark green-trimmed sleeves and rust-red hakama pleated trousers, holding chopsticks in one hand and a sword hilt in the other. A katana lies across the lower right. Japanese caption in lower left.Painting

Secondary source

Portrait of Miyamoto Musashi

Edo period

Ink painting on paper, framed, of a bearded monk with a large round head and heavy brows, drawn in loose brush strokes with a flowing robe. Japanese calligraphy caption appears below the image.Painting

Primary source

Daruma-Bodhidharma

Miyamoto Musashi

A stone grave monument in a garden. A tall upright gravestone stands behind a tiered stone base, with a twisted straw shimenawa rope wrapped around it. Stone lanterns, a stone basin with flowers in vases, and other grave markers stand in front, with green trees behind.Sculpture

Secondary source

Grave of Miyamoto Musashi

A large natural cave in a rock cliff face, overhung by green vines and foliage. Inside the cave mouth are wooden-doored shrine structures, a small stone pagoda-like monument, two small white stone figures, and a stone staircase with a metal handrail leading up to the cave entrance.Artifact

Secondary source

Reigandō

from 1643

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