Miyamoto Musashi

Vagabond is a fictionalised account of the life of the Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi, based on Eiji Yoshikawa's novel Musashi. In the manga, the violent young Takezō Shinmen survives the losing side of a battle; the monk Takuan frees him and, to give him a new start, renames him after his home village as Musashi of Miyamoto. Musashi then wanders Japan challenging strong opponents, including the Yoshioka school of Kyoto and the Hōzōin spearmen. The historical Musashi's early life is hard to verify; his most famous duel was against Sasaki Kojirō.