Sasaki Kojiro

Sasaki Kojirō was a Japanese swordsman of the Azuchi-Momoyama and early Edo periods, known mainly for his duel with Miyamoto Musashi on Ganryū Island in 1612, in which he was killed. Musashi later called him the strongest opponent he ever faced. He plays a central role in Eiji Yoshikawa's novel Musashi, on which Vagabond is based, and in the manga Matahachi steals his name to make himself famous.