April 13, 1612(1612-04-13) (aged 26–27) Ganryū-jima, Japan
Native name
佐々木 小次郎
Style
Ganryū
Sasaki Kojirō (佐々木 小次郎; also known asGanryū Kojirō;c. 1585 – April 13, 1612) was a Japaneseswordsman who may have lived during theAzuchi–Momoyama and earlyEdo periods and is known primarily for the story ofhis duel withMiyamoto Musashi in 1612, where Sasaki was killed. Although suffering from defeat as well as death at the hands of Musashi, he is a revered and respected warrior in Japanese history and culture. Later, Miyamoto proclaimed that Sasaki Kojirō was the strongest opponent he faced in his life.[1][2]
Sasaki (right) engages Miyamoto Musashi on the shores of Ganryū Island. Woodblock print triptych byUtagawa Yoshitora, 1843-1847Kabuki actor Ohtani Tomoemon as Sasaki in the ill-fated duel with Miyamoto Musashi at Ganryu Island.
Like most of the well-known samurai of his era, Sasaki was depicted in several places:
He plays a central role in the novel, Musashi, byEiji Yoshikawa. His life is described in a parallel storyline.[3]
In various film adaptations of his story or that of Miyamoto Musashi. For example, inZoku Miyamoto Musashi: Ichijōji no kettō (Samurai 2: Duel at Ichijoji Temple; 1955; Director / Screenplay: Hiroshi Inagaki).
In the mangaVagabond, he plays a central role alongside Musashi and is shown here asdeaf.
Tachibana Ukyo from the computer gameSamurai Shodown is modelled after Sasaki, just like the character Haōmaru is modelled after Miyamoto Musashi. His signature technique is also called Tsubame Gaeshi.
In the visual novel and animeFate/stay night, Sasaki also played the role of a minor character.
In the video gameBrave Fencer Musashi, the archrival of the protagonist (Musashi) was named after him.
In thePokémon series, the original Japanese name for the Flying-type move Aerial Ace isTsubame Gaeshi. Additionally, theanime charactersJessie and James are known in Japan as Musashi and Kojirō, respectively.
An ōdachi named the "Washing Pole" is a weapon attainable by the player in the 2011 action RPGDark Souls and its sequelsDark Souls II andDark Souls III.
In the anime and manga "Hajime no Ippo", a reference to Kojiro is made, and his sword movements are repurposed as boxing punches. The first time seen in a fight against the protagonist "Ippo Makunouchi", the user of the "flight of the swallow" is "Kazuki Sanada".
InJapanese mahjong, some rulesets have a yaku (win condition) called "Tsubame gaeshi" (燕返し) when you call an opponent'sriichi declaration discard as your winning tile.
In the anime and mangaRecord of Ragnarok, Kojirō is depicted as a fighter for humanity.
Kojiro is one of the main characters in the manga and anime seriesYaiba, which also depicts several Japanese historical figures, including Musashi. Kojiro is first depicted as a duplicitous adversary before becoming an ally of the titular protagonist.
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