Almost everyone in Japan knows of the 17th-century swordsman Miyamoto Musashi and the legendary duel between him and his rival, Sasaki Kojirō. Musashi allegedly arrived at the duel purposefully late, wielding a wooden sword made out of an oar. Enraged by this disrespect, Kojirō lost his calm and was struck on the forehead, knocked unconscious, and was defeated. Although, accounts vary. While there are numerous theories about the date of the event, there is one undoubted fact—the duel took place on the small island of Ganryū-jima, located between Japan’s mainland…
