Timeline
The following timeline follows, in chronological order (of which is based on the most accurate and most widely accepted information), the life of Miyamoto Musashi as of yet.
| Date | Age | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|
| 1578 | Musashi's brother, Shirota, is born. | |
| 1584 | 0 | Miyamoto Musashi is born. |
| 1591 | 7 | Musashi is taken and raised by his uncle as a Buddhist. |
| 1596 | 13 | Musashi duels with Arima Kihei in Hirafuku, Hyōgo Prefecture. |
| 1599 | 15 | Duels with a man named Akiyama in the northern part of Hyōgo Prefecture. |
| 1600 | 16 | Believed to have fought in the Battle of Sekigahara as part of the western army. Whether he actually participated in the battle is currently in doubt. |
| 1604 | 20 | Musashi has three matches with the Yoshioka clan in Kyoto. (1) Match with Yoshioka Seijuro in Yamashiro Province, outside the city at Rendai Moor (west of Mt. Funaoka, Kita-ku, Kyoto). (2) Match with Yoshioka Denshichiro outside the city. (3) Match with Yoshioka Matashichiro outside the city at the pine of Ichijō-ji. |
| 1604 | 20 | Visits Kōfuku-ji, Nara and ends up dueling with the Buddhist priest trained in the style of Hōzōin-ryū. |
| 1605–1612 | 21–28 | Begins to travel again. |
| 1607 | 23 | Munisai (Musashi's father) passes his teachings onto Musashi. |
| 1607 | 23 | Duels with the kusarigama expert Shishido Baiken in the western part of Mie Prefecture. |
| 1608 | 24 | Duels Musō Gonnosuke, master of the five-foot staff in Edo. |
| 1610 | 26 | Fights Hayashi Osedo and Tsujikaze Tenma in Edo. |
| 1611 | 27 | Begins practicing zazen meditation. |
| 1612 | 28 | Duel with Sasaki Kojirō takes place on Ganryujima (Ganryu or Funa Island) off the coast of Shimonoseki in which Kojiro is defeated. |
| Briefly opens a fencing school. | ||
| 1614–1615 | 30–31 | Believed to have joined the troops of Tokugawa Ieyasu in the Winter and Summer campaigns at Osaka Castle, though no significant contributions are documented. |
| 1615–1621 | 31–37 | Comes into the service of Ogasawara Tadanao in Harima Province as a construction supervisor. |
| 1621 | 37 | Duels Miyake Gunbei in Tatsuno, Hyōgo. |
| 1622 | 38 | Sets up temporary residence at the castle town of Himeji, Hyōgo. |
| 1623 | 39 | Travels to Edo. |
| Adopts a second son named Iori. | ||
| 1626 | 42 | Adopted son Mikinosuke commits seppuku following in the tradition of Junshi. |
| 1627 | 43 | Travels again. |
| 1628 | 44 | Meets with Yagyū Hyōgonosuke in Nagoya, Owari Province. |
| 1630 | 46 | Enters the service of Lord Hosokawa Tadatoshi. |
| 1633 | 49 | Begins to extensively practice the arts. |
| 1634 | 50 | Settles in Kokura, Fukuoka Prefecture for a short time with son Iori as a guest of Ogasawara Tadazane. |
| 1637 | 53 | Serves a major role in the Shimabara Rebellion and is the only documented evidence that Musashi served in battle. Was knocked off his horse by a rock thrown by one of the peasants. |
| 1641 | 57 | Writes Hyoho Sanju-go. |
| 1642 | 58 | Suffers severe attacks from neuralgia. |
| 1643 | 59 | Migrates into Reigandō where he lives as a hermit. |
| 1645 | 61 | Finishes Go Rin No Sho / The Book of Five Rings. |
| Miyamoto Musashi dies from what is believed to be thoracic cancer. |
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