I did this painting for a final project in an illustration class. The assignment was to pick an influential person from history or the present and make a picture of a dream they might have had.
I picked Miyamoto Musashi, the famous samurai from the late Momoyama period/early Edo period. He was born in a small village from which he took his name, and won his first duel in 1592, when he was only twelve or thirteen years old. He went on to be an undefeated swordsman of more than sixty duels, and became one of the few famous warriors to die of natural causes after he finished composing The Book of Five Elements in 1645. In his book, Musashi described the technique and philosophy behind his sword fighting in relation to the elements of earth, water, fire, wind, and Heaven/void.
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