Throughout history, duels have been the ultimate way to settle arguments and prove that you're the best fighter in the land. Whether it be with blade or gun, many have died trying to become legends and only become legendary through their defeat to their greatest rival. This time two of the greatest fighters from different sides of the Pacific Ocean will clash to prove if one method is superior to the other, the traditional sword-fight or the modern pistol-duel. In my first collaboration with Elgb, it's time to ressurect an old fight idea of his and bring it into the light of day.
Miyamoto Musashi, Japan's samurai who used his dual-wielding style to defeat countless foes!
Andrew Jackson, America's soldier who was a crack-shot with guns in duels and wars!
Who is Deadliest?
Miyamoto Musashi[]
"You can only fight the way you practice."
Miyamoto Musashi was a samurai from Japan's Edo period and is considered by many to be the greatest swordsman to ever live. Born in Mimaska Province to a family of lesser nobility, Musashi taught himself the art of swordfighting at a very young age. He won his first duel at the age of thirteen, when he challenged an samurai to a duel killed him using just a bokken. Musashi spent most of his life wandering the countryside just challenging people to duels to prove his strenght. Over his lifetime he won over sixty duels, some of them against multiple enemies, and fought successfully in three major military campaigns, including the defense of Osaka Castle.
Short Range: Wakizashi
18 in-30 inches typical length
Single-edged folded steel
Musashi's Niten Ichi-ryū style emphasized on the use of the wakizashi as a back-up weapon in tight spots, as well as use it as a secondary weapon to parry and block (though some historians still contend that Musashi fought with two full length katanas instead of a daisho). Unique to the Niten Ichi-ryū is the use of it as a throwing weapon. Apparently Musashi used a short sword to kill the kusarigama wielding warrior named Shishiro by throwing it at his face.
Mid Range: Katana/Uchigatana
The daito or "long sword"
24–29 inches typical length
Single-edged folded steel
Unlike other Japanese swordsmen of his time, Musashi's Niten Ichi-ryū emphasized on dodging and sidestepping rather than exchanging blows, as well as the use of the tip to stab rather that rely on slashing. He also gave emphasis on the importance of carrying a katana with a single hand besides two hands.
Long Range: Shurikens
Musashi also spoke of the effectiveness of shuriken throwing. Typical shurikens used were the classic star-shaped and straight bo shurikens (the former is more for distractions while the latter can pierce through skulls).
Typical range are 7-8 meters and 6-7 meters.
Can be thrown in quick succession if needed.
Special: Bokken
40 inches
Made out of wood, with some having sharpened single edge. He fashioned it out of a boat's oar.
Musashi famously used it in his fight against Sasaki Kojiro.
Andrew Jackson[]
"I was born for a storm and a calm does not suit me."
Andrew Jackson was a soldier from America who became the seventh President who is known for his numerous pistol duels. Born in the Carolinas to descendants of European migrants, Jackson fought in the Revolutionary War as a teenager before becoming a lawyer. He challenged 103 men to duels, killing a sharpshooter in one, and became commander of the Tennessee militia shortly afterwards who fought in the Creek War and War of 1812 before taking over Florida after the First Seminole War. During his presidency, he survived an assassination attempt, prevented South Carolina from seceding, and dismantled the Second Bank of the United States.
Short Range: I Wilson Knife
8-17 inches typical length
Single-edged shear steel
Jackson was a frontiersman and he would have used this famous hunting knife for skinning animals. If need be, he would have used the clip point blade for combat. These were known for their peppercorn and diamond insignia with a "Sycamore Street" moniker.
Mid Range: Model 1812 Officer's Sword
American Eagle-Head-Pommel
33-37 inches typical length.
Single-edged forged steel.
Jackson carried this straight blade mostly as a sign of authority but it could come in handy in a duel with its cross guard to protect his hand from blows. He also would use his walking cane to conceal this sword.
Long Range: Duelling Pistol
Jackson would keep 37 of these pistols for duels but only brought one to them. The bullet was .70 caliber and the barrel was 10 inches. He would actually let his opponents shoot first and cover up his wound to confuse them and ensure a kill shot.
Accurate range is 11-18 meters, 7 meters for his duel with Charles Dickinson.
Flintlock makes reloading nearly impossible in the middle of a duel and it can misfire.
Special: Walking Cane
36 inches
Made out of hickory wood, with a gold cap on top. He would often give these as gifts.
Jackson famously used this to club Richard Lawrence several times.
X-Factors[]
Training
Musashi was an upcoming samurai who trained from a very young age in fighting. His first recorded duel was at the age of 13. He is most famous however, for training in the mountains for over 4 years with little to no contact with others.
Jackson was an American irregular by the age of 15 in the Revolutionary War and lived as a frontiersman afterwards. Even without any true formal training, he still managed to be an undefeated and great general who knew when to attack and logistics.
Experience
Musashi had a long career of duelling, with a fight record of 61 duels, but his military career was pretty short and uneventful. His fought a variety of duels, from enemies with oversized swords to a guy with a kusarigama.
Jackson challenged 103 men to duels, all of which were with duelling pistols but most of them didn't end in death although he killed an enemy who shot 26 other men dead. His military career was extremely successful with him regularly beating the British and Creek.
Physicality
There’s no much record to describe Musashi physicality besides the fact that he lived a dirty hermit life. But it can be assumed that his lifestyle of living off the ground didn’t give him a well-fed healthy body. In many of his recordings, Musashi emphasized in abstaining from eating and bathing if you want to be a great warrior, which might do well for you mentally but not physically due to filth and malnourishment.
Jackson had a more detailed record with his height being 6' 1" and his weight being 140 LBS but he has two bullet wounds that affect his capabilities. His left arm is less mobile than his right and there's a .70 round near his heart which can cause discomfort from time to time. Other than that, Jackson appears to have been in perfect shape until his presidency.
Duelling Skills
Musashi was a master swordsman who invented his own style unique from other samurai of his era (though it is untrue that he invented the sue of dual-weilding in Japanese warfare). Musashi's martial prowess was so good in fact, that the guy once took on a group of 12 assassins sent after him, all armed with polearms, swords and yumi bows, charged and killed their young leader who was in the middle.
Jackson was a great shot with his duelling pistol, being able to kill a great marksman who took the first shot. But perhaps his greatest ability is to ignore horrible wounds like a bullet to the chest or to the arm and various illnesses like dysentery. Even as an old man, he beat up his would-be assassin with a wooden cane after both his guns misfired and had to be held back by several people to keep him from killing him.
Tactics and Discipline
Unlike other samurai, Musashi liked to play dirty. He would purposely be late for a duel in order for his enemies to get pissed or be fatigued from waiting. His fighting style of evading and countering was made to irritate a hotheaded and more "honorable" opponent.
As previously mentioned, Jackson had incredible pain tolerance which he sometimes used to his advantage to hide his wounds but also had a short temper that would get him into duels in the first place. His most famous duel was over a horse race foe example.
Brutality
Musashi was one troubled youth and as he grew up he became a young man seeking glory through bloodshed. But over the years after his duel with Sasaki Kojiro, his bloodthirst did waned and by old age he became a pacifist.
Jackson only killed one man in a duel and attacked a would-be assassin as an old man but those actions weren't his most horrible. He started the Trail of Tears for both the Cree and his Indian allies and threatened his own soldiers with artillery bombardment if they deserted.
Notes[]
Voting ends on February 6th. Votes need edges or two paragraphs to count. The fight takes place in the Roman Colosseum for a duel with both 15 feet apart and in their prime where Miyamoto Musashi can be late to his duel with Andrew Jackson. Special thanks to User:Elgb333 for helping me make this blog.
The Battle[]
Colosseum, Rome
A huge crowd was in the stands as two foreigners were set to fight in the gladiatorial arena, one from the United States and one from Japan. The former had already arrived and waited impatiently for the man who had killed two of Europe's most famous duelists already and grew more impatient with every minute. "Noon, he agreed on. It's ten after. Where the hell is my opponent?!" Andrew Jackson took out his duelling pistol and quickly inspected it before finally hearing the doors open again and the latter duelist walked in calmly.
"Now you show up! What man of honor shows up late to a duel?!" "スマートなもの。" (A smart one.) "Can you not speak English? Was that supposed to offend me sir? Because if so, I'm already annoyed enough by your timing!" Miyamoto Musashi had no idea what his opponent was saying but knew from his tone that once again, despite the language barrier, he had struck a nerve. What was even more surprising was that Miyamoto had once again accurately predicted what his opponent would say and managed to continue the conversation but obviously that ability wasn't what mattered.
"一本の刀？ 哀れです。" (Only one sword? Pathetic.) He pulled out his Katana and Wakizashi as he said that to illustrate his point and confidently waited for his opponent to draw his blade. "I have half a mind to just shoot you, showoff, but this crowd wants a duel, not an execution." Andrew finally put away his duelling pistol and unsheathed his Model 1812 Officer's Sword along with his walking cane.
"あなたは棒で私と戦うつもりですか？" (You intend to fight me with a stick?) Jackson ignored the foreign words and stomped over to the other duelist before taking a stab at him which he sidestepped. Musashi chuckled as he then blocked a slash from the Sword with his Wakizashi and tried to stab with his Katana but cried out in pain as a gold cap smacked his leg, causing him to crash to a knee.
Miyamoto cursed under his breath as he was forced to use both his swords to block the Model 1812 from hacking through his face and both hit the guard with great force. Luckily they didn't break on Andrew's blade but he took the opportunity to reel back his walking cane and attempted to smash his foe's skull with it. Unfortunately for him, the other duelist took a risk and let go of his Wakizashi to throw two bo shurikens at his bad arm, making him drop his sword as well.
"Bastard!" Jackson angrily stumbled backwards and pulled out the projectiles in rage before throwing his cane at his opponent. Musashi ducked and threw his Wakizashi back which his foe barely dodged before he lunged forwards with the Katana. He yelled out in pain as the I Wilson Knife stabbed through his wrist and made him drop his main sword before his chest was slashed with the knife.
Both took a moment to catch their breath before Miyamoto charged once more with his katana raised for a stab to the heart. Andrew once again foiled this plan by throwing the I Wilson at his foe's face, cutting open his cheek, and causing him to crash into the dirt behind him. "あなたは武器を使い果たしています！" (You're running out of weapons!) "Good thing I saved the best for last." Their roles were reversed as the Japanese swordfighter furiously got up and turned to see the American duelist smirking with his duelling pistol out once more.
The .70 caliber bullet tore through Musashi's shoulder and he collapsed once more in pain before pulling out his bokken from its sheath. Andrew calmly strided over with his walking cane and barely put any effort into kicking away the swung wooden sword before retrieving it for his coup de grâce. "詐欺師。" (Cheater.) "I'm the one who was smart enough to use a gun while you brought in lawn darts. You practically handed me this win."
The two sticks slammed into Miyamoto Musashi's head again and again even as it cracked open until his face was rendered unrecognizable and his skull looked like it had taken a flanged mace instead of a cane and bokken. The crowd cheered on the incredible display of gruesome bloodlust as crunches filled the air, mainly due to their own warriors being avenged by the American. Andrew Jackson dropped both blunt objects next to the Japanese man's disfigured corpse and walked out a champion, this victory was sure to help him in the upcoming election.
Winner:Andrew Jackson
Expert's Opinion[]
In this battle of history's arguably two greatest duelists, Andrew Jackson won for his metallurgically superior and longer Model 1812 Officer's Sword at mid range and the devastating Duelling Pistol at long range. Miyamoto Musashi had the Wakizashi which was actually made for combat at short range and the Bokken which was an actual weapon in the special category but despite tying up the X-Factors, Andrew still had the greater advantages with his more varied experience in battles and was surprisingly the physically healthier one. Miyamoto's various strategies were difficult to counter but Jackson's pain tolerance was more simple and equally effective in the short duel where guns once again beat blades.