Vagabond, Vol. 5

Real-life figure Miyamoto Musashi was the most celebrated samurai of all time. The quintessential warrior-philosopher, Musashi authored A Book of Five Rings, a classic treatise in the canon of world philosophy and military strategy. But the path to enlightenment is an endless journey, and to get there through violent means—by way of the sword—makes mere survival an even greater challenge.

In a remote seaside village, an abandoned infant is left to the care of a reclusive old man who has all but renounced the ways of the world. This helpless child is destined to become Sasaki Kojirō—the legendary archrival of Miyamoto Musashi. Inoue's unique take on this enigmatic figure lays the foundation for his fictional account of the most famous rivalry in Japanese history.