Part 2/15:
Musashi begins by reflecting on his lifelong commitment to the niten ichiryu (two heavens, one spirit) school of swordsmanship. From the tender age of thirteen, he fiercely engaged in duels, defeating seasoned strategists and martial artists, which cemented his reputation. Yet, he is candid about his victories, attributing them not solely to mastery but perhaps to innate ability or the superiority of rivals' techniques. It was only in his later years, around age fifty, that he truly grasped the way of strategy—not as a series of techniques but as an understanding of the natural and spiritual order mirrored in the cosmos.