Furuhashi Sozaemon
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese samurai of the early Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....

. Famed for his skill in swordsmanship. Sōzaemon, along with both Terao Magonojo
Terao Magonojo
was a famed swordsman during the Edo period of Japan. Magonojo was the elder brother of Terao Motomenosuke, the successor to the School of Musashi. Magonojo had been noted as Miyamoto Musashi's favorite student, to whom Musashi entrusted his Gorin no sho before his death...

, and his younger brother Terao Motomenosuke
Terao Motomenosuke
was a famed swordsman during the Edo period of Japan. Motomenosuke would become rather famous for being the first successor to the School of Musashi that had been established by the legendary Miyamoto Musashi. When Musashi was aware of the fact that he was near death, he gave Motomenosuke both of...

 would be the legendary Miyamoto Musashi
Miyamoto Musashi
, also known as Shinmen Takezō, Miyamoto Bennosuke or, by his Buddhist name, Niten Dōraku, was a Japanese swordsman and rōnin. Musashi, as he was often simply known, became renowned through stories of his excellent swordsmanship in numerous duels, even from a very young age...

's three chosen successors. After their master's death, Sōzaemon had borrowed Magonojo's Gorin no sho (given by Musashi) for a few days, in which he made a copy of this book and gave it to Lord Hosokawa Mitsuhisa through his orders. Furuhashi himself would also make another copy of the book which was later transmitted to his disciples, which went by the name of Ihon gorin no sho. The following copy ends with this notice:
  • The twelfth of the fifth month of the second year of Shoho
    Shoho
    was a after Kan'ei and before Keian. This period spanned the years from December 1644 through February 1648. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:* 1644 : The era name was changed to Shōhō to mark the enthronement of the new emperor Go-Kōmyō...

     1645
  • Shinmen Musashi no kami Genshin
  • For the Honorable Terao Magonojo
  • For the Honorable Furuhashi Sōzaemon


Overall, in the end, it is known that people as of today would not have the capacity of being able to read the Gorin no sho if Sōzaemon had not have copied it through his master's orders. Due to this fact, Sōzaemon is largely responsible for the fame of Musashi's work.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK