Scenes from the Post-Yoshioka arc. Clockwise, from top left: Musashi and Otsū at Konpuku temple, Musashi imprisoned at Nijō Castle, Ittōsai vs. Musashi, the peasant family's baby is held by Musashi, Matahachi carries his ill mother on his back, Kojirō is presented to the Hosokawa.
The Post-Yoshioka arc is the eighth of the story arcs in Vagabond, and it shows the events concerning the aftermath of the large conflicts between Musashi and the Yoshioka clan.
Duration[]
Chapters: 243—301
Volumes: 28—part of 34
Summary[]
The aftermath of Musashi's solo battle against 70 Yoshioka men, his stay at the Konpuku temple, his arrest and imprisonment in the Nijō Castle, his escape, Musashi's perilous wandering, his fight against Ittōsai, its aftermath, his housing with a peasant family, his return to wandering, Matahachi's situation with his mother, Kojirō's situation with the Hosokawa.
Synopsis[]
Stay at the Konpuku temple[]
In the arc's prologue, a flashback is shown expanding on the backstories of Kojirō Sasaki and Kōhei Tsujikaze.
Musashi at Konpuku temple with his friends.
Winter. Musashi regains consciousness in the Konpuku temple. He is surrounded by Otsū, Jōtarō and Takuan. It is revealed Matahachi rescued him after finding him lying wounded in the snowy night in the mountains. Musashi's cut in his right leg is found to be so serious that he won't be able to battle, and maybe even walk, ever again. News of Musashi's victorious battle single-handedly killing 70 men storm through the whole country, and many want to employ him. Many of the story's characters are shown reflecting on Musashi's accomplishments and the future. A squad of officers come to Konpuku and arrest Musashi for killing 70 men in his battle.
Imprisonment in the Nijō Castle[]
Musashi imprisoned in the Nijō Castle, having a philosophical talk with Takuan.
Musashi is imprisoned in the Nijō Castle. The local governor, Itakura Katsushige, reveals to Musashi's friend Kōetsu that the measure is in truth a protective custody, to give the wounded Musashi shelter now that he is so famous that many want to kill, challenge or employ him. Thus Musashi won't be officially punished with death. Musashi is treated fairly while in jail. His friends visit him. Takuan talks Musashi to make him reconsider his path in life, stating that now he has finally become Invincible Under The Heavens, and so he could abandon the fights, get a sword-teaching job with a lord, find a place to call home, and form a family. The story starts to show Musashi's inner demon next to him, visually representing the primitive part of his conscience. A flashback shows the fate of Baiken Shishido and Rindō, both deceased. Ueda's ghost, who still holds grudges, starts to torment Otsū and Musashi. Itakura and Musashi have some philosophical conversations, where Musashi shows he is starting to question the path he has come so far, stating he has wasted his 22 years. Itakura gives him the same advices as Takuan. Takuan and Kōetsu also have philosophical talks. By the time the early spring comes, Musashi has been imprisoned for some time. The jail guards are delighted with meeting Musashi and invite him to a practice in their dojo, where Musashi is applauded. But just when they are returning from the dojo to Nijō, Musashi smacks the guards in their heads and escapes into the woods, claiming he wants to fight again, not for the title of Invincible Under The Heavens but to see how far his skill can go.
Minor fights and Ittōsai[]
Ittōsai forces Musashi to fight.
Early spring. Musashi sets to visit Sekishūsai Yagyū and a cave near Miyamoto village that he used to visit in his childhoold, but his wounded right leg makes it more difficult. On the way, he is attacked often, but he develops an economizing technique, where he draws around himself a circle on the earth, and kills any attacker that enters that circle. In the outskirts of the Yagyū estate, he finds a threatening man that recognizes him as the Invincible Under The Heavens Musashi Miyamoto. Musashi escapes, fearing a possible duel, and goes to an inn. The same man finds him again there and reveals who he is: Ittōsai Itō. Musashi is shocked, as Ittōsai was his idol during his childhood. Ittōsai forces Musashi to a challenge. Musashi employs his economizing technique, but Ittōsai pushes him and leaves him unconscious. It seems Ittōsai has won, but later in the woods it is revealed that Musashi has made a worse cut in his torso than originally thought. Ittōsai rests and a flashback shows when Kojirō returned from his fight against the Sadakore's squad and attacked him, splitting his right hand. Ittōsai gets up and intends to resume his march, but he feels he is about to get a cold.
Housing with a peasant family[]
Musashi during his stay with the peasant family.
Musashi regains consciousness in the inn and reflects on his apparent defeat: he may have lost the fight, but Ittōsai is spiritually weaker than him. He resumes his march but jumps off a waterfall after a group of men spot him. Unbeknownst to him, they are men from the Hosokawa clan sent to hire him, they are led by the samurai Toyozaemon. Musashi is rescued by a peasant family, who house him. To lay low, he says his name is Takezō. Living with the family, he reflects on his life and learns about the wood carving trade, which the father in the family do for a living. He is even offered marriage, which he refuses. Eventually, he reveals his true name, and some time later he leaves the family in an emotional farewell. His journey resumes as previously, with his reflections, bandit attacks and Toyozaemon's tracking.
Matahachi's situation[]
Matahachi treating his sick mother, in a temple.
Regarding Matahachi, he has made so many mistakes that the other characters ostracize him when they are with him in the Konpuku. He gives up on wanting Otsū and encourages Musashi and Otsū to form a couple. Then Matahachi adopts sober looks and leaves, intending to return to his mother so that both return to the Miyamoto village and he becomes the Hon'iden heir, as originally planned. He finds her in a temple, but she is very ill. Matahachi tries to return to the Miyamoto village carrying her on his back but she dies on the way. He returns to the temple and buries her. A flashback is shown when a middle aged Osugi Hon'iden just widowed and the folks wonder how will the Hon'iden family continue as she is childless, she then adopts a baby boy from a widowed vassal woman, and renames him "Matahachi", claiming that he will become the heir of the Hon'iden family. Then the story's narrator is revealed: it has been an aged Matahachi all along. From now on, scenes with the aged Matahachi will pop up: he appears to have finally become a honest person, and he earns a living as a storyteller, sitting everyday on a bridge and telling stories about Musashi, Kojirō and himself to an ever increasing group of passerbys. He tells that after Osugi's death, he was offered to become a monk, but he refused and went instead to Kokura when he heard that Kojirō was there.
Kojirō's situation[]
Kojirō quickly makes an impression in Kokura.
Regarding Kojirō, Myōshū starts to think he should lead a respectable life. Right then, the Hosokawa clan send some envoys to Kōetsu's place: the chief retainer Kakubē Iwama has come to Kōetsu to polish a sword of his, though Kōetsu arguments he is retired. Then Iwama says they could arrange a match between his companion, the young samurai Ienao Ogawa, and some good fighter around there like Musashi. Ogawa is then practicing with light sticks when Kojirō finds him and they begin to fight. Kojirō's fame has grown so much that Ogawa is shocked to find he is the renowned deaf sword fighter. Kojirō defeats Ogawa, who feels his defeat was so soundly that he renounces his post as one of the Hosokawa sword-instructors, and offers Kojirō his post. Kojirō accepts and has an emotional farewell with Kōetsu and Myōshū, who knows she is seeing him for the last time. The 3 sail to Kokura. Just after they arrive to Kokura's docks, Kojirō starts playing with a balloon from some kids, but he bumps into a guard and soon ensues a fight against multiple men, all while he keeps doing keepie uppies with the ballon. The men stop when they see a kid on a boat on the Murasaki river that was going to drift away to the high seas, he is one of the guards' son. Kojirō takes off his clothes and jumps off the bridge, and rescues him while catching again the balloon at the same time. The rest of the guards and sailors also jump off the bridge to swim to the boat and carry it back to land. After that event, Kojirō becomes the talk of the town and the folks start to salute him on the streets and offer him benefits in their workplaces. Kojirō is then introduced to the head of the Kokura castle, Tadatoshi Hosokawa, but doubts about his capability arise due to his deafness and his flamboyant clothes, and also because the Hosokawa already have many chief sword instructors. While they are deliberating, Kojirō gets up, goes outside and tames Mogura, the horse of former clan head Tadaoki Hosokawa which was thought to be impossible to tame. After Kojirō returns, a fight is arranged between him and Kaede, one of the chief sword instructors, but the fight is short: Kojirō exposes Kaede's breasts (much to the chagrin of many of the Hosokawa samurai, who didn't know that Kaede was a woman) and gets distracted by her rosary, this greatly embarasses Kaede who smacks him, leaving him unconscious. At that very moment enters Ujiie, Tadaoki's former comrade in arms now turned chief sword instructor. He is unimpressed by Kojirō and his lack of etiquette. Tadaoki tells Tadatoshi, in a private conversation, that he intends to use Kojirō to diminish Ujiie's influence in political affairs.