The Last Teachings of the Heihō Sanjūgokajō: Musashi’s Final 13 Articles

The Final Teachings of a Sword Saint

Welcome to the final installment of our three-part journey into Miyamoto Musashi’s Heihō Sanjūgokajō (Thirty-Five Articles on Strategy). In the first two parts, we explored the foundations of Musashi’s method—principles of posture, mental clarity, timing, and perception—all essential to his approach to martial strategy.

If you missed the first two parts of this series, you can catch up here and here.

In this last section, we present the final 13 articles, where Musashi’s tone grows more reflective, and the boundary between martial technique and inner discipline becomes increasingly fluid. These teachings invite not just technical refinement, but a deeper understanding of self, rhythm, and the strategy of life itself.

Whether you are a practitioner, a strategist, or a student of Japanese sword culture, this final collection stands as a powerful conclusion to one of history’s most distilled treatises on combat and character.

23. On Holding Down the Pillow (Makura no Osae)

To “hold donw the pillow” means to catch the sign of the opponent’s intention to strike with the sword, and to shut down the head at the moment when he is about to attack.
This act of shutting down the head must be done with the mind, with the body, and with the sword.
If you can perceive this sign, it is advantageous for striking, entering, avoiding, and initiating the first move.
In all cases, there is a way to move forward. Training and discipline are essential.

24. On Knowing the Condition

“To know the condition” (keiki) means to clearly observe and understand the condition of the situation, the condition of the opponent, the rising and falling, the shallowness and depth, the strength and weakness of the moment.
What is called itokane (see article 10. On “Thread and Ruler”) should be continously applied; keiki, on the other hand, concerns what is immediate and happening in the moment.
If you can perceive and respond to the condition of the moment, you can achieve victory in any situation.
This must be thoroughly examined and understood.

25. On Becoming the Enemy

You must think of yourself as the enemy.
Whether you are surrounded alone, facing a great enemy, or encountering an experienced practitioner of the Way, you must grasp and consider the difficulty of bearing the opponent’s state of mind.
You cannot know the confusion in the enemy’s mind.
You may mistake the weak for the strong, see someone inexperienced as if they were skilled,
and small enemies may appear great.
There are times when the enemy, even when at a disadvantage, may appear to have the upper hand.
By becoming the enemy, you must make clear and careful distinctions.

26. On Remaining Mind and Released Mind

Zanshin (remaining mind) and hōshin (released mind) are things that change according to the situation and follow the moment.
When holding your sword, in general, you should release the intention of the will (i no kokoro) and leave behind the true heart (shin no kokoro).
Conversely, when you are certain of striking the opponent, you should release the true heart and leave behind the intention of the will.
There are various ways to distinguish between zanshin and hōshin.
This must be thoroughly examined.

27. On “The Hit as an Opportunity“

What is called “en no atari” refers to the moment when the opponent’s sword comes close and is about to strike.
At such a moment, you may parry with your sword, you may evade the strike, or you may be struck.
All counter measures are intended to strike the opponent, whether it is by dominating the striking sword of the opponent from above, or by evading it, or by making it ineffective with a
stroke of your own sword; body, spirit, and sword should always be prepared to strike. This should be carefully considered.

28. On the “Shikkō Thrust” (Shikkō no Tsuki to Iu Koto)

The shikkō tsuki refers to an action for fighting at close quarters.
If you are struggling at close quarters, you should stick to your opponent, as if you had a body of lacquer and glue, with your legs, with your hips and also with your face, so that there is no space between both.
If there are spaces between you, your opponent can apply various techniques. The rhythm of this sticking to your opponent is identical to holding down the pillow (see article:23. On Holding Down the Pillow), namely it is to be carried out with a calm spirit.

29. On the “Shūkō Body” (Shūkō no Mi to Iu Koto)

The shūkō body refers to the way one should engage when attaching to the opponent.
When attempting to stick to your opponent, you must envision yourself as having no arms. Without this mental posture, it becomes easy to drift apart from your opponent’s body, prompting an unnecessary extension of both arms.
Once your arms are extended, your torso naturally pulls away. In the act of staying attached, you may engage the upper part of your left arm, but you must avoid using your forearm at all costs. The timing of this body-clinging technique mirrors that described in the previous article.

30. On What Is Called Comparing Height

The principle of comparing stature teaches that when you are staying close to your opponent’s body, you should do so as if engaging in a contest of size: expanding your body forcefully to project greater presence and appear larger than your opponent at all times.
The tempo of this body-clinging approach once again follows the same rhythm outlined in the previous articles.
This point deserves thorough reflection.

31. On What Is Called the Door Form

Seeing the body as a folding door is a foundational concept in close-quarters combat. When staying attached to your opponent, you should broaden and straighten your posture in such a way that it not only covers your opponent’s weapon but also envelops his body, eliminating any gap between the two of you.
Conversely, when delivering a blow with your body, you must make yourself narrow and upright, striking forcefully with your shoulder into your opponent’s chest to drive him to the ground.
This technique should be practiced diligently.

32. On the Teaching of Officer and Soldier

The teaching of the Official and the Soldier emphasizes that you should always perceive yourself as the general, and your opponent as a subordinate.
However, the full depth of this principle only becomes truly clear once you have grasped the internal logic of martial arts through dedicated practice.
In any case, by assuming the role of the general and casting your opponent as the follower, you must not permit him to act freely.
Instead, you should guide his sword movements according to your own intentions, disorient him at will, and prevent him from forming any deliberate strategy.
This is a crucial point.

33. On What Is Called “A Stance without Stance”

What is called “stance without stance” refers to the postures taken when holding the sword and positioning the body.
Any posture can be called a stance, but when there is a mindset of adopting a stance, both the sword and the body become fixed and immobile. According to the place and the situation, no matter in which posture the sword may be,do not hold the thought that you are adopting a stance as long you can cut your opponent effectively.
In jōdan (high stance), there are three kinds of mind, and likewise in chūdan (middle stance) and gedan (low stance), there are three intentions. The same applies to the left and right flanks.
From this, it is understood that the true mindset has no fixed stance.
This must be thoroughly examined and understood.

34. On the “Rock-like Body”

The rock-like body must be forged through constant training, guided by an unwavering, formidable, and expansive spirit. A body that has become fully attuned to the essence of martial arts possesses limitless strength — so much so that all living beings instinctively shy away from it.
Even lifeless things like grass and trees refrain from extending their roots nearby, and wind and rain, too, seem to divert their course in its presence. You should dedicate yourself wholeheartedly to the pursuit of such a body.

35. On Knowing the Inevitable Moment

Understanding the inevitable moment is a teaching that, in any given combat scenario, you must clearly recognize the decisive instant: when an action is either too soon or too late, or when escape is still possible or already out of reach.
In regard to the timing for delivering a sword strike, there exists within my school an inner principle known as Jiki-tsu. The specifics of this concept are passed down orally through direct transmission.

An Unofficial Ending: Musashi’s Final Reflections

Although the Thirty-Five Articles on Strategy officially conclude with the previous section, Musashi offers one final article—a brief yet profound reflection that serves as both a closing statement and a transmission of ultimate insight. In it, he reminds us that true strategy lies in knowing not just technique, but the exact timing of action and restraint, of movement and stillness.

What follows is this final passage, along with his closing thoughts.

36. On “Ten Thousand Miles, One Sky”

As for the place of “ten thousand miles, one sky” (banri ikkū), it is difficult to express in writing, and thus, it is something that you must come to understand through your own effort and contemplation.

Epilogue

“In the preceding thirty-five sections, I have outlined the core principles of my martial art — encompassing both the execution of specific techniques and the mindset that must support them. The minor points I have left out closely mirror those teachings already presented. I have deliberately refrained from writing further about sword techniques that I continue to test personally within the school, as well as those instructions that can only be passed down directly through oral transmission during hands-on training. Should you have any questions, I would be pleased to address them in person.

Written on an auspicious day in February, 18th year of Kan’ei
SHIMMEN Musashi Genshin“

Conclusion: The End of the Path, or Just the Beginning?

With this final entry, we conclude our journey through Miyamoto Musashi’s Thirty-Five Articles on Strategy, a concise yet profound document that distills the essence of a life devoted to discipline, perception, and relentless refinement. Across three parts and thirty-five teachings, Musashi has guided us through the foundations of movement, the subtleties of timing, the balance between body and mind, and the ever-shifting nature of combat.

Yet, true to his nature, Musashi does not end with clear answers or comfortable closure. Instead, he leaves us with a cryptic final teaching, Banri Ikkū, “Ten Thousand Miles, One Sky”, a phrase that invites reflection more than explanation. What lies at the end of this strategic path is not a technique or doctrine, but a state of mind: vast, calm, unobstructed.

Throughout this series, we’ve also seen how Musashi’s writing, though sparse and sometimes contradictory, offers immense value to those willing to wrestle with it. His style resists simplification, and often his words say less than they imply. We hope this translation has done justice to his thought and helped illuminate his teachings for martial artists and readers alike.

In the end, the study of strategy, like the path of the sword, is never truly finished. May these words remain not as a conclusion, but as a starting point for further introspection and personal practice.