佐々木 小次郎 ささき こじろう Sasaki Kojirou 1590 - 1612 Appearances: Sengoku Musou (2NPC) Sasaki Kojirou was born to a prominent Samurai family in the Fukui province. He would go on to study under either Toda Seigen or Kanemaki Jisai, both whom ere masters of the Kodachi in the Chujo-ryu style. Kojirou would eventually master the Chujo-Ryu style and left his master to form a new style, 巌流‘Ganryu.�E(Ganryu literally translates into ‘School of Rock.�EKojirou's fighting name also happened to be Ganryu, so it makes sense for him to name his own style after himself.) Kojirou would go on to achieve many victories in the world of Swordsmanship. Earning the nickname of ‘Demon of the Western Provinces�Eonly helps prove his deadly skill of the Long Sword �ENodachi. Kojirou would eventually be employed by Lord 細川忠興 Hosokawa Tadaoki of the Hosokawa province in North Kyuushu as the chief weapons master for said clan. Kojirou became a great master of the sword. The school of ‘Ganryu�Ewas known far and wide, and his deadly Drying Pole sword coupled with his 燕返し‘Tsubame Gaeshi�Etechnique only helped his reputation. However, all this would come spiraling down into one defeat by Kojirou’s eternal rival; Miyamoto Musashi. April 14th, 1612 at Funashima island between Honshuu and Kyushuu. Musashi showed up some 3 hours after the scheduled time. When the boat finally landed, Kojirou was said to have angrily yelled and bashed Musashi for his lack of respect. Kojirou then threw his sheath in the water and told his oppoenent to step forward. All the while Musashi had been smiling and holding his Bokuto made from a spare oar on the way over. The fight lasted no more than 5 minutes, as Musashi’s psychology of making Kojirou angry and frustrated did the work. Not to mention that Musashi used the sun to his advantage in blinding Kojirou. Musashi killed Kojirou with a single strike to the head. Though Kojirou was very close to beating Musashi, he still lost in the end. The island was later renamed 巌流島 Ganryu-jima in honor of Kojirou, and the Ganryu school stayed around for quite sometime. Biography created by: Hondam