An itinerant monk, the distinguished Takuan Soho, takes pity on the “devil child,” secretly freeing Shinmen and christening him with a new name to avoid pursuit by the authorities: Musashi Miyamoto. Upon being captured, he is strung up on a tree and left to die.

He instead finds himself a wanted criminal, framed for his friend’s supposed murder based on his history of violence. After the two are separated, Shinmen returns home on a self-appointed mission to notify the Hon’iden family of Matahachi’s survival. Running away from home with a fellow boy at age 17, Takezo joins the Toyotomi army to fight the Tokugawa clan at the Battle of Sekigahara. Growing up in the late 16th century Sengoku era Japan, Shinmen Takezō is shunned by the local villagers as a devil child due to his wild and violent nature. It portrays a fictionalized account of the life of Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi, based on Eiji Yoshikawa’s novel Musashi. For now, Takezo is a cold-hearted killer, who will take on anyone in mortal combat to make a name for himself. At this crucial crossroads in Takezō's life, an eccentric monk and a childhood friend are the only ones who can help him find his way.Vagabond (Japanese: Bagabondo) is a Japanese epic martial arts manga series written and illustrated by Takehiko Inoue. 1 Takehiko Inoue 4.44 10,282 ratings512 reviews Shinmen Takezo is destined to become the legendary sword-saint, Miyamoto Musashi-perhaps the most renowned samurai of all time. Takezō's vicious nature has made him an outcast even in his own village, and he is hunted down like an animal. In the aftermath of the epic Battle of Sekigahara, Takezō finds himself a fugitive survivor on the losing side of the war. 1 Takehiko Inoue 4.55 3,748 ratings253 reviews This VIZBIG edition of Vagabond contains Volumes 1-3 and bonus color content.

But the path to enlightenment is an endless journey, and to get there through violent means-by way of the sword-makes mere survival an even greater challenge.Īt seventeen years of age, Miyamoto Musashi-still known by his childhood name, Shinmen Takezō-was a wild young brute just setting out along the way of the sword. 1 by Takehiko Inoue Goodreads Jump to ratings and reviews Want to read Buy on Amazon Rate this book Vagabond VIZBIG Omnibus Edition 1 Vagabond, Vol. The quintessential warrior-philosopher, Musashi authored A Book of Five Rings, a classic treatise in the canon of world philosophy and military strategy.

Real-life figure Miyamoto Musashi was the most celebrated samurai of all time. Three volumes in one! A prestige treatment of Inoue’s epic samurai series with bonus content, color pages, storyboard samples and more!

Vagabond, Vol. 1 by Takehiko Inoue