Hayashi Shiryu was a notable swordsman during the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

(17th century) of Japan. Shiryu originally was a student of the Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū style of swordsmanship before becoming a disciple under the famous

Miyamoto Musashi , was a Japanese swordsman, strategist, artist, and writer who became renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed swordsmanship and undefeated record in his 62 duels. Miyamoto is considered a ''Kensei (honorary title), kensei'' (swo ...

. Before Shiryu had joined Musashi, he had dueled with him in a dojo. Musashi defeated him, in which he even lost consciousness after leaving the dojo. After reflecting on their duel, Musashi felt that Shiryu had shown considerable talent in the way he had fought, and thus his students took care of his recovery. Shiryu from then onward became a student under Musashi after he had completely recovered. After Musashi left the Owari region, Shiryu continued to study under the guidance of Takemura Yoemon, one of Musashi's senior students. After some time, Shiryu eventually received the final transmission of the Enmei ryu.

References

*''Miyamoto Musashi - Life and Writings'' Swordfighters of the Edo period 17th-century Japanese people {{Japan-martialart-bio-stub