Shishido (宍戸) is the

family name In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

of a Japanese swordsman believed to have been active in the early years of 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 ...

(1603–1868). Legend has it that he was a skilled practitioner of the

kusarigama A is a traditional Japanese weapon that consists of a '' kama'' (the Japanese equivalent of a sickle or billhook) on a kusari-fundo – a type of metal chain (''kusari'') with a heavy iron weight (''fundo'') at the end. The ''kusarigama'' is s ...

(a metal chain attached to a

kama ''Kama'' (Sanskrit: काम, ) is the concept of pleasure, enjoyment and desire in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. It can also refer to "desire, wish, longing" in Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, and Sikh literature.Monier Williamsका� ...

and a weight, also known as the chain and sickle), and around the year 1607, he fought a duel against the swordsman

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 ...

, in which he was killed. It is debatable whether Shishido actually existed or not.宍戸梅軒は架空人物といわれるそうですが、ではクサリで繋がった鈍器を振り回し主...
/ref> Author

William Scott Wilson William Scott Wilson (born 1944) is an American translator, author and historian known for translating several works of Japanese literature, mostly those relating to the martial tradition of that country. Wilson has brought historical Chinese ...

, in his 2004 book, '' The Lone Samurai'', wrote, "In 1607, Musashi was passing through the province of Iga when he met a man known only by his family name, Shishido, who was a master of the sickle and chain." The first record of Musashi's duel with Shishido is in the ''Nitenki'' ( 二天記), written in 1776, where he was named Shishido Nanigashi (宍戸某). In

Eiji Yoshikawa was a Japanese historical novelist. Among his best-known novels are revisions of older classics. He was mainly influenced by classics such as ''The Tale of the Heike'', ''Tale of Genji'', ''Water Margin'' and ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', m ...

's 1935–39 novel, '' Musashi'', he was named Shishido Baiken (宍戸梅軒). If fictional, he may have been based on Shishido Ietoshi ( 宍戸家俊). If he existed, his family name was most likely Shishido, but it is uncertain if his

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...

was Nanigashi or Baiken.

References

1607 deaths Japanese swordfighters Year of birth unknown {{Japan-martialart-bio-stub