5 legendary martial artists that really existed or was supposed to of existed. Can either be ancient swordsmen’s or martial artists. Not competitive martial artists, or legendary warriors like Alexander the great but martial artists. Maybe some are just myths and didn’t actually exist. Since most of these martial artists were about before photography, all we really have to go on is drawings and how people at the time described them. I can always add to this list so if anybody knows of more they think should be included then let me know 🙂 These are in no particular order.
Miyamoto Musashi
Miyamoto Musashi. Was a Japanese Samurai and probably one of the greatest swordsmen to ever live. He won his first duel at the age of 13 and has 61 duel wins in his career sometimes against multiple opponents. He was a relentless and obsessive martial artist in the truest sense of the word. He spent most of his life wandering the countryside just challenging people to duels. He also partook in three major military campaigns, including the defence of Osaka Castle.
Remember that martial arts are a fighting art that was originally meant for war and killing.
He was absolutely obsessed with being the best and used any and all tools at his disposal to do so. He perfected his Two Sword fighting style. He used psychological warfare and martial skill. He was so skilled, in fact, that he is called the “Sword Saint” by the Japanese.
In 1612 he fought his most famous duel, which was against Sasaki Kojiro on the tiny island of Funajima, situated in the Kanmon Straits between Japan’s main island and Kyushu. Musashi aggravated his opponent by intentionally arriving on the island nearly three hours late. In the course of a fierce but brief duel, he then struck him dead with a wooden sword he’d carved from an oar on his way to the island.
Miyamoto Musashi was not killed in combat, he died of what is believed to be thoracic cancer. He died peacefully after finishing the text Dokkōdō (“The Way of Walking Alone”, or “The Way of Self-Reliance”), 21 precepts on self-discipline to guide future generations.
Yue Fei
Yue Fei was arguably the greatest general in Chinese history. Yue Fei personally fought in 126 battles and never lost a single engagement. He studied Kung Fu with the Shaolin Monks, created “Eagle Claw”-style martial arts, developed Xingyi Boxing and mastered 108 joint locks.
With only 500 men he defeated over 100 thousand Jurchen soldiers forcing them to flee. He was famous for protecting civilians and caring for his soldiers. He was apparently also an expert sniper-like Bowman with the bow and the crossbow, allegedly being able to routinely shoot nine of ten arrows through a bullseye at 240 yards.
Yue Fei success and accomplishes promoted jealousy with officials close to the emperor. He was forced to return to the palace leaving the areas he had secured to be recaptured by enemy armies. He was then stripped of his power and a year later a magistrate sentenced him to death on trumped-up charges. He was only 39 years old.
Mas Oyama (Choi Yeung-Eui)
Mas Oyama, the founder of the Kyokushinaki style of full-contact karate. He was famed for being able to kill Bulls with a sing blow to the head. After getting into many fights with military police in Japan he retreated to the mountains to continue his training with one of his students. For Fourteen months he punched trees, ran through the wilderness, lived off the land in a homemade shack, meditated while kneeling under freezing-cold waterfalls, and broke rocks with his fists. His student couldn’t handle it and promptly left halfway through leaving him by himself. After winning the Karate section in the Japanese national martial art championships he returned to the mountains since it was his original intention to stay three years.
Oyama came down the mountain and, in 1953, founded a dojo name Oyama Dojo. He continued to travel around Japan and the world giving martial arts demonstrations, which included knocking live bull’s unconscious with his bare hands. In fifty-two separate battles with full-sized, steers, he killed three outright with one punch – a feat that earned him the 
nickname “The God hand”, and defeated 49 more by either wrestling them to the turf or chopping off their horns with a well-placed iron-plated judo chop.
Oyama also enjoyed testing himself in Kumite. Over the course of three days, Oyama fought 300 sparring matches, one after the other, and defeated all comers. He was so tough that even on the third day of nearly non-stop fighting people who were blocking his punches were ending up with broken arms. When it was all over, Oyama thought the Kumite was so effective that he made a 100-man battle the requirement for getting your fourth-degree black belt in Kyokushinaki Karate.
To this day, you need to fight a hundred full-contact matches in a row, win over 50% of them, and not be knocked down for more than five seconds at any time in the trial.
Mas Oyama, a non-smoker, died of lung cancer in 1994 at the age of 70, but his legacy continues to live on.
Lu Bu
Lu Bu was the “invincible warrior” from the Three Kingdoms period of Ancient China, and one of the most feared and powerful warriors in the history of the world. Renowned and infamous throughout all of China, the mere mention of his name was enough to send chills down the spine of even the most veteran warriors. Lu Bu was by all accounts a massive man, possessing immense strength, mastery of archery and horsemanship and incomparable hand-to-hand fighting prowess.
Lu Bu was adopted into a noble family where he proved his worth on the battlefield, but once the powerful warlord Ding Yian offered him Red Hare, the fastest horse in all of China, Lu Bu flipped out, chopped off his adopted fathers head and began calling Dong Zhou his father instead. Lu Bu began sleeping with Dong Zhou’s most favourite and loved mistress, Diao Chan. Dong Zhou found out, and he presumably freaked out on Lu Bu. Sadly, like all men who attempt to yell at a treacherous killer like Lu Bu, Dong Zhou ended up getting his head cut off. Lu Bu then fled into the countryside with his own personal army and began killing pretty much anyone who shot him a look. Lu Bu betrayed and change sides more times than most people have had hot dinners.
Eventually, Lu Bu’s treachery caught up with him and he was executed by Cao Cao by hanging.
Honda Tadakatsu
Honda Tadakatsu was a grizzled veteran of over one hundred battles – most of which put this him in the middle of close-quarters hand-to-hand fighting against armoured soldiers armed with razor-sharp swords. He never sustained a single physical wound to any part of his body.
Honda was best known for his samurai helmet, which was adorned with gigantic stag’s antlers that stuck up out the top of the helm. This made him visible from anywhere on the battlefield, so when you were fighting for your life in the thick of a battle and you saw those horns bouncing through the hordes towards you, you knew to run and run fast because Honda Tadakatsu was coming.
Honda needed a melee weapon worthy of his reputation, so he carried a gigantic bladed polearm known as the Dragonfly Cutter. Apparently, the legend goes that he was totally obsessed about keeping his weapon sharp, and one time a dragonfly landed on the tip of the blade and immediately split in half. This was a weapon that cuts through pretty much anything with ease, and Honda Tadakatsu’s weapon quickly became so famous that it is to this day known as one of the “Three Great Spears” of Japanese History.
Honda Tadakatsu became a trusted battlefield captain. At the Battle of Anegawa, he is said to have led a force that held off over 10,000 of the Takeda Clan’s much-feared horsemen, withstanding repeated attacks by ultra-heavy cavalry long enough for Tokugawa’s army to regroup.
During the Komaki Campaign of 1584. Honda was left to defend Komaki castle with only 200 men against a large force outnumber 50-60 to 1.
he took all 200 of his soldiers, strapped on his armour, grabbed his Dragonfly-Splitting Spear, and rode out to meet them. When he was on the other side of the river from Toyotomi’s force, Honda boldly announced himself and challenged the entire enemy force to come out and meet him in battle.
Toyotomi was so impressed by this act of bravery that he ordered that no man should harm Honda or his men. He immediately marched off, took the long way around Komaki Castle, and went off in search of Tokugawa. Eventually, Honda Tadakatsu retired from public life, had some kids, and lived a quiet life in a luxurious castle until he died of natural causes in 1610.
