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Motoka Murakami Draws New 1-Shot for Musashi no Ken Manga After 40 Years

Motoka Murakami revealed on his X/Twitter account on Tuesday that he is publishing a new one-shot story for his Musashi no Ken manga, more than 40 years since it ended in 1985. The one-shot will debut on Shogakukan's Sunday Webry manga service on May 20.

The kendo sports manga is set in Iwateyama, and centers on a young boy named Musashi. Born of parents who were the greatest kendo practitioners of their time, they named their son after the famed Sengoku era swordsman Miyamoto Musashi, in the hopes that he would become a swordsman worthy of the name.

The manga ran in Shogakukan's Weekly Shonen Sunday magazine from 1981 to 1985. The manga inspired a 72-episode television anime that aired from 1985 to 1986.

Murakami opened a Patreon account in 2017 to fund an English translation of his historical medical manga JIN. Murakami posted the first two chapters for free, and additional chapters were uploaded weekly for patrons contributing US$5 per month or more.

The manga inspired two live-action television series, both broadcast on Japan's TBS network and starring Takao Ōsawa. Netflix began streaming both series in December 2024. The series also inspired a 2012 Korean live-action television adaptation, and which Crunchyroll streamed outside of Japan. The manga also received a stage play adaptation from the famous all-female Takarazuka Revue Company in 2012.

Source: Motoka Murakami's X/Twitter account