Hattori Hanzō
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Hattori Hanzō (服部 半蔵? 1542 – December 23, 1596), also known as Hattori Masanari (服部 正成?), the son of Hattori Yasunaga, was a famous Samurai and a head of clan from the Iga region of Japan.
Hanzō served Tokugawa Ieyasu loyally and well. He is commonly depicted as Ninja in manga and novel fiction. Hanzō was born a vassal of the Matsudaira (later Tokugawa) clan; he would later earn the nickname Oni-Hanzō (鬼半蔵 Devil Hanzō?) because of the ferocity he displayed in battle. His nickname distinguishes him from another Tokugawa samurai, Watanabe Hanzō, called Yari-Hanzō (槍半蔵 Spear Hanzō?).
[edit] Biography
Though Hanzō was born and raised in Mikawa Province, he often returned to Iga, home of the Hattori family. He was an extremely skilled swordsman, tactician and spearman.[citation needed] In the surrounding mountains, there were large institutes for training in martial skills.[citation needed] Onmyodo, a Chinese system of divination propagated in Kyoto by Abe no Seimei, had been brought from the capital. The village of Yagyu, along the Kyoto-Nara border, was home to a venerable school of sword technique. The Hozo-in temple in Nara supported a unique school of spear fighting, the Hozoin-ryu. Hattori, who fought his first battle at the age of 16, went on to serve at the battles of Anegawa (1570) and Mikatagahara (1572), but his most valuable contribution came in 1582, following Oda Nobunaga's death.
Hattori Hanzō died in 1596 at the age of fifty-five of natural causes. However, there is a popular legend that a ninja, Fūma Kotarō, killed Hanzō in battle.[citation needed] He was succeeded by his eighteen-year-old son, whose name was also Masanari, though written with different kanji. His son was given the title "Iwami-no-Kami" and his men would act as guards of Edo Castle. Hanzō’s son mistreated the members of the Band of Iga.
To this day, artifacts of Hanzō's legacy remain; the Kōkyo Imperial Palace (formerly the shogun's palace) still has a gate called Hanzō's Gate, and the Hanzo-mon subway line which runs from central Tokyo to the southwestern suburbs is named after the gate. Hanzō’s remains now rest in the Sainen-ji temple cemetery in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The temple also holds his favorite spears and his ceremonial battle helmet.
[edit] References in popular culture
See Japanese historical people in popular culture.
[edit] External links
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Hanzō, Hattori |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Hanzo, Hattori |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Samurai |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1542 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Iga |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1596 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
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