Hattori Hanzō
Hattori Hanzō | |
---|---|
服部 半蔵 | |
Leader of Iga Ninja | |
In office 1557–1597 | |
Preceded by | Hattori Yasunaga |
Succeeded by | Hattori Masanari |
Personal details | |
Born | Hattori Masanari 服部 正成 c. 1542 Musashi province |
Relations | Hattori Yasunaga, 1st-Hanzō (father) Hattori Masanari, 3rd-Hanzō (son) |
Nickname | "Demon Hanzō" |
Military service | |
Allegiance | Matsudaira clan Tokugawa clan |
Battles/wars | Attack on Udo Castle Siege of Kaminogō Castle Siege of Kakegawa Battle of Anegawa Battle of Mikatagahara Battle of Komaki and Nagakute Siege of Odawara |
Hattori Hanzō (服部 半蔵, c. 1542
Early life
Born the son of Hattori Yasunaga (服部 保長), the First Hanzō, a minor samurai in the service of the
Though Hanzō was born in Mikawa Province (now Iga-chō, Okazaki, Aichi), he often returned to Iga Province, home of the Hattori family. At the age of 15, his first battle was a night time attack during the siege of Udo Castle (1557).[3][2]
Service under Ieyasu
Hanzo had a great contribution to Tokugawa Ieyasu's rise to power, helping the future Shogun bring down the Imagawa clan. After Imagawa Ujizane had held Ieyasu's wife and son as hostages in 1561, Hanzo made a successful hostage rescue of Tokugawa's family at Kaminogo castle in 1562[5] and went on to lay siege to Kakegawa castle in 1569 against the Imagawa clan.
He served with distinction at the battles of Anegawa in 1570 and Mikatagahara in 1572.[3] According to the Kansei Chōshū Shokafu, a genealogy of major samurai completed in 1812 by the Tokugawa shogunate, Hattori Hanzō rendered meritorious service during the Battle of Mikatagahara and became commander of an Iga unit consisting of one hundred fifty men. He captured a Takeda spy named Chikuan, and when Takeda's troops invaded Totomi, Hanzō counterattacked with only thirty warriors at the Tenryū River.[citation needed]
His most valuable contribution came in 1582 following Oda Nobunaga's death, when he led the future Hanzo was principal in serving as Ieyasu's guide and commanded 300 guards to ensure his lord's safe passage to Mikawa.
In 1584, Hattori Hanzo continued to serve his lord at Battle of Komaki and Nagakute with 100 warriors under his command.
In 1590, Hattori Hanzo served during the Odawara campaign and was awarded 8,000 koku. By the time Ieyasu entered Kantō, he was awarded an additional 8,000 koku and had 30 yoriki and 200 public officials for his services.
Historical sources[
After Nobuyasu was accused of treason and conspiracy by Oda Nobunaga and was then ordered to commit seppuku by his father, Ieyasu. Hanzo was called in to act as the official second to end Nobuyasu's suffering, but he refused to take the sword on the blood of his own lord. Ieyasu valued his loyalty after hearing of Hanzo's ordeal and said, "Even a demon can shed tears."[10][11]
Death
This section needs additional citations for verification. (June 2021) |
He died at the age of 54 or 55 in 1597.[3] There are three theories about his death. One asserts that he was assassinated by a rival Samurai, the pirate Fūma Kotarō. After Hanzo tracked him down to the Inland Sea, Kotarō lured him and his men into a small channel and used oil to set the channel on fire. The second theory is that Hanzo became a monk in Edo where he lived out the rest of his days until he died of illness. The third theory is that he died because of illness and it was a natural death.
Legacy
Hanzo's reputation as a samurai leader who commanded a 200-men strong unit of Iga warriors has grown to legendary proportions. Tales of Hattori's exploits often attributed various supernatural abilities, such as
After his death on 4 November 1596, Hattori Hanzō was succeeded by his son, whose name was also Masanari (third Hanzō), though written with different kanji (正就 instead of 正成). He was given the title of Iwami no Kami[12] and his Iga men would act as guards of Edo Castle, the headquarters of the government of united Japan. Hanzō is actually a name passed down through the leaders of the Hattori family meaning his father was also called Hanzō and so was his successor. Indeed, there are five people known as Hattori Hanzō throughout history.[2]
To this day, artifacts of Hanzō's legacy remain.
See also
References
- which?] he was born in 1541, 1542 or 1543.
- ^ a b c d e f g Joel Levy, Ninja: The Shadow Warrior (2008), pp. 157–158
- ^ a b c d e Stephen Turnbull, Ninja AD 1460–1650 (2003), p. 12
- ^ Stephen K. Hayes, The Mystic Arts of the Ninja (1985)
- ^ Tools and Techniques (2009), p. 94
- ^ Andrew Adams, Ninja: The Invisible Assassins (1970), p. 43
- ^ Stephen Turnbull, Warriors of Medieval Japan (2007), p. 151
- ^ Stephen K. Hayes, The Ninja and Their Secret Fighting Art (1990), p. 30
- ^ Haha Lung, Ninja Shadowhand, The Art of Invisibility (2004), p. 50
- ^ Thomas Louis, Tommy Ito, Samurai: The Code of the Warrior (2008), p. 112
- ^ Arthur Lindsay Sadler, The Maker of Modern Japan: The Life of Tokugawa Ieyasu, C. E. Tuttle Co., 1978
- ^ "Sengoku Era Ranks and Titles". Samurai-archives.com. Archived from the original on 2013-08-28. Retrieved 2013-07-07.
- ^ Lisa Leventer, Fodor's Japan: The Complete Guide With the Best of Tokyo, Kyoto and Old Japan, Fodor's Travel Publications, 1996
- ^ Fodor's Travel Publications, Fodor's Japan: Expert Advice and Smart Choices: Where to Stay, Eat, and Explore On and Off the Beaten Path (2000), p. 61
- ^ Mikhail Vladimirovich Uspenskiĭ, Tatyana Mordkova, Natalia Smaznova, One Hundred Views of Edo: Woodblock Prints by Ando Hiroshige, Parkstone Press, 1997
- ^ Matt Alt, Tokyo's really, really real ninja hideouts Archived 2012-11-02 at the Wayback Machine, CNNGo.com, 23 November 2011
- ^ Stephen Turnbull, The Samurai Swordsman: Master of War (2008)
External links
- Hattori Hanzô (Character) at the Internet Movie Database
- Hattori Hanzo – Vintage Ninja
- Sainenji, a buddhist temple that houses the spear of the famous samurai and ninja Hattori Hanzo also known as the “Demon Hanzo” Archived 2019-12-12 at the Wayback Machine