Hattori Hanzō
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(1542–1596), also formally known as Masanari or Masashige , the son of a certain Hattori Yasunaga, was a head of clan from Iga region of Japan, famous for its Ninja. Whether Hattori himself was trained as a ninja is not confirmed. However, he is commonly depicted as such in manga and novel fiction. Born a samurai vassal of the Matsudaira (later Tokugawa) clan, Hanzo, who would earn the nickname Oni no Hanzō (Devil Hanzo) due to the ferocity he displayed in battle, served Tokugawa Ieyasu loyally and usefully. His nickname distinguishes him from another Tokugawa samurai, Watanabe Hanzō, called Hanzō of Spear.Though Hanzo was born and raised in Mikawa, he often returned to Iga, home of the Hattori ninja family. He was an extremely skilled swordsman, tactician, spearman, and a master of all ninja techniques. This is because the Iga and Koga regions were the birthplace of ninjutsu, and there were over 70 clandestine organizations carrying out the art in the region. In the surrounding mountains there were large institutes for training in military tactics. 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. And the Hozo-in temple in Nara supported of a unique school of spear fighting. All the arts necessary for ninjutsu could be acquired within a radius of 45 miles from Iga. 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.
At that time, Ieyasu and his retainers had been staying near Osaka and learned of the assassination only just in time to avoid being detained by Akechi Mitsuhide's troops. But they were not safe yet. Mikawa was still a long way away, and Akechi's men would be combing the roads for them. At this point, Hanzō suggested that they take a route through Iga, as he had ties with the samurai there. In addition, Ieyasu had sheltered survivors from Nobunaga's bloody invasion of that province in 1580 and those who knew of this would certainly be well disposed to offer assistance. Honda Tadakatsu sent Hanzō on ahead, and, as hoped, the Iga men agreed not only to guide them along back roads, but also to provide them with an escort. At length, Ieyasu and his band returned to Mikawa safely. The same could not be said for Anayama Beisetsu, a recent Tokugawa addition who had insisted on taking a different route.
Hanzo Masanari died in 1596 at the age of fifty-five. It is believed by some that he was killed in action by the hands of the Fuuma ninja clan, who were formerly in the service of the late Hojo clan of Odawara, but there is no historical proof of this. He was succeeded by his eighteen-year-old son, whose name was also Masanari, though written with different japanese characters. His son was given the title "Iwami-no-Kami" and his men would act as guards of Edo Castle. Hanzo’s son had not mastered ninjutsu, and he mistreated the members of the Band of Iga. The ninja did not consider him worthy of the name Hanzo, and the band revolted. Armed with guns and bows, they holed up in a nearby temple and demanded his dismissal. If their demand wasn't met, they vowed to kill Masanari and to take their own lives. Their number was large enough that historians consider their action to be the first strike in Japan. The year was 1605. After his dismissal, the Band of Iga was divided into four factions, each led by a low-ranking samurai.
To this day, artifacts of Hanzo's legacy remain; the Imperial Palace (formerly the shogun's palace) still has a gate called Hanzo's Gate, and the Hanzo-mon subway line which runs from central Tokyo to the southwestern suburbs is named after the gate. Hanzo’s remains now rest in the Sainen-ji temple cemetery in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The temple also holds his favorite spears.
Hanzō in fiction
Hanzō frequently appears in jidaigeki. Actor Sonny Chiba played the role in the television series Kage no Gundan. Many films, specials and series on the life and times of Tokugawa Ieyasu depict the events detailed above.
In Kill Bill, his name is shared by a master swordsmith, also played by Sonny Chiba.
Hanzō is also selectable in Samurai Warriors video games and is a supporting character in the manga turned anime Samurai Deeper Kyo, and there is a character in the anime/manga Hunter × Hunter who is named Hanzo.
He is also featured prominently in SNK Playmore's fighting game series: Samurai Shodown (Masaki Usui did Hanzo's voice in Samurai Shodown 1, but since Samurai Shodown 2, Hanzo has been voiced by Toshimitsu Arai, who also did Rugal's voice) as well as the World Heroes series from ADK, his World Heroes incarnation is also featured in NeoGeo Battle Coliseum.
There is also a secret character in various games in Sega's Shining Force series based on him. Hanzo also appears as minor character in Nobunaga's Ambition II. In his depictions, Hanzo is often potrayed as a man who often spoke about shadows.
In the backstory for Ninja Burger, Hattori Hanzo is the ancestor of the modern clan of ninja that went on to found the fictional fast food chain.
Hanzō appears as one of the characters of the anime Basilisk—Kouga Ninpou Chou ().
During the 03-05 Salem Stalker storyline of daytime drama Days of our Lives, swordsman and mafia boss Tony DiMera trains with his Zen Master named Hattori Hanzo. We learn later that his training was in preparation for a final duel with Tony's rival and ex-assassin, John Black.
Hanzo appears as the leader of the Rokkaku ninja clan in the video game series Suikoden.
In the novel of Battle Royale, there was a Hattori Hanzo watch.
In the manga Princess Ninja Scroll Tenka Musou, the main female character is named Hattori Hanzou.
The manga Hanzo no mori by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima dramatizes the adventures of the young Hattori Hanzo and his master Tokugawa Ieyasu. It is available in English as Path of the Assassin from Dark Horse Comics.
External links
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