服部半蔵
Hattori Hanzō
The Demon Hanzō
介紹
Hattori Hanzō Masashige, head of the Iga ninja retainers serving Tokugawa Ieyasu, is the most famous ninja in Japanese history — nicknamed 'Oni Hanzō' (Demon Hanzō) for his ferocity in battle and 'Yari no Hanzō' (Spear Hanzō) for his mastery of the spear. Born in Iga Province in 1542, he participated in over twenty battles and his greatest contribution came in 1582 when he guided Ieyasu to safety through the perilous Iga mountains after the Honnō-ji Incident — a mission that may have saved the future shogun's life. He served as the commander of two hundred Iga warriors who guarded Edo Castle, and the famous Hanzōmon Gate of the Imperial Palace is named for his residence there. The ninja sword he wielded was a shorter, straight-bladed instrument optimized for utility, quick drawing, and multiple functions — a blade that fused warrior and shadow-operative into a single deadly tool. His name lives on in popular culture worldwide as the supreme emblem of the sword master.
所持名刀
- Ninja-tō (short straight-bladed ninja sword — a multi-function tool for assassination, climbing, and rapid draw; the blade Oni Hanzō carried through the shadow wars of the Sengoku era)
- Head-commander's tachi (the formal sword Hanzō wore as a ranking samurai general who charged into battle at the vanguard — emblem of his dual identity as warrior and shadow-lord)
- Yari no Hanzō's spear (the long spear whose technique was likened to a demon's; Hanzō's most celebrated weapon, carried through more than twenty battles in service of Ieyasu)