Hattori Hanzō

Hattori Hanzō (c. 1542 – November 4, 1596) was a notable Sengoku-era warrior who served the Tokugawa clan as a ninja and is credited with saving Tokugawa Ieyasu's life and eventually assisting him in becoming the king of united Japan. In modern popular culture, he is frequently portrayed in a variety of ways. Hanz was regarded as a brilliant tactician and sword fighter.

Hanzo played an important role in Tokugawa Ieyasu's ascent to power, assisting the future Shogun in bringing down the Imagawa clan. He distinguished himself at the battles of Anegawa in 1570 and Mikatagahara in 1572. According to the Kansei Chōshū Shokafu, a genealogy of famous samurai completed in 1812 by the Tokugawa shogunate, Hattori Hanzō distinguished himself during the Battle of Mikatagahara and became captain of an Iga regiment of 150 men.

Following Oda Nobunaga's death in 1582, he transported the future shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu to safety in Mikawa Province over the Iga area with the assistance of remnants of the local Iga-ryū Ji-samurai clans as well as Kōga-ryū the adjoining local samurai families in the surrounding Koka region. Hattori Hanzo continued to serve his lord at the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute in 1584, commanding 100 men. Hattori Hanzo was given 8,000 koku for his service during the Odawara campaign in 1590. By the time Ieyasu entered Kantō, he had received a further 8,000 koku, 30 yoriki, and 200 public officials in recognition of his contributions.

In 1596, he died at the age of 54. According to one theory, he was slain by a rival Samurai, the pirate Fūma Kotarō. After tracking him down to the Inland Sea, Kotarō enticed him and his men into a narrow passage and set fire to it with oil. The second theory is that Hanzo became a monk in Edo and spent the remainder of his life there until he died of illness. Hanzo's renown as a samurai leader who commanded a squad of 200 Iga warriors has grown to legendary proportions. Hattori's escapades were frequently associated with supernatural skills such as teleportation, psychokinesis, and precognition.

Japanese name: 服部 半蔵

Born: c. 1542 in Mikawa Province
Died: December 23, 1596, in Edo, Musashi province

Nickname: Demon Hanzō

Notable battles: Attack on Udo Castle, Siege of Kaminogō Castle, Siege of Kakegawa