Abuse of a blind cat. The real Hattori Hanzo - the house of the coming sun

The True Story of Hattori Hanzo March 23rd, 2016

We have already found out who he was, and now I invite you to travel to Japan.

Hattori Hanzo may have gained fame from the movie Kill Bill, but he was a true samurai and a skilled ninja. He became a famous general and earned the nickname "Devil Hanzo". It is believed that in his youth he led a group of ninjas and gained strength under the wing of the future ruler of Japan. There is a legend that he wrote or inherited one of the oldest ninja scrolls.

Let's find out the real story of this man...

The only surviving image of Hattori Hanzo

Hattori’s youth came at the end of the legendary era, which in Japanese historiography bears the eloquent name “Sengoku Jidai” - “The Age of the Warring States.” This period ended when the first shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty, Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616), came to power. Being an excellent diplomat and military leader, he managed to do what his predecessor Oda Nobunaga dreamed of - he united Japan into a single feudal state. And it is this period that is considered the end of ninja history.

Immediately after the rapid heyday caused by the official recognition of the ninja by the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, and Takeda Shingen's attempt to unify Japan with the help of a detachment of ninja mercenaries from the Koga clan community, their rapid and sad decline followed. After the death of shogun Yoshimitsu, the new shogun Oda Nobunaga, whose life had been repeatedly attempted by mercenary ninjas of many clans, decided to put an end to ninja traditions once and for all. As part of the “cleansing” of the Iga province, his detachment defeated the combined combat detachment of several clans. Many of the ninja were captured and executed, and the few survivors scattered throughout the country. Among the few survivors was Hattori Hanzo. Together with a small group of his students who remained after the defeat of the clan, he left the burnt-out and defeated province of Iga and went to Osaka.

And this is where the surviving ninjas came in handy. Hatori Hanzo foresightedly assessed the situation and saved Tokugawa from the conspirators, thereby providing support to the future shogun and securing the patronage of the first of the Tokugawa dynasty, which would rule Japan for another 200 years. Having ascended the throne, Ieyasu Tokugawa made Hattori Hanzo the head of his secret service (as they would say now, the presidential security service) - a position as suitable as it was unexpected for a former outcast. For the first time in history, an independent ninja entered the official service of the emperor, thereby, de facto, destroying the border separating ninjas and samurai.

However, the crafty shogun turned out to be not as magnanimous as he seems. Having seen early what internal strife leads to, and how dangerous even the most devoted people can be, he continued Nobunaga’s work, completely prohibiting the practice of ninjutsu. And so it turned out that the centuries-old traditions of numerous clans were preserved only thanks to the Hattori Hanzo detachment and unknown masters who, at their own peril and risk, taught ninjutsu to their children and grandchildren. Hattori Hanzo formed his secret service only from former ninjas, and placed them in all possible positions at court, so that although the clans disappeared, their traditions lived on, although they were not accessible to any outsiders. This went on for almost a century, when in 1676 what little was preserved was eventually written down by Fujibayashi Yasutake, a samurai (!) of one of the Iga dynasties, in the form of a fundamental treatise on the techniques of the Koga and Iga clans called "Bansenshukai".

Grave of Hattori Hanzo (Master Ninja)

They, in turn, considered him unworthy to represent the great name of his father, and in 1605 the ninja rebelled against him. Armed with bows and cannons, they captured a nearby castle and demanded his removal from his post as head of the guard. If their demands were not met, they promised to kill Masanari and then commit suicide. Essentially, they acted like modern terrorists, which, in fact, in the ideas of that time, they were. However, their demands were satisfied, and this incident went down in history as the first armed uprising in a united Japan. The ninja themselves were not punished, but the squad was disbanded and divided into 4 divisions under the command of experienced samurai. The merging of the martial arts of ninja and samurai could be considered complete.

Hanzo's remains now rest in the cemetery of the Shinen-ji Temple in Shinjuku (Tokyo), which is a 5-minute walk west of JR Yotsuya Station. The inscription on the grave reads: "Hattori Hanzō, servant of the Tokugawa and respected ninja leader."

There, in the temple, the famous spears of his clan are kept, the secret of which he never conveyed to anyone.

His name was also preserved by the Hanzo Gate, which is one of the entrances to the emperor's palace, and also by the Hanzo-mon subway line (which received its name from the gate), which connects the central part of Tokyo and the southwestern suburbs. And this is not to mention the numerous comics, cartoons and films made about this legendary man.

True, we must not forget about the memory that is transmitted and reinforced by legends and films about the “Devil Hanzo”, who was not only skilled in battle, but also made katana swords. The first mention of such swords dates back to 710 AD, when the swordsman Amakuni used a sword with a curved blade, forged from dissimilar iron plates, in battle. The sword was good because it looked like a typical saber. Without changes, it went through 7 centuries.

What about the movie "Kill Bill"? The fact is that the role of Hattori Hanzo in Kill Bill is played by the famous Japanese actor Shinichi Shiba (better known as Sonny Shiba), who is considered the best performer of the role of the real Hattori Hanzo in numerous TV series of the early 80s. And this convinces us that Tarantino knew perfectly well who Hattori Hanzo really was.

sources

- Why do I always serve sake? Listen to what I have to say.
For thirty years you have been preparing fish, I have been serving sake.
If we were in the army, I would have already become a general.
- If you became a general, I would become an emperor
and still sent you for sake. So go get some sake and shut up.
Sushi master from Okinawa

- This is really Hattori Hanzo's sword...
O-Ren-Ishii's last words

"Kill Bill"

The other day I was leafing through a good Soviet book about martial arts ( Campo tradition of martial arts / Dolin, Alexander Arkadevich, Popov, German Vasilievich. - 3rd ed. - M.: Nauka, 1991), and came across a familiar name - Hattori Hanzo. There is no reason not to believe two very eminent orientalists, and the uniqueness of Japanese names excludes full namesakes, and the year of publication excludes all sorts of accidents. This is actually the same name that Tarantino used in the movie Kill Bill. Moreover, according to the film, this is a certain master of martial arts, widely known in narrow circles, “who has retained all the secrets of making and finishing a samurai sword from the depths of centuries,” the owner of a modest sushi bar on the island of Okinawa. Who is he really?

It’s strange, but in not a single collection of film bloopers or hidden hints (both Russian and English) have I found either a story about the origin of this character, or possible parallels with real historical figures. So you have to correct the omission yourself.

So, Hattori Hanzo (correctly “Hanzo”, not “Hanso”: 服部半蔵, Hattori Hanzō), also known as Masanari or Masashige (服部正成), is the son of Hattori Yasunaga, the head of the Hattori dynasty of Iga Province. Knowledgeable people will remember that the provinces of Iga and Koga were famous throughout feudal Japan primarily due to their large ninja clans. So by the “dynasty” of Hattori we mean precisely the clan of ninjas (“ryu”), which Hanzo headed, i.e. was her jounin. He had the nickname "Devil" (Oni no Hanzō), which he earned for his military merits and also to distinguish himself from his namesake from another clan, the Tokugawa, named Watanabe Nanzo. And the Hattori clan itself kept the traditions of a unique system of spear fencing.

Hattori’s youth came at the end of the legendary era, which in Japanese historiography bears the eloquent name “Sengoku Jidai” - “The Age of the Warring States.” This period ended when the first shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty, Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616), came to power. Being an excellent diplomat and military leader, he managed to do what his predecessor Oda Nobunaga dreamed of - he united Japan into a single feudal state. And it is this period that is considered the end of ninja history. Immediately after the rapid heyday caused by the official recognition of the ninja by the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, and Takeda Shingen's attempt to unify Japan with the help of a detachment of ninja mercenaries from the Koga clan community, their rapid and sad decline followed. After the death of shogun Yoshimitsu, the new shogun Oda Nobunaga, whose life had been repeatedly attempted by mercenary ninjas of many clans, decided to put an end to ninja traditions once and for all. As part of the “cleansing” of the Iga province, his detachment defeated the combined combat detachment of several clans. Many of the ninja were captured and executed, and the few survivors scattered throughout the country. Among the few survivors was Hattori Hanzo. Together with a small group of his students who remained after the defeat of the clan, he left the burnt-out and defeated province of Iga and went to Osaka.

I’ll sarcastically note that such harsh measures did not save Nobunaga. He was killed after all, in 1590, only not by ninjas, but by conspirators from among his own warriors. After this, the country fell into turmoil, and the life of Tokugawa, then not yet a shogun, was under threat. And this is where the surviving ninjas came in handy. Hatori Hanzo foresightedly assessed the situation and saved Tokugawa from the conspirators, thereby providing support to the future shogun and securing the patronage of the first of the Tokugawa dynasty, which would rule Japan for another 200 years. Having ascended the throne, Ieyasu Tokugawa made Hattori Hanzo the head of his secret service (as they would say now, the presidential security service) - a position as suitable as it was unexpected for a former outcast. For the first time in history, an independent ninja entered the official service of the emperor, thereby, de facto, destroying the border separating ninjas and samurai.

However, the crafty shogun turned out to be not as magnanimous as he seems. Having seen early what internal strife leads to, and how dangerous even the most devoted people can be, he continued Nobunaga’s work, completely prohibiting the practice of ninjutsu. And so it turned out that the centuries-old traditions of numerous clans were preserved only thanks to the Hattori Hanzo detachment and unknown masters who, at their own peril and risk, taught ninjutsu to their children and grandchildren. Hattori Hanzo formed his secret service only from former ninjas, and placed them in all possible positions at court, so that although the clans disappeared, their traditions lived on, although they were not accessible to any outsiders. This continued for almost a century, when in 1676 what little was preserved was eventually written down by Fujibayashi Yasutake, a samurai (!) of one of the Iga dynasties, in the form of a fundamental treatise on the techniques of the Koga and Iga clans called "Bansenshukai" ().

Hanzo Mazanari died in 1596, when he was only 55 years old. The age is not too old, so it is believed that he died in a battle with the Fuuma ninja clan, but there is no historical evidence for such an assumption. His post was taken by his son Masanari, who now commanded the entire guard of the Edo palace and a combat detachment of 200 people, who were subordinate only to the emperor. To avoid confusion with his father's name, he was nicknamed Iwami-no-Kami (石見守?), but he did not live up to his father's fame. Respectful of the shogun's prohibition, Hattori Hanzō did not teach his son ninjutsu, which led to the sad result - his son treated his subordinate squad of Iga warriors without due respect. They, in turn, considered him unworthy to represent the great name of his father, and in 1605 the ninja rebelled against him. Armed with bows and cannons, they captured a nearby castle and demanded his removal from his post as head of the guard. If their demands were not met, they promised to kill Masanari and then commit suicide. Essentially, they acted like modern terrorists, which, in fact, in the ideas of that time, they were. However, their demands were satisfied, and this incident went down in history as the first armed uprising in a united Japan. The ninja themselves were not punished, but the squad was disbanded and divided into 4 divisions under the command of experienced samurai. The merging of the martial arts of ninja and samurai could be considered complete.

There, in the temple, the famous spears of his clan are kept, the secret of which he never conveyed to anyone.

So what about the legend about the keeper of the traditions of creating samurai swords, who now makes sushi in Okinawa (the birthplace of karate, by the way)? But no way, this nonsense is entirely on Tarantino’s conscience. And by calling his hero that name, he was demonstratively going for vulgarity. After all, it’s the same as in a film about the Italian mafia, a St. Petersburg cop named Ilya Muromets suddenly appears.
Moreover, why Tarantino did this is unclear, because there is one more interesting fact left (or, as it is fashionable to say now, “cameo”).

The fact is that the role of Hattori Hanzo in Kill Bill is played by the famous Japanese actor Shinichi Shiba (better known as Sonny Shiba), who is considered the best performer of the role present Hattori Hanzo in numerous TV series in the early 80s.
And this convinces us that Tarantino knew perfectly well who Hattori Hanzo really was. Probably the director just decided to make a joke...

Let's find out the real story of this man...

The only surviving image of Hattori Hanzo

Hattori’s youth came at the end of the legendary era, which in Japanese historiography bears the eloquent name “Sengoku Jidai” - “The Age of the Warring States.” This period ended when the first shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty, Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542–1616), came to power. Being an excellent diplomat and military leader, he managed to do what his predecessor Oda Nobunaga dreamed of - he united Japan into a single feudal state. And it is this period that is considered the end of ninja history.

And this is where the surviving ninjas came in handy. Hatori Hanzo foresightedly assessed the situation and saved Tokugawa from the conspirators, thereby providing support to the future shogun and securing the patronage of the first of the Tokugawa dynasty, which would rule Japan for another 200 years. Having ascended the throne, Ieyasu Tokugawa made Hattori Hanzo the head of his secret service (as they would say now, the presidential security service) - a position that was both suitable and unexpected for a former outcast. For the first time in history, an independent ninja entered the official service of the emperor, thereby, de facto, destroying the border separating ninjas and samurai.

Grave of Hattori Hanzo (Master Ninja)

They, in turn, considered him unworthy to represent the great name of his father, and in 1605 the ninja rebelled against him. Armed with bows and cannons, they captured a nearby castle and demanded his removal from his post as head of the guard. If their demands were not met, they promised to kill Masanari and then commit suicide. Essentially, they acted like modern terrorists, which, in fact, in the ideas of that time, they were. However, their demands were met, and this incident went down in history as the first armed uprising in a united Japan. The ninja themselves were not punished, but the squad was disbanded and divided into 4 divisions under the command of experienced samurai. The merging of the martial arts of ninja and samurai could be considered complete.

The True Story of Hattori Hanzo January 8th, 17:00

We have already found out who he was, and now I invite you to travel to Japan.

Let's find out the real story of this man...

The only surviving image of Hattori Hanzo

Hattori's youth came at the end of the legendary era, which in Japanese historiography bears the eloquent name "Sengoku Jidai" - "The Age of the Warring States." This period ended when the first shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty, Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542–1616), came to power. Being an excellent diplomat and military leader, he managed to do what his predecessor Oda Nobunaga dreamed of - he united Japan into a single feudal state. And it is this period that is considered the end of ninja history.

And this is where the surviving ninjas came in handy. Hatori Hanzo foresightedly assessed the situation and saved Tokugawa from the conspirators, thereby providing support to the future shogun and securing the patronage of the first of the Tokugawa dynasty, which would rule Japan for another 200 years. Having ascended the throne, Ieyasu Tokugawa made Hattori Hanzo the head of his secret service (as they would say now, the presidential security service) - a position that was both suitable and unexpected for a former outcast. For the first time in history, an independent ninja entered the official service of the emperor, thereby, de facto, destroying the border separating ninjas and samurai.

Grave of Hattori Hanzo (Master Ninja)

There, in the temple, the famous spears of his clan are kept, the secret of which he never conveyed to anyone.

sources

Phantom Locksmith

The legendary Japanese ninja Hattori Hanzo appears in countless films and novels, dressed in black, flying through the sky, digging tunnels underground and disappearing into the darkness. Ironically, the name of this real-life ninja is rarely found in historical documents. His life story is vague - which, in fact, was to be expected from him.
Hanzo was a member of the Hattori family, leaders of the ninja community of Iga Province in feudal Japan. It is believed that there were at least four ninjas who bore this name. It is generally accepted that the man who made Hattori Hanzo famous was named Masanari. It is said that he began training on Mount Kurama north of Kyoto at the age of eight and became a full-fledged ninja at twelve, successfully becoming a master by the age of eighteen. His father Yasunaga served Matsudaira Kiyoyasu, ruler of Mikawa and grandfather of the future shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. Although Hanzo was born and raised in Mikawa, he often returned to Iga, the home of the Hattori family.
The Iga and Koga regions were the birthplace of ninjutsu and had over 70 secret societies that practiced this art. Surrounded by mountains, it housed the largest institutions teaching military tactics. Onmedo, the Chinese system of fortune telling, propagated in Kyoto by Abe Seimei, was also brought here from the capital. Thus, the village of Yagyu, located along the Kyoto-Nara border, was home to a respected school of sword fighting techniques, and the Hozo Temple supported a unique school of spear fighting. To put it simply, all the arts necessary for ninjutsu could be mastered within a 45-mile radius of Iga.

A folk song from Mikawa, which appeared sometime in the mid-sixteenth century, speaks of Hattori Hanzo as one of the three bravest servants of the Tokugawa shogun:

There are valiant men in the Tokugawa Palace:
Hattori Hanzo, nicknamed Hanzo the Devil,
Watanabe Hanzo, nicknamed Hanzo-Spear,
Atsume Gengo, nicknamed Gengo the Executioner.

The Iga and Koga region is a small pocket formed by a ring of mountains in the center of the Kinki region. Although quite impregnable, over the course of many years it nevertheless absorbed the culture of Kyoto, Osaka and Nagoya thanks to its proximity to them. For approximately 100 years after the Onin War, during the Warring States Period (mid-15th to mid-16th centuries), Iga and Koga remained unconquered by outside warlords: attacks were greatly hampered by the mountains. On the other hand, local residents also never tried to expand their possessions beyond the boundaries of the pit. However, the region was not immune to violence. Each village had a fortification, behind the walls of which the army was kept and intrigues were built.
So warriors who specialized in elimination, political struggle and espionage first made their presence known here. Tanba Momochi and Nagato Fujibayashi, both natives of Iga, founded the first ninjutsu societies based on traditional fighting techniques, but they became mainly famous for the use of techniques that were little known at the time. Over time, their schools improved techniques and developed new ones, combining them with those taught in other surrounding combat schools.

According to legend, Hattori Hanzo is known as a ninja warrior with superhuman strength. They say he could sit behind a fan, bow and disappear, only to appear in the next room. He also possessed the art of tying up an enemy who had sneaked up on him unnoticed, while sitting motionless in a seiza pose. Hattori was famous as a “mysterious” warrior with psychokinesis and psychometry. Supernaturally, he could recognize the enemy's plans and determine the strength of the enemy army.
A well-known story tells of Hanzo and Tokugawa Ieyasu, the future Shogun of Japan, as follows. The general was fond of martial arts and was himself an excellent marksman, a master of the sword and an excellent swimmer. One day, when he was twenty-five or twenty-six, while still living in Mikawa, he grabbed Hattori by the collar, dragged him to the river and pulled him under the water. While Hanzo calmly continued to hold his breath, Ieyasu was forced to the surface, gasping for air. Pale and exhausted, he finally crawled ashore. "How long can a ninja stay underwater?" - he asked. “One or two days, sir. In general, as much as you require,” answered Hanzo, who then dived again. Several hours passed, but Hattori still did not make himself known. Ieyasu became agitated and, together with his servants, began calling for him. Hanzo then rose to the surface, releasing air bubbles. He smiled without even being at all out of breath. Hattori handed something to Ieyasu, and he could not help but involuntarily cry out in amazement. It was a short sword that he put on after dressing on the shore.
“But I wasn’t under water all this time,” Hanzo proudly told his amazed listeners. - After diving into the water, I swam to the shore, hid behind the rocks and dozed off. When they called me, I dived under the water and surfaced again. I apologize for your sword, my lord. But it’s still ninjutsu.” Ieyasu was deeply amazed.

Ieyasu later established a centralized rule that lasted nearly 300 years and spanned fifteen generations of the Tokugawa family. He would not have been such a talented ruler if he had not had the ability to attract and use people useful to him. To collect the information he needed, Tokugawa recruited representatives from various walks of life. For example, the support he received from ninjas like Hattori could not be measured. During the Warring States Era, they were primarily used as murder weapons or for gathering information. Many daimyos resorted to their services, but, as one might guess, no one managed to subjugate them like Tokugawa Ieyasu - in this regard, he himself was like a ninja.

The story of the relationship between Ieyasu and the Iga ninja is well known in Japan. Accompanying Ieyasu, who was informed of Nobunaga's betrayal at Honno-ji, Hattori Hanzo suggested to his master that he enter Iga, return to Mikawa with the help of ninja from Iga and Koga, and then attack. Ieyasu agreed, and Hanzo visited a famous ninja who lived on the border of Iga and Koga, asking him for help. Traveling with Ieyasu and acting as his guide, he fired a rocket into the sky to signal the ninja to assemble at Otogi Pass, on the border of Iga and Koga. When Ieyasu arrived at the pass, about three hundred ninja had already gathered there. Hanzo sent Ieyasu to Kago, remaining himself to guard the future shogun. Guarded by ninjas, Ieyasu headed towards Mikawa, calmly overcoming danger both day and night. At the same time, Hanzo received messages about the results of the attack on Honno-ji and the movements of various daimyo. In turn, he reported this to Ieyasu, who was riding next to him.

Two hundred ninjas who served as guards were constantly at Ieyasu’s service - they were members of the “Iga Gang” under the leadership of Hanzo. They accompanied him in 1590, when Ieyasu entered Edo. Outside the western gate of Edo Castle, they were given an area to live in. This area was named Hanzo-cho, and the western gate at the back of the castle was called Hanzo Mon Gate.
City sanctuaries, as well as temples and servants' quarters, were designed in such a way as to prevent enemy attacks. The very creation of the ninja quarter outside the western gate was a trick, since it was located in the back of the castle and people in it could get out unnoticed and launch a surprise attack on the enemy - in addition, ninjas were the best guards for the castle.
The Koga Gang, which had performed admirably during the Battle of Sekigahara, was entrusted with protecting the castle gates. In peacetime, they guarded the castle around the clock; during war, they spied on the enemy.
Hanzo Masanari died in 1590 at the age of fifty-five. He was succeeded by his eighteen-year-old son, who was also named Masanari, although Chinese uses different characters to write this name. Hanzo's son never mastered ninjutsu, and did not find much understanding with the members of the Iga Gang. The ninja did not consider him worthy of bearing the name Hanzo and eventually rebelled. Armed with guns and bows, they hid in a nearby temple and demanded his resignation. They swore that if their demand was not met, they would kill Masanari, and at the same time themselves - for good measure. Their numbers were quite impressive, so historians believe that this incident can be considered the first strike in Japanese history.
In 1605, the Iga Gang split into four factions, each led by a low-ranking samurai. Since then, they could not boast of such a leader as Hattori Hanzo.
Winter and Summer Campaigns in Osaka 1614-1615. were the largest battles in the entire history of the Japanese Islands - it was then that Tokugawa destroyed Toyotomi. These battles served as the dramatic finale of the Warring States Era and also the stage on which the ninja played their most important roles.

Ninjas have excellently developed the art of sending letters using arrows. When Sanada Yukimura, the brave Toyotomi general and talented tactician, was busy hatching plans somewhere in the bins of Osaka Castle, Ieyasu managed to send him an arrow with a letter offering an estate with an income of 100,000 koku of rice. It is known that he also had ninjas working for him, disguised as ronin - unemployed samurai - who went to the besieged Osaka, collected information and spread misinformation, simultaneously making inquiries about members of the garrison. This was one of the parts of Ieyasu's spy network: in addition to them, he used freshly captured Toyotomi ninjas as double agents. At times he allowed prisoners to escape by letting them hear false plans.

Because the ninja operated under the cover of darkness, the extent of their participation in the Winter and Summer campaigns will never be known. Some historians attribute the fall of the Toyotomi largely to their efforts.

In the early years of the Tokugawa period, ninja were vigilant protectors of the shogun. But with the advent of peacetime, they had fewer and fewer opportunities to practice their craft. The Iga Gang and other similar ninja associations disintegrated.

Hanzo's remains now rest in the cemetery of the Sainen-ji Temple in Shinjuku (Tokyo). Here, in the temple, his favorite spears are also kept, the secret of which he never conveyed to anyone. The inscription on his grave reads "Hattori Hanzo, servant of the Tokugawa and respected ninja leader."