Hattori Hanzo

Introduction

Speaking of Hattori Hanzo, many people probably imagine a “Ninja” who uses Ninjutsu (ninja techniques).However, did you know that there was even more than one Hattori Hanzo?

One of the most famous Hattori Hanzo is a vassal of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the second generation of Hattori Hanzo.Although the second Hattori Hanzo was a Samurai, he was also the leader of the Ninjas. He played an instrumental role by successfully commanding them.In this section, we will introduce the second Hattori Hanzo, a prominent Samurai and even a leader of the Ninja.

Hattori Hanzou the second

“Hattori Hanzo” is not a specific name that can refer to any particular person.The head of the Hattori Hanzo family inherited the name. More than ten people assumed this distinguished name from the Warring States period to the end of the Edo period.

Moreover, while Hattori Hanzo may have an influential and well-known image as a Ninja, not all of them were Ninjas. 

• The first generation: Ninja
• From the second generation onward: Samurai

As you see, many of them played an essential role as Samurai.

The most famous in particular is Hattori Hanzo the Second.The second Hanzo was a Samurai who served Tokugawa Ieyasu and contributed to Ieyasu’s establishment of the Edo Shogunate and his becoming Shogun. In addition, he also served as the head of the Iga Ninja (a secret agent in feudal Japan highly skilled in stealth and secrecy) and used their abilities to the maximum.

• Hattori Hanzo the Second: Real name is Hattori Masanari
• His birth year: 1542
• The place of his birth: Mikawa (present Aichi Prefecture)
• His father: Hanzo Hattori the First, real name Yasunaga
• His first battle: Attack on Kaminogo-jo Castle in 1557

Hanzo Hattori, the First, father of Hanzo the Second, was a Ninja from Iga Province (present-day Mie Prefecture), known as the Iga Ninja.They probably employed Ninjutsu (literally, Ninja arts) to collect information about their enemies and to undertake subversive activities.Later, the first Hattori Hanzo departed Iga while leading a band of Ninjas. And he moved to Mikawa Province, which is now Aichi Prefecture, where he entered the service of the feudal lord Matsudaira Kiyoyasu.

Thus, in 1542, Hattori Masanari, or the second Hattori Hanzo, took birth in Mikawa.Since he was not the eldest son, this Hanzo had to enter a temple to train as a monk.As a mighty and naughty boy, he escaped from the temple, hoping to grow up as a Samurai. And with the help of his older brothers, he developed his training toward being a Samurai.

In those days, Japan faced a period of warfare in which feudal lords battled each other, aiming to expand their power.Therefore, Hanzo entered the samurai world and spent most of his years fighting and serving Ieyasu Tokugawa, the grandson of Kiyoyasu.

In 1557, at 16, Hanzo followed Tokugawa Ieyasu and joined him in a battle for the first time.He attacked Kaminogo-jo castle in Mikawa and engaged in a night raid.During this battle, Hattori Hanzo distinguished himself brilliantly by wielding his spear and successfully captured Nagateru, the son of Nagamochi Udono, the lord of the castle.For his outstanding achievement in his first battle, Tokugawa Ieyasu granted Hattori Hanzo a spear as a special reward.Since then, Hanzo served under Tokugawa Ieyasu in many battles and played an instrumental role as a Samurai.

In 1563, in Mikawa, Ieyasu faced conflicts with people who believed in the Ikko sect of Buddhism, which sparked the Ikko Ikki (uprising of Ikko sect followers). Among Ieyasu’s vassals were many members of the Ikko sect, and some of them sided with the Ikko sect, resulting in a split in the vassals’ group. Hanzo and his family were members of the Ikkou sect. However, he pledged his loyalty to Ieyasu and fought the Ikkou revolt, where he was victorious.By remaining devoted to Ieyasu until the end, Hanzo acquired Ieyasu’s trust.

His distinguished accomplishments at the battles of Anegawa and Mikatagahara

After winning Ieyasu’s trust, in 1569, at 28, Hanzo assumed the role of Tsukaiban (a person responsible for order and patrol on the battlefield) during the siege of Kakegawa Castle by Imagawa Ujizane.Tsukaiban refers to the crucial role in the battlefield of dispatching messages, analyzing the battle conditions, and serving as a messenger to the enemy camp. Therefore, only a samurai of outstanding ability and courage can fulfill this essential role. We can see from this how Hanzo enjoyed great trust from Ieyasu already.

During this battle, Hanzo also displayed all his superb and monstrous strength. They say that at the head of the army, he stormed forward, knocking down horse and foe with his great spear and tossing away one another as lightly as if they were pebbles. According to the legend, when he hit two of his enemies, they bled to death, so he must have been mighty and strong.

We estimate that Hanzo’s spear was 120 cm long at the spearhead alone and may have been 3 to 4 meters in total length. Swinging such a huge spear around with vigor might have made him look terrifying and fierce, like an ogre.For this reason, he came to be known as “Hanzo the Ogre” in honor of his heroic and fearless spirit.Brilliantly accomplished with a giant spear, Hattori Hanzo also earned the prestigious fame of being the first spearman, a tremendous honor for Samurai warriors.Being the first to spear means rushing headfirst into the enemy camp with a spear or other weapon. You have to be highly confident in your skills and be a courageous and daring warrior before you can do this.

On the other hand, in the case of Hanzo

In the Battle of Anegawa

In the Battle of Mikagahara

In the two separate fights, he played the spearhead in both.

The Battle of Anegawa occurred in 1570 when Tokugawa and Oda allied forces confronted the allied troops of Nagamasa Asai and Yoshikage Asakura.At the Anegawa bank, Hanzo earned the highest credit for being the first spearman.

In 1572, during the Battle of Mikatagahara between Shingen Takeda and the allied forces of Nobunaga Oda and Ieyasu Tokugawa, Hanzo again gained the glorious achievement of the first spearman.However, in this battle, the Tokugawa forces suffered a crushing defeat against the Takeda forces, considered the most powerful and formidable in the Warring States period.

As Ieyasu lost the battle, he had to retreat to his castle, Hamamatsu Castle. Even though injured on his face and knees, Hanzo accompanied Ieyasu. However, as soon as he noticed the enemy’s horse gaining on Ieyasu’s horse, he wrestled with them for victory and thus defended Ieyasu.Fortunately, the Tokugawa forces managed to return to Hamamatsu Castle, but overall morale on his side declined. At that point, Hanzo dashed out of the castle alone and dared to fight single combat against the enemy. Hanzo defeated the onrushing enemy and brought back his foe’s head, which significantly bolstered the morale of his allies.Ieyasu highly admired Hanzo’s outstanding efforts and granted him a spear and 150 Iga-shu to serve as his retainers.

While performing distinguished achievements as a samurai, Hanzo occasionally demonstrated his functions as a Ninja.

Before the Battle of Mikatagahara, Hanzo had successfully detected ninjas of the Takeda clan sneaking into the Tokugawa family and thus conquered them. Only a real ninja can spot who a ninja is. Although not trained as a ninja, Hanzo probably inherited his knowledge of ninjutsu from his father. When he was young, his father gave him a book of secrets on Iga-style ninjutsu.

Despite being feared as “Hanzo the Ogre”, he also possessed a sympathetic and tender-hearted personality.

In 1579, Ieyasu’s son Nobuyasu committed seppuku (suicide by disembowelment) according to the intention of Oda Nobunaga, and Hanzo received an order from Ieyasu to assist Nobuyasu in cutting off his head.When it came time for Hanzo to serve as a suicide assistant, he burst into tears, saying, “I cannot lay a hand on the heir apparent of my lord, for we have served the lord since his father’s time”. He could not lower his sword, so another person helped the suicide.On hearing about the incident, Ieyasu did not get angry at Hanzo for disobeying his order. On the contrary, he became deeply impressed, saying, “Even the ogre can’t cut off his lord’s son”.

Many years later, Hanzo built a temple dedicated to Nobuyasu.

The Honnoji Incident and Igagoe (literally, going over Iga)

One of the most widely known episodes of Hattori Hanzo is Igagoe (the Iga crossing), which saved Ieyasu’s life from the most significant crisis.

In 1582, Ieyasu Tokugawa’s ally Nobunaga Oda was murdered in Kyoto by his vassal Mitsuhide Akechi in the Incident of the Honnohji Temple.

As invited by Nobunaga at this time, Ieyasu stayed in Sakai, near Kyoto, with a few of his vassals.

Upon receiving the news about Nobunaga’s death, Ieyasu realized they were in a critical predicament.

Most of Nobunaga’s leading vassals had already headed out to fight in the provinces, so they could not immediately return to Kyoto. For this reason, Mitsuhide, after killing Nobunaga, readily brought Kyoto under his control.

Since Mitsuhide knew that Ieyasu, an ally of Nobunaga, stayed in Sakai with a limited number of his soldiers, he intended to assault Ieyasu at any moment. With only a handful of soldiers, Ieyasu’s side faced an impending attack.

Upset about the situation, Ieyasu insisted on following Nobunaga and committing Seppuku (suicide by disembowelment). However, his retainers persuaded Ieyasu first to return to his home in Mikawa and establish a solid regime for destroying Mitsuhide. Thus, Ieyasu decided to go back to Mikawa first.

There lay the problem, however: the route to return home. Mitsuhide suppressed all the significant roads so they could not pass through.

Accordingly, they chose to take a route from the south of Kyoto across the mountains of Iga to Ise (present-day Mie Prefecture) and sail back to Mikawa.

They used the mountains’ so-called “back roads” to reach Ise.

Nevertheless, the Iga crossing was also a risky route.

Not only did they have to pass through deep mountains, but the Iga region boasted numerous powerful armed forces, including Ninja and revolt forces. Many bandits and fallen warriors frequently appeared in the area.

Besides, this area suffered a massive invasion by Nobunaga last year. Because of their hostility, there was an expectation that the locals in this area would attack Ieyasu, a close ally of Nobunaga.

For Ieyasu, crossing the Iga meant a life-threatening exodus.

Anayama Baisetsu, as he went his separate route from Ieyasu along the way, ended up being attacked and killed by the local samurais.

On this occasion, Hanzo, a man familiar with the Iga region, offered to serve as a guide.

When Hanzo signaled a counterattack at an Otogi Toge mountain pass, approximately 200 Ninjas from Iga and Kouga gathered there. He negotiated with them and established arrangements for them to offer directions and guards.

Hanzo urged the revolters to make way for them on the way, and when they came under attack, he repelled them with Iga-shu and others. At one point, even Hanzo got so wounded that he seemed to almost die.

Ieyasu successfully managed to overcome the arduous journey. From Ise, he took a ship and barely escaped with his life to return to Mikawa.

For Ieyasu, once braced for death, it was a miracle to come back alive.

After this, Ieyasu assigned 200 Iga-shu who guarded him to his vassals and appointed Hanzo as their chieftain, as he had a close connection with him.

From then on, Hanzo continued to play an increasingly prominent role in the battle while successfully incorporating espionage and other activities.

The same year as the Honnoji Incident, the Takeda clan, with territories in Shinano, Kai, and Ueno, had collapsed.

Consequently, the Tokugawa and the Hojo clan of Sagami (present-day Kanagawa Prefecture) began competing for that domain.

Thus occurred the Tenshojingo no ran (Tenshojingo Rebellion).

Leading the Iga men to battle, Hanzo received an order to march into Kai and watch the Hojo clan’s activities. He launched a night attack on the Egusa Castle in Shinano, where the Hojo forces had entered, and destroyed the castle.

In addition, Hanzo intended to defeat the enemy’s solid fortifications. However, the fort was so defensively strong that even the powerful Takeda family could not bring it down. Thus, winning was virtually impossible, even if they usually attacked it. First, Hanzo sent one of his Iga men to sneak into the castle to investigate what was happening inside. So he grasped their weakness and attacked them down under cover of heavy rain.

They say Ieyasu was so impressed as to wonder: “‘Did you succeed in defeating a fort that even Takeda could not accomplish in the past?”

Hanzo accompanied an Iga man the following year to protect Yamura Castle in Kai Province.

In this way, Hanzo seemed to utilize the Ninjas and play an integral role offensively and defensively.

His successful military efforts in the conquest of Odawara

Hanzo himself was a superb master of the spear, but that was not his only skill. He could also be a skilled user of the guns that had only just begun to become employed in Japan then.

In 1582, over the succession of Oda Nobunaga, who lost his life in the face of unifying the country, Nobunaga’s vassal Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Nobunaga’s son, Nobukatsu, began to dispute with each other. Nobukatsu gained on his ally Ieyasu, a paramount feudal lord at the time. As for Ieyasu, he was concerned about the further expansion of Hideyoshi’s power, so he agreed to side with Nobukatsu.

Hideyoshi Toyotomi vs. Nobukatsu Oda and Ieyasu Tokugawa

This conflict was the beginning of the Battle of Komaki-Nagakute.

During this battle, the Iga-shu’s ability to gain helpful information saved Ieyasu’s life again. At this time, Toyotomi’s forces formed a campaign to attack Mikawa Province while Ieyasu was absent from the province.

However, the Iga-shu were the first on the scene to detect this plan and immediately reported it to Ieyasu.

By this earliest information, Ieyasu could strike a pincer attack on Toyotomi’s forces as they moved toward Mikawa.

With the sudden and unexpected attack of the Tokugawa forces, Toyotomi’s army immediately descended into chaos. Therefore, many of its generals eventually died in the battle. On this occasion, Hanzo organized an Iga and Kouga group to lead an army of guns as they successfully repelled Toyotomi’s forces. The Ninjas were skilled in handling fire, including gunpowder, and they were adept at dealing with firearms. It is clear that with their intelligence activities and guns, the Iga Shu led by Hanzo had an increasing influence on the region.

In 1590, Toyotomi Hideyoshi embarked on one of the most ambitious attacks on the Hojo clan in the Kanto region as the final stage of his unification of the country.

The rival Hojo clan confined themselves to the solid Odawara Castle, enabling Toyotomi’s forces to surround the castle with a large army.

Ieyasu participated on Toyotomi’s side, while Hanzo led the Negoroshu (a group of armed priests in Negoro-ji Temple) to march in the battle as a Teppo Bugyo (Commissioner of Guns).

The Negoroshu consisted of a group of people who employed guns made in Kii Province (Kii no Kuni, present-day Wakayama Prefecture). At this battle, Hanzo bravely fought with vigor and defeated eighteen men.

Eventually, the Hojo clan was forced to surrender, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi unified the country. He moved his domain to Tokugawa Ieyasu, who moved to the Kanto region and established himself as a substantial feudal lord with 2.5 million koku.

Hanzo received a special reward for his conquest of Odawara and climbed the rank of Hatamoto (a direct vassal of the shogun). He possessed a territorial domain of 8,000 koku (1 koku=5.12 US bushels: 8000 koku=40,960 US bushels of rice crop per year for income from his territory), the equivalent of that of a feudal lord. In addition, he was also granted 200 Iga Doshin group (Iga unit Constabulary) and brought them under his command.

Previously, he had been the leader of the Iga in every battle. However, now he officially assumed the role of controlling and leading the Iga under his command. This position meant that he rose to the top of the Tokugawa Ninja. Hanzo himself was not a Ninja, but his ancestors were. Presumably, for this reason, he was entrusted with organizing the Ninja.

Hanzo immediately assigned Iga Doshin to the place guarding Hanzomon Gate and reinforced the security of Edo Castle. Even today, the name “Hanzomon Gate” of Edo Castle remains. This name originated from the Hattori family’s mansion nearby, where the Iga Conshin group used to guard over this area. According to some sources, Ieyasu had intended to evacuate through the Hanzomon Gate to Kofu if Edo Castle came under invasion.

We can see how much trust Ieyasu placed in Hanzo, especially since Ieyasu entrusted him with arranging his escape at the last moment.

Hanzo also improved and structured the Iga Shu to establish a system for intelligence-gathering activities. Even after Hanzo’s death, during the Battle of Osaka, Iga shu sneaked into Osaka Castle to seek information.

Hanzo integrated all of the Iga Ninja into a single group, thereby successfully forming the system of the Ninja for the Tokugawa family.

Hanzo ranks among Tokugawa Ieyasu’s retainers as one of the Tokugawa juroku shinsho (the 16 great protective deities for Tokugawa) who played a notable role in battle. However, he also clearly recognized the importance of not only spear work but also Ninja function in combat. Therefore, he played a tremendous role as the organizer of all Tokugawa family Ninja.

The last battle of Hanzo’s military life was during the Bunrokunoeki War in 1592 (Japan’s first invasion of Korea). He went to Nagoya in Hizen Province to fight as a magistrate of guns (Teppo Bugyo). While waiting here, the two families in the same camp, the Tokugawa and Maeda, fought over a trivial matter. The record states that Hanzo pointed his gun at the Maeda’s side.

Subsequently, Hanzo entered the priesthood and adopted the name “Sainen”. In 1597, at 55, Hanzo passed away due to illness.

Note that Hanzo’s spear, said to have been used by him, can still be preserved at the Sainenji Temple in Tokyo.

Onikiri maru (Ogre Slayer) was the spear he used at the Battle of Anegawa as Ichiban-yari (the first to thrust a spear at an enemy soldier). While part of the spear is missing, the remaining portion has a total length of 258 cm. Its size reflects how monstrously powerful Hanzo was in wielding his large spear.

The Death of Hattori Masanari and After

Immediately after Hattori Hanzo, the second, died, his eldest son, Masanari, succeeded him as Hattori Hanzo the third.

Hanzo, the third generation, protected and guarded Ieyasu as Teppo Bugyo (Commissioners of guns) before the Battle of Sekigahara, where he used Iga-shu to reconnoiter castles and other locations.

He seemed to achieve perfect sailing with Ieyasu’s niece as his wife.

However, this Hanzo was not popular with his people.

They say that when he built his mansion, he forced the Iga Doshin clan to help him and even tried to get them to provide him with building materials.

Moreover, he reduced or did not pay salaries to those that did not obey him.

Even though the Doshin are under the control of the Hattori family, it does not mean that the family is allowed to use them for private purposes. Accordingly, the Iga Doshin group appealed their dissatisfaction to the Shogunate. There was no punishment for Hanzo at this time, but probably the shogunate’s impression of him had deteriorated. Later on, on the grounds of Hanzo’s blunder, the family was demolished.

One theory is that something more radical was happening at this time.

In 1605, two hundred members of the Iga Doshin clan, armed with bows and guns, bravely barricaded themselves in Sasadera temple, prepared to die in battle, and rebelled against Hanzo. Then, they called for Hanzo’s dismissal and an increase in his salary. In other words, this was a strike of force.

The Shogunate surrounded the temple, but Doshin and his followers freely escaped from it using their stealthy ninja skills to storm around the city.

According to some, this Sasadera Temple may have been a secret base where Ninjas would gather to help the Shogun escape in case he was targeted. We are curious if it is true, but some say many loopholes led to this Sasadera Temple. The Iga Doshin members possibly entered and exited the temple through this loophole.

As a result, the Shogunate eventually examined the complaints of the Iga Doshin group and realized that they were right, thereby dismissing Hanzo. On the other hand, they also punished ten conspirators of the Iga clan, but two of them managed to escape.

Frustrated by his dismissal, Hanzo looked around for the fugitives and finally located one and killed him. Yet, to his surprise, he had mistaken him for someone else.

Not only that, the person he killed was a retainer of Ina Tadatsugu, the head governor of Kanto in the Tokugawa shogunate.

These factors may have led to the demise of the Hattori family.

We do not know if there was a strike, but we do know that the Hattori family was forced to take it down.

Hanzo was transferred to his wife’s family, the Matsudaira family, the feudal lords of Ise Kuwana. However, in 1615, Hanzo finally got his chance for revenge. The Tokugawa family threatened to destroy the Toyotomi family in the Battle of Osaka. Hanzo was eager to earn any credit by joining the battle. He participated in the army of Ieyasu’s son, Matsudaira Tadateru, and fought vigorously, but he lost his life in battle.

However, Hanzo’s corpse was never able to be discovered. Back then, anyone whose body failed to be found suffered the loss of his family. Therefore, Hanzo’s death had no honor, making it impossible for the Hattori family to revive again.

Perhaps the Iga group’s members hid the body, as they had a grudge against him.

However, the name Hattori Hanzo has continued to survive.

In retrospect, after Hattori Hanzo the 3rd demolished his family, his younger brother Masashige (Masashige, Masanari’s second son) inherited his name and became Hattori Hanzo the 4th.

However, Masashige was a branch family unrelated to the Iga Doshin group and did not seem to have any involvement with the Ninja. Masashige subsequently separated from the shogunate for whatever reason and became a wandering samurai. Later in his life, however, Matsudaira Masatsuna, the feudal lord of Ise Kuwana, invited him to become his vassal and granted him 2,000 koku (approximately 360.78 cubic meters of crop yields). Since then, his descendants served as retainers in the Matsudaira family of Kuwana, and they succeeded to the name of Hattori Hanzo until the Meiji era (1868-1912). In addition, the son of the third Hanzo, who died in the Battle of Osaka, became a retainer of the Matsudaira family of Kuwana.

Summary

Hattori Hanzo was the name passed down through generations, and from the first generation onward worked as a Samurai, not as a Ninja.

The second Hattori Hanzo, or Hattori Masanari, was a Samurai who served Tokugawa Ieyasu with his spear work from his early years.

However, partly because his father was a Ninja, he must have gained a deep understanding of the Ninjas. When Ieyasu appointed him to organize the Ninjas, he successfully manipulated them to gather information. He gained Ieyasu’s trust in his espionage activities as well. He also organized an artillery corps employing Ninja troops.

Through such work, the second Hanzo succeeded in establishing the role of the Iga Ninja in the Tokugawa family. In this respect, we can say that the second Hanzo was indeed a true leader of the Ninja.