Hanzo hattori, big name. Real hattori hanzo - house of the coming sun

Ghost 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 Ironically, the name of this ninja who actually existed is rarely found in historical documents. The history of his life is vague - which, in fact, was to be expected from him.
Hanzo was a member of the Hattori family, leaders of the ninja community in Iga province in feudal Japan. It is believed that there were at least four ninja wearing given name. It is generally accepted that the person who made famous personality Hattori Hanzo, 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 as Matsudaira Kyoyasu, 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 regions of Iga and Koga were the birthplace of ninjutsu and numbered over 70 secret societies who practiced this art. Surrounded by mountains, there were the largest institutions teaching military tactics. Onmedo, the Chinese fortune-telling system, which was spread in Kyoto by Abe Seimei, was also brought here from the capital. So the village of Yagyu, located along the Kyoto-Nara border, served as the home of a respected school of sword fighting techniques, and the Hozo temple maintained a one-of-a-kind school of spear fighting. To put it simply, all the arts necessary for ninjutsu could be mastered within a radius of 45 miles from Iga.

IN folk song from Mikawa, which appeared sometime in the middle of the sixteenth century, Hattori Hanzo is spoken of 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 the Spear,
Atsume Gengo, nicknamed Gengo the Executioner.

The Iga and Koga region is a small pit formed by a mountain ring in the center of the Kinki region. Being quite impregnable, over the course of many years, he nevertheless absorbed the culture of Kyoto, Osaka and Nagoya thanks to his neighborhood with them. For about 100 years after the Ōnin War, during the Warring States Period (mid-15th to mid-16th century), Iga and Koga remained unconquered by outside warlords, with mountains heavily hampering attacks. On the other side, locals also never tried to expand their holdings beyond the pit. However, the region was not immune from violence. In each village there was a fortification, behind the walls of which the army was kept and intrigues were built.
So the warriors who specialized in elimination, political struggle and espionage, first declared themselves here. Tanba Momochi and Nagato Fujibayashi, both natives of Iga, established the first ninjutsu societies based on traditional technique combat, but mostly they became famous for the use of little-known techniques at that time. Their schools improved techniques over time and developed new ones, combining them with those taught in other surrounding martial 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 reappear in the next room. He also possessed the art of tying up an enemy who crept up on him unnoticed, while sitting motionless in a seiza position. Hattori was famous for being a "mysterious" warrior with psychokinesis and psychometry. Supernaturally, he could recognize the plans of the enemy and determine the power of the enemy army.
Fine famous history tells about Hanzo and Tokugawa Ieyasu, the future shogun of Japan, the following. The general was fond of martial arts and was himself an excellent shooter, sword master and excellent swimmer. Once, at the age of twenty-five or twenty-six, while still living in Mikawa, he grabbed Hattori by the scruff of the neck, dragged him to the river and dragged him under the water. While Hanzo calmly continued to hold his breath, Ieyasu was forced to get to the surface, gasping for air. Pale and exhausted, he finally climbed ashore. "How long can a ninja stay underwater?" - he asked. “One or two days, sir. In general, as much as you require, ”replied Hanzo, who then dived again. A few hours passed, but Hattori still did not make himself felt. Ieyasu got excited and together with his servants began to call him. Then Hanzo rose to the surface, releasing air bubbles. He smiled, not even breathless. Hattori handed something to Ieyasu, who couldn't help but scream in surprise. It was a short sword that he put on after dressing on the shore.
“Why, I haven’t been under water all this time,” Hanzo proudly told his astonished 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 beg your pardon for your sword, my lord. But it's still ninjutsu." Ieyasu was deeply impressed.

Later, Ieyasu 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 possessed the ability to attract and use people useful to him. To collect the information he needed, Tokugawa attracted representatives from various walks of life. For example, the support he received from ninja like Hattori cannot be measured. During the Warring States Age, they were mainly used as assassination weapons or for information gathering. Many daimyo resorted to their services, but, as you might guess, no one managed to subdue them like Tokugawa Ieyasu - in this respect, he himself was like a ninja.

The history of the relationship between Ieyasu and the Iga ninja is well known in Japan. Accompanying Ieyasu, who was informed of Nobunaga's betrayal at Honnō-ji, Hattori Hanzō suggested to his lord that they 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 being 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, himself remaining on guard for the future shogun. Under the protection of the ninja, Ieyasu went to Mikawa, calmly overcoming the dangers both day and night. At the same time, Hanzo was receiving reports of the results of the attack on Honnō-ji and the movements of various daimyo. In turn, he reported this to Ieyasu, who rode next to him.

Two hundred ninja who served as guards were constantly at the service of Ieyasu - they were members of the Iga Gang under the leadership of Hanzo. They also accompanied him in 1590, when Ieyasu entered Edo. Outside the western gate of Edo Castle, they were given a territory to live in. This area was named Hanzo-cho, and the western gate at the back of the castle was named Hanzo Mon Gate.
City shrines, as well as temples and servants' dwellings, were arranged in such a way as to prevent the attack of the enemy. The very creation of the ninja quarter outside the western gate was a trick, since it was located at the back of the castle and the people in it could quietly get out and arrange an unexpected attack on the enemy - in addition, the ninja were the best guards for the castle.
The Koga Gang, which performed well during the battle of Sekigahara, was tasked with protecting the castle gates. IN Peaceful time they guarded the castle around the clock, during the war they were engaged in shadowing 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 different characters are used to write this name in Chinese. 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 Hanzo name 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 along with themselves - for good measure. Their numbers were impressive enough that 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.
Osaka Winter and Summer Campaigns 1614-1615 were the largest battles in the history of the Japanese islands - it was then that Tokugawa destroyed Toyotomi. These battles served as the dramatic finale of the Warring States Age and at the same time the stage on which the ninja played their most important roles.

The ninja have excellently developed the art of sending letters with arrows. When Sanada Yukimura, the brave General of Toyotomi and a talented tactician, was busy hatching plans somewhere in the bins of Osaka Castle, Ieyasu contrived to send him an arrow with a letter offering an estate with an income of 100,000 koku rice. It is known that ninjas disguised as ronin - unemployed samurai - worked for him, who went to the besieged Osaka, collected information and spread disinformation, along the way making inquiries about the members of the garrison. It was one of the parts of Ieyasu's spy network: in addition to them, he used the newly captured Toyotomi ninja as double agents. Sometimes he let the prisoners escape, letting them hear false plans.

Since 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 Toyotomi in large part to their merit.

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

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

And now I suggest you go to Japan.

Hattori Hanzo gained fame from the movie Kill Bill, but he was a real samurai and a skilled ninja. He became famous general and earned the nickname "Devil Hanzo". It is believed that in his youth he led a group of ninja 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 real story this man...

The only surviving image of Hattori Hanzō

So, Hattori Hanzō (correctly "Hanzō", 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 remember that the provinces of Iga and Koga were famous throughout feudal Japan, primarily due to the many ninja clans. So, the "dynasty" of Hattori means exactly the ninja clan ("ryu"), which Hanzo led, i.e. was her jonin. He had the nickname "Devil" (Oni no Hanzō), which he earned for military merit, as well as to distinguish himself from the namesake from another Tokugawa clan named Watanabe Nanzo. And the Hattori clan itself kept the traditions of a unique system of swordsmanship with spears.

Hattori's youth came at the end of the legendary era, which in Japanese historiography bears the eloquent name "Sengoku jidai" - "The era of the warring provinces". 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 - united Japan into a single feudal state. And it is this period that is considered the end of the history of the ninja.

Immediately after the flourishing caused by the official recognition of the ninja by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu shogun, and Takeda Shingen's attempt to unite Japan with the help of a detachment of ninja mercenaries from the Koga clan community, their quick and sad decline followed. After the death of Shogun Yoshimitsu, the new Shogun Oda Nobunaga, whose life was repeatedly attempted by hired ninja of many clans, decided to end the ninja tradition once and for all. As part of the "cleansing" of the province of Iga, his detachment defeated the combined combat detachment of several clans. Many of the ninja were captured and executed, and the few survivors dispersed throughout the country. Among the few survivors was Hattori Hanzō. Together with a small group of his students who remained after the defeat of the clan, he left the scorched and defeated province of Iga and went to Osaka.

And this is where the surviving ninjas came in handy. Hatori Hanzo far-sightedly assessed the situation and saved Tokugawa from the conspirators, thereby providing support to the future shogun, and enlisting the patronage of the first of the Tokugawa dynasty, which would rule Japan for another 200 years after that. 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 both suitable and unexpected for a former outcast. For the first time in history, an independent ninja got into the official service of the emperor, thereby, de facto, destroying the border separating ninja and samurai.

However, the crafty shogun was not as generous as it seems. Early seeing what internal strife leads to, and how dangerous even the most devoted people can be, he continued Nobunaga's work, completely forbidding the practice of ninjutsu. And so it happened that the centuries-old traditions of numerous clans were preserved only thanks to the detachment of Hattori Hanzo and unknown masters, who taught ninjutsu to their children and grandchildren at their own peril and risk. Hattori Hanzo formed his secret service only from former ninja, and arranged them for all possible places at court, so that although the clans disappeared, their traditions lived on, although they were not available to any outsider. This went on for almost a century, when in 1676 what little that was saved was finally written down by Fujibayashi Yasutake, a samurai (!) of one of the Iga dynasties, in the form of a fundamental treatise on the technique of the Koga and Iga clans called "Bansensyukai".

Grave of Hattori Hanzo (Master Ninja)

Those, 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 seized the nearby castle and demanded that he be removed from the post of head of the guard. If their demands were not satisfied, they promised to kill Masanari and then commit suicide. In essence, they acted like modern terrorists, which they, in fact, in the ideas of that time, were. However, their demands were met, and this incident went down in history as the first armed uprising in a united Japan. The ninjas themselves were not punished, but the detachment 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 are now buried in the Sainenji Temple Cemetery in Shinjuku, Tokyo, a 5-minute walk west of JR Yotsuya Station. The inscription on the grave reads - "Hattori Hanzo, servant of the Tokugawa and respected leader of the ninja."

In the same place, in the temple, the famous spears of his clan are kept, the secret of possession of which he never passed on to anyone ..

His name is 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 it already from the gate), which connects the central part of Tokyo and the southwestern suburbs. And this is not to mention the many comics, cartoons and films made about this legendary man.

True, we must not forget about memory, which 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 comes from 710 AD, when the swordsman Amakuni used a sword with a curved blade forged from dissimilar iron plates in battle. The sword was good, as it looked like a typical saber. Without changes, he went the way in 7 centuries.

What about 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 most best performer roles of the real Hattori Hanzo in numerous TV series of the early 80s. And this convinces that Tarantino knew perfectly well who Hattori Hanzo really was.

And now I suggest you go to Japan.

Hattori Hanzo gained fame from the movie Kill Bill, but he was a real 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 ninja 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 Hanzō

However, the crafty shogun was not as generous as it seems. Early seeing what internal strife leads to, and how dangerous even the most devoted people can be, he continued Nobunaga's work, completely forbidding the practice of ninjutsu. And so it happened that the centuries-old traditions of numerous clans were preserved only thanks to the detachment of Hattori Hanzo and unknown masters, who taught ninjutsu to their children and grandchildren at their own peril and risk. Hattori Hanzo formed his secret service only from former ninja, and arranged them for all possible places in the court, so that although the clans disappeared, their traditions lived on, although they were not available to any outsider. This went on for almost a century, when in 1676 what little that was saved was finally written down by Fujibayashi Yasutake, a samurai (!) of one of the Iga dynasties, in the form of a fundamental treatise on the technique of the Koga and Iga clans called "Bansensyukai".

Grave of Hattori Hanzo (Master Ninja)

In the same place, in the temple, the famous spears of his clan are kept, the secret of possession of which he never passed on to anyone ..

What about 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 shows of the early 80s. And this convinces that Tarantino knew perfectly well who Hattori Hanzo really was.

Why do I serve sake all the time? Listen to what I say.
Thirty years you cook fish, I serve sake.
If we were in the army, I would have become a general by now.
- 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

"It's really Hattori Hanzo's sword..
last words of O-Ren-Ishii

"Kill Bill"

The other day I was leafing through a good Soviet book on martial arts ( Kempo-tradition of martial arts / Dolin, Alexander Arkadyevich, Popov, German Vasilyevich. - 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 - all sorts of accidents. This is indeed the same name Tarantino used in Kill Bill. Moreover, according to the film, this is a certain master of martial arts, widely known in narrow circles, "who from the depths of centuries has retained all the secrets of making and finishing a samurai sword", the owner of a modest sushi bar on the island of Okinawa. And who is he really?

Strange, but in any collection of movie bloopers or hidden allusions (both Russian and English) I did not find either a story about the origin of this character, or possible parallels with real ones. historical figures. So you have to correct the omission yourself.

So, Hattori Hanzō (correctly "Hanzō", not "Hansō": 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 the many ninja clans. So, the "dynasty" of Hattori means exactly the ninja clan ("ryu"), which Hanzo led, i.e. was her jonin. He had the nickname "Devil" (Oni no Hanzō), which he earned for military merit, as well as to distinguish himself from the namesake from another Tokugawa clan named Watanabe Nanzo. And the Hattori clan itself kept the traditions of a unique system of swordsmanship with spears.

Hattori's youth came at the end of the legendary era, which in Japanese historiography bears the eloquent name "Sengoku jidai" - "The era of the warring provinces". 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 - united Japan into a single feudal state. And it is this period that is considered the end of the history of the ninja. Immediately after the flourishing caused by the official recognition of the ninja by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu shogun, and Takeda Shingen's attempt to unite Japan with the help of a detachment of ninja mercenaries from the Koga clan community, their quick and sad decline followed. After the death of Shogun Yoshimitsu, the new Shogun Oda Nobunaga, whose life was repeatedly attempted by hired ninja of many clans, decided to end the ninja tradition once and for all. As part of the "cleansing" of the province of Iga, his detachment defeated the combined combat detachment of several clans. Many of the ninja were captured and executed, and the few survivors dispersed throughout the country. Among the few survivors was Hattori Hanzō. Together with a small group of his students who remained after the defeat of the clan, he left the scorched and defeated province of Iga and went to Osaka.

I will sarcastically remark that such harsh measures did not save Nobunaga. He was nevertheless killed, in 1590, only not by ninja, but by conspirators from his own warriors. After that, the country was in turmoil, and the life of Tokugawa, then not yet a shogun, was in jeopardy. And this is where the surviving ninjas came in handy. Hatori Hanzo far-sightedly assessed the situation and saved Tokugawa from the conspirators, thereby providing support to the future shogun, and enlisting the patronage of the first of the Tokugawa dynasty, which would rule Japan for another 200 years after that. 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 both suitable and unexpected for a former outcast. For the first time in history, an independent ninja got into the official service of the emperor, thereby, de facto, destroying the border separating ninja and samurai.

However, the crafty shogun was not as generous as it seems. Early seeing what internal strife leads to, and how dangerous even the most devoted people can be, he continued Nobunaga's work, completely forbidding the practice of ninjutsu. And so it happened that the centuries-old traditions of numerous clans were preserved only thanks to the detachment of Hattori Hanzo and unknown masters, who taught ninjutsu to their children and grandchildren at their own peril and risk. Hattori Hanzo formed his secret service only from former ninja, and arranged them for all possible places in the court, so that although the clans disappeared, their traditions lived on, although they were not available to any outsider. This went on for almost a century, when in 1676 what little that was saved was finally written down by Fujibayashi Yasutake, a samurai (!) Of one of the Iga dynasties, in the form of a fundamental treatise on the technique of the Koga and Iga clans called "Bansensyukai" ().

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 battle with the Fuuma ninja clan, however, 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. In order not to confuse his name with his father, 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 Hanzo did not teach his son ninjutsu, which led to the sad result - his son treated his subordinate detachment of Iga warriors without due respect. Those, 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 seized the nearby castle and demanded that he be removed from the post of head of the guard. If their demands were not satisfied, they promised to kill Masanari and then commit suicide. In essence, they acted like modern terrorists, which they, in fact, in the ideas of that time, were. However, their demands were met, and this incident went down in history as the first armed uprising in a united Japan. The ninjas themselves were not punished, but the detachment 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.

In the same place, in the temple, the famous spears of his clan are kept, the secret of possession of which he never passed on to anyone ..

So what about the legend of the keeper of the traditions of creating samurai swords, who now makes sushi in Okinawa (the birthplace of karate, by the way)? But in any way, this nonsense is entirely on the conscience of Tarantino. And calling his hero by that name, he downright defiantly went to vulgarity. After all, it's the same as in a movie about Italian mafia suddenly there is a St. Petersburg cop named Ilya Muromets.
And why Tarantino did this is not clear, because there was one more interesting fact(or, as it is now fashionable to say, "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 that Tarantino knew perfectly well who Hattori Hanzo really was. Maybe the director was just joking.