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Hattori Hanzō's Real Name: Hattori Masanari (Masashige)
history + legend
Hattori Hanzō (服部半蔵) 本名: Hattori Masanari (Masashige) (服部正成)
Answer: The famous Hattori Hanzō was Hattori Masanari (服部正成, also read Masashige), a samurai commander under Tokugawa Ieyasu. "Hanzō" was a hereditary name used by several heads of the Hattori family.
History: Hattori Masanari was born in 1542, son of an Iga-origin retainer of the Matsudaira (later Tokugawa) family. He served Tokugawa Ieyasu as a samurai and commanded Iga men. He is credited with helping Ieyasu escape through Iga after the Honnō-ji Incident in 1582 (伊賀越え, "crossing Iga"). He died in early 1597 (January 2 in the Western calendar). The Hanzōmon gate of Edo Castle (now the Imperial Palace) is traditionally said to be named after him.
"Hanzō" (半蔵) was a common name (通称) passed down to heads of the Hattori family, so there were several Hattori Hanzōs.
Legend: the image of Hanzō as a black-clad master ninja with magic skills comes from later novels, films and manga. Period sources describe him as a samurai commander, not a sneaking assassin.
FAQ
Was Hattori Hanzō a real ninja? He was a real samurai commander of Iga origin; the super-ninja image is legend.
Was there only one Hattori Hanzō? No. Hanzō was a hereditary name used by several heads of the family.