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Ishikawa Goemon 石川 五右衛門 | |
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 Goemon as played bykabuki actor Hinasuke Arashi II (an 1863 painting byToyokuni III) | |
| Born | August 24, 1558, |
| Died | October 8, 1594(1594-10-08) (aged 36) |
| Cause of death | Execution byboiling |
| Occupation | Thief |
Ishikawa Goemon (石川 五右衛門,Ishikawa Goemon;Japanese pronunciation:[i.ɕi̥.ka.wa(|)ɡo.e.moɴ],[1] August 24, 1558 – October 8, 1594) was the leader of a group of bandits during theAzuchi-Momoyama period in Japan. Over time, and especially during theEdo period (1603–1867), his life and deeds became a center of attention, and he became known as a legendary Japaneseoutlawhero who stole gold and other valuables to give to the poor.[2]
He and his son wereboiled alive in public after their failedassassination attempt on theSengoku period warlordToyotomi Hideyoshi. His legend lives on in contemporaryJapanese popular culture, often giving him greatly exaggeratedninja skills.
There is little historical information on Goemon's life, and as he has become afolk hero, his background and origins have been widely speculated upon. In his first appearance in the historical annals, in the 1642 biography ofHideyoshi, Goemon was referred to simply as a thief. As his legend became popular, various anti-authoritarian exploits were attributed to him, including a supposed assassination attempt against theOda clan warlordOda Nobunaga.[3][4]
There are many versions of Goemon's background and accounts of his life. According to one of them, he was born asSanada Kuranoshin in 1558 to asamurai family in service of the powerfulMiyoshi clan inIga Province. In 1573, when his father (possibly Ishikawa Akashi[5]) was killed by the men ofAshikaga shogunate (in some versions his mother was also killed), the 15-year-old Sanada swore revenge and began training the arts ofIganinjutsu under Momochi Sandayu (Momochi Tamba). He was, however, forced to flee when his master discovered Sanada's romance with one of his mistresses (but not before stealing a prized sword from his teacher). Some other sources state his name asGorokizu (五郎吉) and say he came fromKawachi Province and was not anukenin (runaway ninja) at all. He then moved to the neighbouringKansai region, where he formed and led a band of thieves and bandits as Ishikawa Goemon, robbing the rich feudal lords, merchants and clerics, and sharing the loot with the oppressed peasants.[6] According to another version, which also attributed a failed poisoning attempt on Nobunaga's life to Goemon, he was forced to become a robber when the ninja networks were broken up.[7]
There are also several conflicting accounts of Goemon's public execution by boiling on the banks of theKamo River inKyoto,[8] including but not limited to the following ones:
Even the date of his death is uncertain, as some records say this took place in summer, while another dates it at October 8 (that is after middle of Japanese autumn). Before he died, Goemon wrote a famous farewell poem, saying that no matter what, thieves would always exist. Atombstone dedicated to him is located in Daiunin temple in Kyoto.[12] A large iron kettle-shapedbathtub is now called agoemonburo ("Goemon bath").[13][14]
Ishikawa Goemon is the subject of many classickabuki plays. The only one still in performance today isKinmon Gosan no Kiri (The Golden Gate and thePaulownia Crest), a five-act play written byNamiki Gohei in 1778.[15] The most famous act is "Sanmon Gosan no Kiri"[16] ("The Temple Gate and the Paulownia Crest") in which Goemon is first seen sitting on top of theSanmon gate atNanzen-ji. He is smoking an oversized silver pipe called akiseru and exclaims "The spring view is worth a thousand gold pieces, or so they say, but 'tis too little, too little. These eyes of Goemon rate it worth ten thousand!". Goemon soon learns that his father, a Chinese man namedSō Sokei, was killed by Mashiba Hisayoshi (a popular kabuki alias for Hideyoshi) and he sets off to avenge his father's death. He also appears in some versions of the famousTale of the Forty-Seven Rōnin. In 1992, Goemon appeared in the kabuki series of Japanese postage stamps.[17]
There are generally two ways in which Goemon has been most often portrayed in the modern popular culture: either a young, slender ninja, or a powerfully-built, hulking Japanese bandit. Goemon was a subject of several pre-WWII Japanese films such asIshikawa Goemon Ichidaiki andIshikawa Goemon no Hoji.[18][19] He is a villain inTorawakamaru the Koga Ninja,[20] and a tragic antagonist inFukurō no Shiro (and in its remakeOwls' Castle, played byTakaya Kamikawa). He is the subject of theShinobi no Mono novels and film series, starringIchikawa Raizō VIII as Goemon in the first three installments. In the thirdShinobi no Mono film, known in English asGoemon Will Never Die,[21] he escapes execution while another man is bribed to be boiled in his place. In the filmGoemon, he is portrayed byYōsuke Eguchi and depicted as Nobunaga's most faithful follower and as associated withHattori Hanzō as well asKirigakure Saizō andSarutobi Sasuke ofSanada Ten Braves.
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