Hattori Hanzo - The Free Ebook by Antony Cummins.pages

84 Pages·2012·3.13 MB·English

- BEFORE YOU READ THIS BOOK -
Before you go any further in this book there are a few
Japanese words and names for the ninja that you must
know to understand the text in full.
Ninja: You may think you know what a Ninja is, but
without a doubt most people of the world do not fully
understand. For ease you may understand Ninja as men
and women of various ranks, ability, social status and
origins who have trained in the arts of Ninjutsu.
Shinobi: The original reading of the word Ninja, it can be
used to mean a person or a verb, to do Ninjutsu, to carry
out a Ninja activity.
Shinobi – no – mono: A person who does Ninjutsu, a
Ninja.
Ninjutsu: The art and skills of the Ninja.
Shinobi no Jutsu: The original way of saying the art of
Ninjutsu.
Ninpō: This word has been mistranslated of recent years
and given philosophical meaning. In medieval Japan this
term was interchangeable with Ninjutsu. 　

Ninpei: This translates as Shinobi Soldiers
Suppa: An old word for Shinobi.
Rappa: An old word for Shinobi.
Iga no Mono: Men of Iga, normally classed as Ninja.
“You like samurai swords?...i like baseball!”
The words of Hattori Hanzo from Kill Bill and they
still ring out after 400 years after the name Hattori
first sliced its way into the mainstream. So who is this
Hattori Hanzo, a master sword smith, a black
assassin, a master ninja, a superhero? All of these and
more have been portrayed as Hattori Hanzo but what
is the truth of this illusive yet popular character?
Within this short volume we will explore the small
amount of evidence available to us about the man and
the myth of Hattori Hanzo and come to terms with the
reality above the fiction, a reality that is far more
impressive than any fiction will achieve. For those
who know the name Hattori Hanzo but do not know
who or what he is, then you are indeed in for a treat.
If anyone from the pages of history deserves a spot in
the limelight it is the Japanese character of Hattori.
Hattori Hanzo or Devil Hanzo as he is sometimes
known was a strategist, samurai and ninja leader of
the 16th century. His exploits are legendary and the
name of Hattori is without doubt one of the most
connected names with the history of the shinobi
warriors. One could say that where there are ninja,
there is always the echo of Hattori.
What should be the simple recounting of one man’s
tale become a complex but short puzzle to be
unfurled. The aim of this work is to first establish
who or what is Hattori Hanzo, his origins, homeland
and skills. From here we will turn to the family name
and title of Hattori Hanzo and the successive
generations that undertook the task of ‘master ninja’.
The book will concentrate mostly on Hattori Hanzo II
and his famous exploits and connections to the
shogun, see how his name lives on in the town of
Hanzomon, the battles he featured in and the ninja he
commanded.
Surprisingly for a high profile figure there is little
historical information on the historical figure, there
seems to be legends, stories, small ditties but nothing
concrete. Therefore this book has attempted to pull in
all the strings linked to the historical Hattori and
formulate a picture of an illusive man that existed in
the shadows of history.
To wrap up we will also investigate the myths and the
effects he has had on modern culture, alongside some
demonology and a look at some writings written by
one of the Hattori’s.
Lastly and after the investigation of Hattori this book
will include a look at Natori the Ninja, the shinobi
cat. A comic created by the author to display true
historical ninjutsu and also a test chapter from the
book Shinobi Soldiers, an investigation into the ninja,
a book also written by the author.
Most people will give you stories of the famed ninja
leader, some media productions will recount the tales
of Hattori Hanzo but one thing that they have in
common is the fact that they class Hattori Hanzo as
one singular man, whereas in fact historically there
are at least 4 Hattori Hanzo’s! Before the examination
of the individuals, Hattori Hanzo has to be broken
down into two parts for investigation, first the family
name Hattori:
服部
As far as we know Hattori is the umbrella name for a
family line that has its origins in Iga and is a
successive term akin to our family names.
半蔵正
Hanzo is the real gem of interest here as it is not
actually a ‘christen’ or given name. The word Hanzo
is a form of 通称-tsusho a popular name/title given to
the head of the Hattori family as he succeeds his
predecessor before him. Thus, a child is born with a