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← Back to the character index Mikawa Tokugawa
Sakai Tadatsugu Hosokawa Tadaoki
Hattori Hanzō
Demon Hanzō

Hattori Hanzō

Mikawa Tokugawa
Hattori Hanzō
Life 1542–1596 (aged 55)
Title Demon Hanzō
Faction Mikawa Tokugawa
Places associated with this character Mikawa (1557–1582), Edo (1583–1596)
Voice and speech Blunt and impatient as a young Mikawa warrior, he speaks little and wants to prove himself to his lord.
Family A Tokugawa retainer leading two hundred Iga auxiliaries. A master spearman known as “Demon Hanzō,” he also commands the Iga ninja.
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“People think he is a darting ninja chief, but he is in truth a loyal spearman. Spend time with him and meet the real Hanzō: the Mikawa warrior who brought Ieyasu back from danger after Honnōji and valued his lord’s life above his own reputation.”

Life

The Tokugawa’s Demon Hanzō

Ambition

Protect his lord Ieyasu from every assassination and danger with both shadow and spear, and help build Tokugawa rule from behind the scenes.

Often mistaken for a ninja, he is at heart a hereditary samurai retainer. He commands covert units from Iga and Kōga, gathering intelligence on the battlefield and guarding important figures.

Had he failed to protect his lord during the “Iga crossing” after the Honnōji Incident, Tokugawa history would have ended then and there.

Obstacles of the era
  • The attacks by local lords and warrior hunters during Ieyasu’s perilous crossing through Iga after Honnōji
  • The fierce intelligence war against Takeda scouts and spies
  • The fierce and difficult-to-control nature of the Iga auxiliaries

Character and convictions

Source of ambition

The famed spear bestowed by Ieyasu and his bond with the Iga men, who fear no death in protecting their lord.

Turning point

The painful memory of dropping his sword in tears when ordered to assist in Nobuyasu’s ritual suicide, saying he could not raise a blade against his lord’s own son.

How he treats others

His Iga and Kōga agents and retainers, who risked their lives to protect Ieyasu.

Principle he will not yield

Failing in his lord’s protection and falling behind in the hidden war.

Historical path

1557 - 1564
A young Mikawa warrior who distinguished himself in his first battle and followed his lord in suppressing the Ikkō-ikki
The young Mikawa warrior speaks bluntly and impatiently, eager to distinguish himself before his lord.
1565 - 1573
The Tokugawa spearman who earned the name Demon Hanzō through service at Anegawa and Mikatagahara
A straightforward, composed Mikawa warrior, he speaks precisely of spears and formations; though called “Demon Hanzō,” he claims only the role of a spearman.
1574 - 1582
Ieyasu’s trusted spearman who guided him through the perilous Iga crossing after Honnōji
Experience lends gravity to his Mikawa resolve; he speaks only of protecting his lord during the Iga escape and falls silent at Nobuyasu’s death.
1583 - 1596
Demon Hanzō, who led the Iga auxiliaries into Edo with the Tokugawa
The aged Mikawa warrior speaks even less and more gravely; loyalty and protecting his lord weigh heavily, and he corrects anyone who calls him a ninja chief.

Final chapter

1596 (aged 55)

When Ieyasu moved to the Kantō, Hanzō was assigned to guard Edo Castle’s western gate, now known as Hanzōmon. He died of illness in Edo on the 14th day of the 11th month, Keichō 1 (1596), aged fifty-five.

He continued to pray for his lord Nobuyasu at Sainenji Temple, quietly reciting the Buddha’s name as he died.
“The mighty warrior feared as Demon Hanzō could not lift his sword when ordered to assist the young Nobuyasu’s death. Ieyasu praised him: ‘Even a man called a demon knew compassion.’ Beneath the rough exterior was a pure soul.”