HATTORI, (Hanzo) Masanari (1542-1596)

Born in 1542 as the fifth son of Hattori Yasunaga,

a retainer of Tokugawa Ieyasu. After his father's death,

Hanzo replaced his father in the service of Ieyasu,

leading Iga warriors. His nickname was Oni (devil) Hanzo.

After his death in the fourth day of the eleven month of

1596, he was given the posthumous name Sainen.

​

At the age of 16, Hanzo successfully led a band of Iga

warriors, which earned him his first recognition as

a commander. In the first month of 1569 he attacked

Kakegawa castle, and in the sixth month of 1570 Hanzo

led his warriors in the battle of Anegawa in which Oda

Nobunaga annihilated the forces of Asai Nagamasa and

Asakura Yoshikage. His defining moment came in 1582

when Tokugawa Ieyasu was accused of not rushing to

avenge the assassination of Oda Nobunaga at Honnoji.

At that time, Ieyasu needed help to escape to his home base in Mikawa province, and it was Hanzo with the help of his Iga warriors who provided Ieyasu with protection and safe passage through the mountains of Iga. For his role in protecting Ieyasu he received 8,000 koku of land. Then, after Tokugawa Ieyasu entered the Kanto region, he officially appointed Hanzo to command thirty horsemen and 200 special Iga warriors. Hanzo's warriors were charged with guarding the gate to Edo castle, Ieyasu's headquarters. The gate is known today as Hanzomon, or "Hanzo Gate."However, Hanzo Masanari passed before Ieyasu was appointed shugun of the newly re-established military government. Nevertheless, Iga warriors continued to serve the Tokugawa.

​

About the Hattori Family

There is no clear indication about the origins of the Hattori lineage, yet the name appears as a family name in the middle of the 8th century. It is plausible that after the abolition of the old state structure in the 7th century, people of

                            the Hatoribe ("weavers community") of the early Japanese

                            state adapted and adopted the name of their be (community 

                            of professionals) to become their family name. Later,

                            sometime after the creation of the main warrior

                            powerhouses--Heishi (Taira) and Genji (Minamoto)--there seem

                            to have been an affiliation of Hattori with each of these

                            houses. That is, a Taira Hattori lineage, and a Minamoto

                            Hattori lineage, though it is unlikely that Hattori was ever a

                            branch by blood line of either one. 

 

By the time of Hattori Masanari, Hattori warriors in Iga were of both Taira and Minamoto lineage, which means that such lineage affiliation was not a factor in the formation of the Hattori led Iga warriors. As for the special relationships between Tokugawa Ieyasu and the Iga Hattori, one can only speculate that although Ieyasu was a Minamoto, he was a practical general who looked at the history of the Iga Hattori in official posts, and the loyalty of Masanari's father to him, only to conclude that the Iga Hattori were trustworthy. Then, Masanari's assistance in Ieyasu's escape through Iga solidified this trust, leading Ieyasu to use Iga warriors as a permanent police force within Edo castle grounds. 

 

Hattori in Documents

Below are representative documents that relate to Hattori warriors, illustrating their role as warriors. These are not translations, rather summaries that are near translations.

​

Tenpyo Shobo 3 (751)/12/18 a monastic administration official refers in a document to a group of three people among whom are a guard (toneri) by the name of Hattori and a shinobibito (information gatherer) from Koga. (source:

 

Todaiji temple document (Miyazaki Michisaburo archive)

Shokyu 3 (1221)/8/19   The bakufu confirms land to a houseman (gokenin) of Iga province named Hattori Umanosuke Yasukane, son of houseman lay monk (gokenin nyudo) Hattori Yasuyuki. * Although this confirmation is the result of a legal claim, it may have been viewed in conjunction with the defeat of the Capital rebel forces by the bakufu, and the bakufu’s almost immediate distribution of land rewards to its housemen and religious institutions. (source:

Todaiji documents archive)

​

Karyaku 2 (1327)/intercalary 9/10 Rokuhara orders the deputy provincial constable (shugodai) of Iga province, Hattori Mochinori, to arrest certain criminals (akuto) in Kuroda estate. (source: Todaiji documents archive)

Tensho 1 (1573)/9/4 Oda Nobunaga employs Hattori Shichibe in matters of annual tax collection. On the same day, A Nobunaga general, Akechi Mitsuhide, rewards Hattori with land. (source: Hounji documents archive)

 

Tensho 10 (1582)/9/15 Tokugawa Ieyasu, his general Matsudaira Yasuchika, and an Iga samurai (Iga-shi) Hattori Masanari, attacked and defeated Sano Fort (toride) in Izu province. (source: Dainihonshiryo)

 

200 Iga warriors who took part in securing the retreat of Tokugawa Ieyasu through the Iga region

*The list is in Japanese only for researchers who wish to research the topic in Japanese sources.

服部半蔵正成
福守半太夫　ふくもり　はんだゆう
山岡惣兵衛　やまおか　そうへえ
山岡助太夫　やまおか　すけだゆう
久野弾正　　ひさの　だんじょう　
満岡左衛門　みつおか　さえもん
服部伝次郎　はっとり　でんじろう
服部源助　はっとり　げんすけ
喰代茂太夫　くしろ　もだゆう
池原伊兵衛　いけはら　いへい
椎谷角右衛門　しいや　かくえもん
青山三右衛門　あおやま　さんえもん
桐谷文左衛門　きりや　ぶんざえもん
和田弥太夫　わだ　みだゆう
内田市左衛門　うちだ　いちざえもん
矢部佐左衛門　やた　ささえもん
平山庄右衛門　ひらやま　しょうえもん
重地源右衛門　ちょうじ　げんえもん
太田忠右衛門　おおた　ちゅうえもん　
板倉源五四郎　いたくら　げんごしろう
浅生与兵衛　　あさい　よへえ　
遠藤武太夫　とおふじ　ぶだゆう
左右田次左衛門　そうた　じさえもん
平野金右衛門　ひらの　きんえもん　
百々地右衛門　ももち　うえもん
秋野吉蔵　　あきの　きちぞう
吉田三右衛門　よしだ　さんえもん
遠藤与七郎　とおふじ　よしちろう
相沢九郎右衛門　あいざわ　くろうえもん
杉谷新五左衛門　すぎたに　しんござえもん
冨田弥兵衛　とみた　やへえ
白井久大夫　しらい　きゅうだゆう
渡辺嘉兵衛　わたなべ　かへえ
伊藤六左衛門　いとう　ろくざえもん
椎名角大夫　しいな　かくだゆう
杉浦彦兵衛　すぎうら　ひこべえ
秋野吉蔵　あきの　きちぞう
細倉吉六郎　ほそくら　きちろくろう
伊野原半右衛門　いのはら　はんえもん
高井源内　たかい　げんない

小林久左衛門　こばやし　きゅうざえもん
塩沢又兵衛　しお　またべえ
原　助内　はら　すけうち　
永井八郎左衛門　ながい　はちろうさえもん
斎藤佐五右衛門　さいとう　さごえもん
山中外記　やまなか　げき
今田喜左衛門　いまだ　きざえもん
若尾所左衛門　わかお　しょざえもん
永井太郎八　ながい　たろうはち
飯田長兵衛　いいだ　ちょうべえ
志賀与惣右衛門　しが　よそえもん
磯崎助内　いそざき　すけうち
西岡次郎左衛門　にしおか　じろうさえもん
磯田小右衛門　いそだ　こえもん
岡崎孫兵衛　おかざき　まごへえ
西田四郎左衛門　にしだ　しろうさえもん
村山文左衛門　むらやま　ぶんざえもん
成田新左衛門　なりた　しんざえもん
田中太郎右衛門　たなか　たろうえもん
平田喜内　ひらた　きない
押田朝右衛門　おしだ　あさえもん
狩谷久左衛門　かりや　きゅうざえもん
福永忠兵衛　ふくなが　ちゅうべえ
相川源兵衛　あいかわ　げんべえ
細倉伊右衛門　ほそくら　いえもん
柘植甚八郎　つげ　じんぱちろう
加ヶ爪半之丞　かがつめ　はんのじょう
最上主馬　さいじょう　しゅめ
最上甚内　さいじょう　じんない
太田源蔵　おおた　げんぞう
飯塚久右衛門　いいづか　きゅうえもん
新見甚左衛門　あらみ　じんざえもん
山崎金兵衛　やまざき　きんべえ
鈴木喜助　すずき　きすけ
吉川吉兵衛　よしかわ　きちべえ
奥野伝左衛門　おくの　でんざえもん
飯塚久兵衛　いいづか　きゅうべえ
横井彦七郎　よこい　ひこしちろう
人見次郎左衛門　ひとみ　じろうさえもん
正木太郎左衛門　まさき　たろうさえもん
池原伊兵衛　いけはら　いへえ
山中覚兵衛　やまなか　かくべえ
秋野勘六　あきの　かんろく
飯塚文右衛門　いいづか　ぶんえもん
長持重大夫　ながもち　しげだゆ　
平岩与左衛門　ひらいわ　よざえもん
筧　安兵衛　けん　やすべえ
野呂半右衛門　のろ　はんえもん
渡辺吉兵衛　わたなべ　きちべえ
勝田文大夫　かつた　ぶんだゆ
杉谷掛之助　すぎたに　かけのすけ
小菅十兵衛門　こすげ　じゅうべえもん
秋山五郎左衛門　あきやま　ごろうざえもん
堀内作左衛門　ほりうち　さくざえもん
勝田惣右衛門　かつた　そうえもん
松本半右衛門　まつもと　はんえもん
深沢与右衛門　ふかざわ　よえもん
行岡久右衛門　ゆきおか　きゅうざえもん
坂田七右衛門　さかた　しちえもん
久野藤左衛門　ひさの　とうざえもん
永田久右衛門　ながた　きゅうえもん
原　惣左衛門　はら　そうざえもん
後藤吉右衛門　ごとう　きちえもん
市野源右衛門　いちの　げんえもん
種村源内　たねむら　げんない
田原清次郎　たはら　きよじろう
宮崎半四郎　みやざき　はんしろう
田村庄兵衛　たむら　しょうべえ
柘植三之丞　つげ　さんのじょう
服部源兵衛　はっとり　げんべえ
永井安房　ながい　あわ
柴田周防　しばた　すお
吉田権八郎　よしだ　けんはちろう
豊嶋与市　とよしま　よいち
北川甚助　きたがわ　じんすけ
山口本左衛門　やまぐち　ほんさえもん
小田小左衛門　おだ　こざえもん
川嶋八右衛門　かわしま　はちえもん
雨宮惣右衛門　あまみや　そうえもん
村山三内　むらやま　さんない
吉田孫兵衛　よしだ　まごべい
中村金右衛門　なかむら　きんえもん
平野甚兵衛　ひらの　じんべえ
北　太左衛門　きた　たざえもん
加ヶ爪遊徳　かがづめ　ゆとく
柘植市助　つげ　いちすけ
山口甚助　やまぐち　じんすけ
米地半助　よねち　はんすけ
北　藤助　きた　とうすけ
中村伊右衛門　なかむら　いえもん
福永五右衛門　ふくなが　ごえもん
菊池豊前　きくち　とよまえ
服部孫平　はっとり　まごへい
中尾与市兵衛　なかお　よいちべえ
服部内蔵　はっとり　ないぞう
大網雲喜　おおあみ　くもき
福守定斎入道　ふくもり　じょうさい　にゅうどう
木原又四郎　もくはら　またしろう
永持徳蔵　ながもち　とくぞう
飯田彦四郎　いいだ　ひこしろう
野呂和助　のろ　わすけ
重本数右衛門　しげもと　かずえもん
浅場半内　あさば　はんない
服部伝五右衛門　はっとり　でんごえもん
西村源左衛門　にしむら　げんさえもん
杉内藤内　すぎうち　とうない
服部勘六　はっとり　かんろく
倉地平右衛門　くらち　ひらえもん
石川浅右衛門　いしかわ　あさえもん
山岡太郎左衛門　やまおか　たろうざえもん
宮地嘉助　みやじ　かすけ
今村十右衛門　いまむら　じゅうえもん
常羽源七郎　つねは　げんしちろう
粕谷長之助　かすや　ちょうのすけ
神保浅次郎　じんぼ　あさじろう
岡室新右衛門　おかむろ　しんえもん
宮地彦十郎　みやじ　げんじゅうろう
飯嶌八之助　いいじま　はちのすけ
松下甚兵衛　まつした　じんべえ
山崎平太　やまさき　へいた
秋野角平　あきの　かどへい
服部新九郎　はっとり　しんくろう
中村八之丞　なかむら　はちのじょう
天野市郎兵衛　あまの　いちろうべえ
柘植五平次　つげ　ごへいじ
高井三九郎　たかい　さんくろう
増田外記　ますだ　げき
岡室久助　おかむろ　ひさすけ
服部七九郎　はっとり　しちくろう
永井太郎八　ながい　たろうはち
野呂貞右衛門　のろ　さだえもん
永井水之助　ながい　みずのすけ
中村三次郎　なかむら　さんじろう
徳田甚兵衛　とくだ　じんべえ
下野仁右衛門　しもつけ　にえもん
竹内源右衛門　たけうち　げんえもん
須賀谷忠蔵　すがたに　ちゅうぞう
宮地与十郎　みやじ　よじゅうろう
野村庄助　のむら　しょうすけ
北川幸左衛門　きたがわ　こうざえもん
渥美安次郎　あつみ　やすじろう
山内直三郎　やまうち　なおさぶろう
中野長十郎　なかの　ながじゅうろう
小高藤助　こだか　とうすけ
青木吉五郎　あおき　きちごろう
堀越善右衛門　ほりこし　ぜんえもん
倉地平四郎　くらち　へいしろう
稲盛将監　いなむら　しょうげん
武蔵五左衛門　むさし　ござえもん
高尾与右衛門　たかお　よえもん
Additional 10 unnamed warriors
Total number of Iga warriors: 200