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Ishikawa Goemon

January 01, 1970

Not to be confused with Goemon Ishikawa XIII.

Ishikawa Goemon (石川 五右衛門, Ishikawa Goemon, August 24, 1558 – October 8, 1594) was a legendary Japanese outlaw hero who stole gold and other valuables to give to the poor.[1] He and his son were boiled alive in public after their failed assassination attempt on the Sengoku period warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi. His legend lives on in contemporary Japanese popular culture, often giving him greatly exaggerated ninja skills.

Ishikawa Goemon
石川 五右衛門
Goemon as played by kabuki actor Arashi Hinasuke II (an 1863 painting by Toyokuni III)
BornAugust 24, 1558
DiedOctober 8, 1594(1594-10-08) (aged 36)
Nanzen-ji, Kyoto, Japan
Cause of deathExecution by boiling
NationalityJapanese
OccupationThief

Biography edit

 
Bandō Mitsugorō III playing the role of Ishikawa Goemon in the kabuki drama Sanmon Gosan no Kiri, which was staged in 1820 at the Nakamura-za theater (print made by Utagawa Toyokuni I)

There is little historical information on Goemon's life, and as he has become a folk hero, his background and origins have been widely speculated upon. In his first appearance in the historical annals, in the 1642 biography of Hideyoshi, 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 the Oda clan warlord Oda Nobunaga.[2][3]

There are many versions of Goemon's background and accounts of his life. According to one of them, he was born as Sanada Kuranoshin in 1558 to a samurai family in service of the powerful Miyoshi clan in Iga Province. In 1573, when his father (possibly Ishikawa Akashi[4]) was killed by the men of Ashikaga shogunate (in some versions his mother was also killed), the 15-year-old Sanada swore revenge and began training the arts of Iga ninjutsu 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 as Gorokizu (五郎吉) and say he came from Kawachi Province and was not a nukenin (runaway ninja) at all. He then moved to the neighbouring Kansai 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.[5] 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.[6]

 
Execution of Goemon Ishikawa (a late 19th-century picture by Toyokuni Ichiyōsai)

There are also several conflicting accounts of Goemon's public execution by boiling on the banks of the Kamo River in Kyoto,[7] including but not limited to the following ones:

  • Goemon tried to assassinate Hideyoshi to avenge the death of his wife Otaki and the capture of his son, Gobei. He snuck into Fushimi Castle and entered Hideyoshi's room but knocked a bell off a table. The noise awoke the guards and Goemon was captured. He was sentenced to death by being boiled alive in an iron cauldron along with his very young son, but was able to save his son by holding him above his head. His son was then forgiven.[8]
  • Goemon wanted to kill Hideyoshi because he was a despot. When he entered Hideyoshi's room, he was detected by a mystical incense burner. He was executed on October 8 along with his whole family by being boiled alive.[9] Goemon at first tried to save his son from the heat by holding him high above, but then suddenly plunged him deep into the bottom of the cauldron to kill him as quickly as possible. Then he stood with the body of the boy held high in the air in defiance of his enemies, until he eventually succumbed to pain and injuries and sank into the pot.[10]
 
A goemonburo bathtub

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. A tombstone dedicated to him is located in Daiunin temple in Kyoto.[11] A large iron kettle-shaped bathtub is now called a goemonburo ("Goemon bath").[12][13]

In drama edit

Ishikawa Goemon is the subject of many classic kabuki plays. The only one still in performance today is Kinmon Gosan no Kiri (The Golden Gate and the Paulownia Crest), a five-act play written by Namiki Gohei in 1778.[14] The most famous act is "Sanmon Gosan no Kiri"[15] ("The Temple Gate and the Paulownia Crest") in which Goemon is first seen sitting on top of the Sanmon gate at Nanzen-ji. He is smoking an oversized silver pipe called a kiseru and exclaims "The spring view is worth a thousand gold pieces, or so they say, but 'this too little, too little. These eyes of Goemon rate it worth ten thousand!". Goemon soon learns that his father, a Chinese man named Sō 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 famous Tale of the Forty-Seven Rōnin. In 1992, Goemon appeared in the kabuki series of Japanese postage stamps.[16]

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 as Ishikawa Goemon Ichidaiki and Ishikawa Goemon no Hoji.[17][18] He is a villain in Torawakamaru the Koga Ninja,[19] and a tragic antagonist in Fukurō no Shiro (and in its remake Owls' Castle, played by Takaya Kamikawa). He is the subject of the Shinobi no Mono novels and film series, starring Ichikawa Raizō VIII as Goemon in the first three installments. In the third Shinobi no Mono film, known in English as Goemon Will Never Die,[20] he escapes execution while another man is bribed to be boiled in his place. In the film Goemon, he is portrayed by Yōsuke Eguchi and depicted as Nobunaga's most faithful follower and as associated with Hattori Hanzō as well as Kirigakure Saizō and Sarutobi Sasuke of Sanada Ten Braves.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Boye Lafayette De Mente, Everything Japanese, McGraw-Hill, 1989 (p. 140)
  2. ^ Joel Levy, Ninja: The Shadow Warrior, Sterling Publishing Company, 2008 (p. 172)
  3. ^ Stephen Turnbull, Warriors of Medieval Japan, Osprey Publishing, 2007 (p. 180)
  4. ^ Henri L. Joly, Legend in Japanese Art: A Description of Historical Episodes, Legendary Characters, Folk-lore Myths, Religious Symbolism, Tuttle 1967
  5. ^ (in Polish) Skośnoocy buntownicy (Focus.pl - Historia) 2011-07-25 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ Andrew Adams, Ninja: The Invisible Assassins, Black Belt Communications, 1970 (p. 160)
  7. ^ "A rogue on high". The Japan Times. 5 March 2010. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
  8. ^ "A geek in Japan — Goemon". Kirainet.com. 12 March 2008. Retrieved 2013-12-01.
  9. ^ The legend of Ishikawa Goemon 2009-03-14 at the Wayback Machine (including several pictures)
  10. ^ Jack Seward, The Japanese, McGraw-Hill Professional, 1992 (p. 48-49)
  11. ^ Outlawed!: Rebels, Revolutionaries and Bushrangers, National Museum of Australia, 2003 (p. 32)
  12. ^ Goemonburo - Goemon-style bath July 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ Scott Clark, Japan, a View from the Bath, University of Hawaii Press, 1994 (p. 38-39)
  14. ^ James Brandon and Samuel Leiter, Kabuki Plays on Stage: Villainy and Vengeance, 1773 - 1799. Vol. II, Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2002
  15. ^ "Ishikawa Goemon". Kabuki21. Retrieved 2013-12-01.
  16. ^ (in Japanese) 歌舞伎編 - www.geocities.jp 2018-11-06 at the Wayback Machine
  17. ^ Ishikawa Goemon ichidaiki (1912) - IMDb
  18. ^ IMDb - Ishikawa goemon no hoji (1930)
  19. ^ "Press stills from NINJUTSU GOZEN-JIAI". Vintage Ninja. Retrieved 2013-12-01.
  20. ^ Shinobi No Mono 3: Resurrection (1963) - IMDb

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ishikawa Goemon.

January 01, 1970
ishikawa, goemon, confused, with, goemon, ishikawa, xiii, help, expand, this, article, with, text, translated, from, corresponding, article, japanese, september, 2017, click, show, important, translation, instructions, machine, translation, like, deepl, google. Not to be confused with Goemon Ishikawa XIII You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Japanese September 2017 Click show for important translation instructions Machine translation like DeepL or Google Translate is a useful starting point for translations but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate rather than simply copy pasting machine translated text into the English Wikipedia Consider adding a topic to this template there are already 3 682 articles in the main category and specifying topic will aid in categorization Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low quality If possible verify the text with references provided in the foreign language article You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing Japanese Wikipedia article at ja 石川五右衛門 see its history for attribution You may also add the template Translated ja 石川五右衛門 to the talk page For more guidance see Wikipedia Translation Ishikawa Goemon 石川 五右衛門 Ishikawa Goemon August 24 1558 October 8 1594 was a legendary Japanese outlaw hero who stole gold and other valuables to give to the poor 1 He and his son were boiled alive in public after their failed assassination attempt on the Sengoku period warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi His legend lives on in contemporary Japanese popular culture often giving him greatly exaggerated ninja skills Ishikawa Goemon 石川 五右衛門Goemon as played by kabuki actor Arashi Hinasuke II an 1863 painting by Toyokuni III BornAugust 24 1558DiedOctober 8 1594 1594 10 08 aged 36 Nanzen ji Kyoto JapanCause of deathExecution by boilingNationalityJapaneseOccupationThief Contents 1 Biography 2 In drama 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksBiography edit nbsp Bandō Mitsugorō III playing the role of Ishikawa Goemon in the kabuki drama Sanmon Gosan no Kiri which was staged in 1820 at the Nakamura za theater print made by Utagawa Toyokuni I There is little historical information on Goemon s life and as he has become a folk hero his background and origins have been widely speculated upon In his first appearance in the historical annals in the 1642 biography of Hideyoshi 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 the Oda clan warlord Oda Nobunaga 2 3 There are many versions of Goemon s background and accounts of his life According to one of them he was born as Sanada Kuranoshin in 1558 to a samurai family in service of the powerful Miyoshi clan in Iga Province In 1573 when his father possibly Ishikawa Akashi 4 was killed by the men of Ashikaga shogunate in some versions his mother was also killed the 15 year old Sanada swore revenge and began training the arts of Iga ninjutsu 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 as Gorokizu 五郎吉 and say he came from Kawachi Province and was not a nukenin runaway ninja at all He then moved to the neighbouring Kansai 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 5 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 6 nbsp Execution of Goemon Ishikawa a late 19th century picture by Toyokuni Ichiyōsai There are also several conflicting accounts of Goemon s public execution by boiling on the banks of the Kamo River in Kyoto 7 including but not limited to the following ones Goemon tried to assassinate Hideyoshi to avenge the death of his wife Otaki and the capture of his son Gobei He snuck into Fushimi Castle and entered Hideyoshi s room but knocked a bell off a table The noise awoke the guards and Goemon was captured He was sentenced to death by being boiled alive in an iron cauldron along with his very young son but was able to save his son by holding him above his head His son was then forgiven 8 Goemon wanted to kill Hideyoshi because he was a despot When he entered Hideyoshi s room he was detected by a mystical incense burner He was executed on October 8 along with his whole family by being boiled alive 9 Goemon at first tried to save his son from the heat by holding him high above but then suddenly plunged him deep into the bottom of the cauldron to kill him as quickly as possible Then he stood with the body of the boy held high in the air in defiance of his enemies until he eventually succumbed to pain and injuries and sank into the pot 10 nbsp A goemonburo bathtub 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 A tombstone dedicated to him is located in Daiunin temple in Kyoto 11 A large iron kettle shaped bathtub is now called a goemonburo Goemon bath 12 13 In drama editIshikawa Goemon is the subject of many classic kabuki plays The only one still in performance today is Kinmon Gosan no Kiri The Golden Gate and the Paulownia Crest a five act play written by Namiki Gohei in 1778 14 The most famous act is Sanmon Gosan no Kiri 15 The Temple Gate and the Paulownia Crest in which Goemon is first seen sitting on top of the Sanmon gate at Nanzen ji He is smoking an oversized silver pipe called a kiseru and exclaims The spring view is worth a thousand gold pieces or so they say but this too little too little These eyes of Goemon rate it worth ten thousand Goemon soon learns that his father a Chinese man named Sō 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 famous Tale of the Forty Seven Rōnin In 1992 Goemon appeared in the kabuki series of Japanese postage stamps 16 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 as Ishikawa Goemon Ichidaiki and Ishikawa Goemon no Hoji 17 18 He is a villain in Torawakamaru the Koga Ninja 19 and a tragic antagonist in Fukurō no Shiro and in its remake Owls Castle played by Takaya Kamikawa He is the subject of the Shinobi no Mono novels and film series starring Ichikawa Raizō VIII as Goemon in the first three installments In the third Shinobi no Mono film known in English as Goemon Will Never Die 20 he escapes execution while another man is bribed to be boiled in his place In the film Goemon he is portrayed by Yōsuke Eguchi and depicted as Nobunaga s most faithful follower and as associated with Hattori Hanzō as well as Kirigakure Saizō and Sarutobi Sasuke of Sanada Ten Braves See also editNezumi Kozō Robin Hood Ganbare Goemon Goemon Ishikawa XIIIReferences edit Boye Lafayette De Mente Everything Japanese McGraw Hill 1989 p 140 Joel Levy Ninja The Shadow Warrior Sterling Publishing Company 2008 p 172 Stephen Turnbull Warriors of Medieval Japan Osprey Publishing 2007 p 180 Henri L Joly Legend in Japanese Art A Description of Historical Episodes Legendary Characters Folk lore Myths Religious Symbolism Tuttle 1967 in Polish Skosnoocy buntownicy Focus pl Historia Archived 2011 07 25 at the Wayback Machine Andrew Adams Ninja The Invisible Assassins Black Belt Communications 1970 p 160 A rogue on high The Japan Times 5 March 2010 Retrieved 2023 07 31 A geek in Japan Goemon Kirainet com 12 March 2008 Retrieved 2013 12 01 The legend of Ishikawa Goemon Archived 2009 03 14 at the Wayback Machine including several pictures Jack Seward The Japanese McGraw Hill Professional 1992 p 48 49 Outlawed Rebels Revolutionaries and Bushrangers National Museum of Australia 2003 p 32 Goemonburo Goemon style bath Archived July 6 2011 at the Wayback Machine Scott Clark Japan a View from the Bath University of Hawaii Press 1994 p 38 39 James Brandon and Samuel Leiter Kabuki Plays on Stage Villainy and Vengeance 1773 1799 Vol II Honolulu University of Hawaii Press 2002 Ishikawa Goemon Kabuki21 Retrieved 2013 12 01 in Japanese 歌舞伎編 www geocities jp Archived 2018 11 06 at the Wayback Machine Ishikawa Goemon ichidaiki 1912 IMDb IMDb Ishikawa goemon no hoji 1930 Press stills from NINJUTSU GOZEN JIAI Vintage Ninja Retrieved 2013 12 01 Shinobi No Mono 3 Resurrection 1963 IMDbExternal links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ishikawa Goemon Goemon Ishikawa character at the Internet Movie Database Japan Inside Lexique Ishikawa Goemon on YouTube by Mangas TV in French Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ishikawa Goemon amp oldid 1214258937, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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