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Sugitani Zenjūbō

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"Sugitani Zenjubo. He taught me the teppo."
―Katsuhime describing Zenjubo to Naoe, 1582.[src]-[m]

Sugitani Zenjūbō (杉谷 善住坊, died 1573) was a Japanese marksman who was known for his assassination attempt on Oda Nobunaga in 1570.[1]

Biography[edit | edit source]

Zenjubo's early life is largely unknown, with different theories about his origin. Some believed he was a ninja of the Sugitani family, which was one of the Fifty-Three Families of Kōga, while others believed he was a lord, a sōhei, or a bounty hunter. What was known, however, was that he was an exceptional marksman,[1] and once trained Katsuhime of the Rokkaku clan in the use of teppō.[2]

In 1570, Zenjūbō was hired by Katsuhime's father Shōtei to assassinate Oda Nobunaga, but proved unsuccessful in his attempt.[3] Zenjūbō subsequently went into hiding but was eventually captured in 1573 by Isono Kazumasa, who served under Nobunaga. He was buried by the road with only his head and neck exposed and was later executed.[1] Meanwhile, his wife Sada and son were secretly hidden away by Shōtei and Katsuhime, who moved them to a village in Wakasa.[3]

Legacy[edit | edit source]

Following his death, Zenjūbō's remains were buried in a grave on Mount Mikami near Kōga. His student Katsuhime would visit his grave over the years, and make offerings of sake to him.[2] In 1582, Zenjūbō's family was kidnapped by a group of pirates, but was subsequently rescued by Katsuhime and her associate Fujibayashi Naoe, who were hoping to recover Zenjūbō's teppō.[3]

Appearances[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]