'''Hattori Hanzō''' or '''Second Hanzō''', nicknamed '''Oni no Hanzō''' (Demon Hanzō), was a famous samurai of the Sengoku era, who served the Tokugawa clan as a general, credited with saving the life of Tokugawa Ieyasu and then helping him to become the ruler of united Japan. Hanzō was known as an expert tactician and a master of sword fighting. Tales of Hattori's exploits often attributed various supernatural abilities, such as teleportation, psychokinesis, and precognition.

According to the Kansei Chōshū Shokafu, a genealogy of major samurai completed in 1812 by the Tokugawa shogunate, Hattori Hanzō rendered meritorious service during the Battle of Mikatagahara and became commander of an Iga unit consisting of one hundred fifty men. He captured a Takeda spy named Chikuan, and when Takeda's troops invaded Totomi, Hanzō counterattacked with only thirty warriors at the Tenryū River.

His most valuable contribution came in 1582 following Oda Nobunaga's death, when he led the future shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu from the pursuit of Akechi Mitsuhide's troops to safety in Mikawa Province across Iga territory with the help of remnants of the local ji-samurai clans of the now-former Iga and Kōka confederacies. Hanzo was principal in serving as Ieyasu's guide and commanded 300 guards to ensure his lord's safe passage to Mikawa.

In 1584, Hattori Hanzo continued to serve his lord at Battle of Komaki and Nagakute with 100 warriors under his command.
In 1590, Hattori Hanzo served during the Odawara campaign and was awarded 8,000 koku. By the time Ieyasu entered Kantō, he was awarded an additional 8,000 koku and had 30 yoriki and 200 public officials for his services.

After Nobuyasu was accused of treason and conspiracy by Oda Nobunaga and was then ordered to commit seppuku by his father, Ieyasu. Hanzo was called in to act as the official second to end Nobuyasu's suffering, but he refused to take the sword on the blood of his own lord. Ieyasu valued his loyalty after hearing of Hanzo's ordeal and said, "Even a demon can shed tears."

He died at the age of 54 or 55 in 1597. There are three theories about his death. One asserts that he was assassinated by a rival Samurai, the pirate Fūma Kotarō. After Hanzo tracked him down to the Inland Sea, Kotarō lured him and his men into a small channel and used oil to set the channel on fire. The second theory is that Hanzo became a monk in Edo where he lived out the rest of his days until he died of illness. The third theory is that he died because of illness and it was a natural death.

* [https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Hanz%C5%8D Hattori Hanzo] appears as a character in the Pokémon Conquest game for the Nintendo DS.

*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hattori_Hanz%C5%8D Wikipedia]
*[https://comicvine.gamespot.com/hattori-hanzo/4005-3809/lists/ ComicVine]
*[https://historical-figures-in-media.fandom.com/wiki/Hattori_Hanzo Historical Figures in Media Wiki]
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