Kill Bill is probably Tarantino’s movie with the most pop-culture references. The two-volume story of the vengeful assassin borrows references from Japanese, Chinese, American, and even Mexican culture. However, it’s definitely heavily loaded with references to Asian cultures, especially martial arts, and one of these references comes in the form of the great Sonny Chiba as Hattori Hanzo.
In case you don’t remember, Hattori Hanzō is the cool and charismatic owner of a sushi restaurant in Okinawa who decided to drastically change the course of his professional career to lead a more honorable life. In his former job, he made the best samurai swords in the whole world and swore not to make “instruments of death” anymore.
Sonny Chiba jumped to international fame for his many roles in the Japanese TV series Shadow Warriors, where he plays Hattori Hanzo and his descendants in the different seasons. However, it’s not the charming Hattori Hanzō we met in Kill Bill, but an actual real-life sixteenth-century ninja famous for his ruthless tactics.
Hattori Hanzō is probably one of the most famous samurais in the history of Japan, even back in his time. Born Hattori Masanari or Hattori Masashige around 1542 in the Mikawa Province, he was destined to become a samurai. His father, Hattori Hanzō Yasunaga, was a minor ninja at the service of the Matsudaira clan, which later on turned into the Tokugawa clan. When he was only 8, he was sent to northern Kyoto to train to become a samurai. By the time he was 12 he was already a fully trained samurai warrior, but it wasn’t until he was 16 that he made his official debut in a night attack at the Udo Castle.
In 1562, Hattori Hanzō became quite known in the country when he successfully managed to rescue the daughters of Tokugawa Ieyasu, leader of the Tokugawa clan. Due to his deeds and utmost loyalty, Hattori Hanzō became one of his most trusted warriors, making him crucial for Ieyasu to defeat his enemies and eventually seize power in Japan. His unique strategies and ruthless tactics gave him the nickname of Oni no Hanzō, meaning Demon Hanzō mainly because he was known for being quite patient while stalking his enemies to know everything about them and plan effective attacks and hit them at their most vulnerable spot. It was said he was like a demon hunting its prey until he got its soul.
For years, Hattori Hanzō proved to be a master with the sword and quite a witty political strategist, winning the Tokugawa clan victory after victory until he reached his fifties. This is where the story gets tricky. Most of his life was documented in the Kansei Chōshō Shokafu, a nineteenth-century genealogy of the greatest samurai, so it’s most likely his story is more legend than actual facts. This becomes more evident with the different versions regarding his death.
In some accounts, it’s said that Hattori Hanzō passed his last years leading a life of seclusion as a monk who went by the name of Sainen. Like Kill Bill’s Hanzō, this one got tired of his violent life and decided to redeem himself by turning to a more spiritual life. According to this version, he also devoted his life of seclusion to erect the Sainenji temple in honor of Ieyasu’s eldest son Nobuyasu. Years earlier, Nobuyasu was accused of treason and sentenced to death via seppuku. Hanzō was ordered to finish him so he would not suffer, but he refused claiming he would never harm anyone of Ieyasu’s family. Legend has it, Ieyasu claimed that “even a demon can shed tears.”
The other version is that he died in battle. For years, he had been chasing one of Ieyasu’s enemies, the pirate-ninja Fūma Kotayō. After years of searching, Hanzō finally tracked him. However, it was all a trap. In a Game of Thrones-like move, Kotayō saw Hanzō approaching and poured oil into the sea, making sure Hanzō’s fleet was floating on the oil. All of a sudden the seas caught on fire, putting an end to Hanzō’s years as the very best samurai of the country.
Though both versions could’ve happened, there are some facts that are entirely myths. For instance, in some accounts, it’s said that Hattori Hanzo, was so good because he was an actual demon. Others claim he had powers like teletransportation, psychokinesis, and precognition (which seems unlikely since he would’ve had foretold the trap then). Anyway, no matter the version of the story there’s something true, Hattori Hanzō’s deeds must’ve had been impressive to become one of the most iconic popular characters in Japan.
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