Ishikawa Goemon (?? ????

Ishikawa Goemon, August 24, 1558 � October 8, 1594) was a

semi-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 Warring States-period warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi. His
legend lives on in contemporary Japanese popular culture, often giving him greatly
exaggerated ninja skills.
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 (???) 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 Ichiyosai)

There are also several conflicting accounts of Goemon's public execution by boiling
in front of the main gate of the Buddhist temple Nanzen-ji 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 sneaked 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 very 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, there always shall be thieves. 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").