Kirigakure Saizō (霧隠才蔵) was a legendary ninja of the final phase of the Sengoku period of Japan. In the folklore he is one of the Sanada Ten Braves, and next to Sarutobi Sasuke, he is the most recognized of the Ten. As in the case of Sasuke, Saizō might be a fictional creation of the Meiji-period popular literature, possibly based on Kirigakure Shikaemon. His family name, meaning “Hide in the fog”, is written with two kanji; kiri (霧) is the character for “fog”, and gakure (隠) is the character for “hide”. According to the historian Stephen Turnbull and non-fiction writer Joel Levy, there is a historical record of a failed assassination attempt by a ninja called Kirigakure Saizō, sent by the warlord Tokugawa Ieyasu to kill his rival Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Saizō is said to be a master of Iga ninjutsu. Sarutobi Sasuke, a Kōga ninja, is thus often portrayed as Saizō’s arch-rival, and after they both converted to Sanada’s cause, best friends and partners.
First Appearance Sarutobi Sasuke: Sanada San’yūshi (猿飛佐助：真田三勇士) Tachikawa Bunko — Taishō-period juvenile fiction
First Publisher ○
Appearance List Books: Sarutobi Sasuke: Sanada San’yūshi (猿飛佐助：真田三勇士) Tachikawa Bunko — Taishō-period juvenile fiction; Shinobi no Mono (novel series) by Tomoyoshi Murayama (1962–1971; many reprints). Film: Shinobi no Mono film cycle (Daiei; 1962–1967) — including Shinobi no Mono: Kirigakure Saizō (1964), Zoku Kirigakure Saizō (1964), Shin Kirigakure Saizō (1966).
Sample Read ○
Description Kirigakure Saizō (霧隠才蔵) was a legendary ninja of the final phase of the Sengoku period of Japan. In the folklore he is one of the Sanada Ten Braves, and next to Sarutobi Sasuke, he is the most recognized of the Ten. As in the case of Sasuke, Saizō might be a fictional creation of the Meiji-period popular literature, possibly based on Kirigakure Shikaemon. His family name, meaning “Hide in the fog”, is written with two kanji; kiri (霧) is the character for “fog”, and gakure (隠) is the character for “hide”. According to the historian Stephen Turnbull and non-fiction writer Joel Levy, there is a historical record of a failed assassination attempt by a ninja called Kirigakure Saizō, sent by the warlord Tokugawa Ieyasu to kill his rival Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Saizō is said to be a master of Iga ninjutsu. Sarutobi Sasuke, a Kōga ninja, is thus often portrayed as Saizō’s arch-rival, and after they both converted to Sanada’s cause, best friends and partners.
