Kunisada Chūji

Portrait of Kunisada Chuji by Tazaki Soun

Kunisada Chūji (国定 忠治; 1810–1851) was a popular figure in the Edo period. He was a bakuto (gamblers commonly seen as forerunners to the modern yakuza).

Romanticized counterpart to Robin Hood

His story is mainly responsible for the romanticised "chivalrous bandit" or "Robin Hood" image in Japan. An example was when a village had a famine, he helped the village out.[1]

Execution

He was publicly executed in 1850 for various crimes after a large man-hunt.

Legacy

Chūji is depicted on a 1999 Japanese stamp.

Kunisada Chūji's grave in Isesaki.

See also

References

  1. ^ Maruko., Siniawer, Eiko (2009-01-01). Ruffians, yakuza, nationalists: the violent politics of modern Japan, 1860-1960. Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801447204. OCLC 475533274.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)