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Kawakami Gensai | |
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Native name | 河上 彦斎 |
Birth name | Komori Genjiro (小森 彦次郎) |
Other name(s) | Kouda Genbei (高田 源兵衛) |
Nickname(s) | Hitokiri |
Born | Kumamoto, Higo Province, Japan | 25 December 1834
Died | 13 January 1872 Kodemmachōin, Nihombashi, Tokyo, Japan | (aged 37)
Buried | Ikegami Honmon-ji, Tokyo, Japan |
Allegiance | Ishin Shishi (former) Chōshū Domain (former) Kumamoto Domain |
Unit | Kiheitai (former) |
Battles / wars | First Chōshū expedition Second Chōshū expedition |
Spouse(s) | |
Children | Kawakami Gentarō (son) |
Relations | Komori Sadasuke (father) Waka (mother) Kawakami Genbei (adoptive father) Komori Hanzaemon (brother) Kawakami Toshiharu (grandson) |
Other work | military official, sword trainer, former assassin |
Kawakami Gensai (河上 彦斎, 25 December 1834 – 13 January 1872) was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period. A highly skilled swordsman, he was one of the four most notable assassins of the Bakumatsu period. Gensai's high-speed sword discipline allowed him to assassinate targets in broad daylight.