Fūma Kotarō

Biographical Overview & Key Facts

Subject:

Fūma Kotarō

Role / Field:

Notorious ninja leader of the Fūma clan during Japan's Sengoku period.

Born:

1505

Died:

1603

Century / Era:

1505s Historical Era

Database Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Origins & Early Life

Fūma Kotarō (風魔 小太郎) was the name adopted by the leader of the ninja Fūma clan (風魔一党, Fūma-ittō) during the Sengoku era of feudal Japan. He was a retainer of the Later Hōjō clan. According to some records, his name was originally Kazama Kotarō (風間 小太郎). The clan was based in Kanagawa Prefecture, specializing in horseback guerrilla warfare and naval espionage. According to some sources, the family has roots in the 10th century when they served Taira no Masakado in his revolt against the Kyoto government.

Career & Major Achievements

The use of the name started with the first leader (jonin) of the clan: originally surnamed "風間" (Fūma), with a different kanji, it was later changed to homophone 風魔. Each subsequent leader of the school adopted the same name as its founder, making it difficult to identify them individually. This school was in the service of the Hōjō clan of Odawara. Fūma Kotarō was the fifth and the best known of the Fūma clan leaders. Born in Sagami Province (modern Kanagawa Prefecture) on an unknown date, he became notorious as the leader of a band of 200 Rappa "battle disrupters", divided into four groups: brigands, pirates, burglars and thieves.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Kotarō served under Hōjō Ujimasa and Hōjō Ujinao. His biggest achievement came in 1580 at Battle of Omosu, when the Fūma ninja covertly infiltrated and attacked a camp of the Takeda clan forces under Takeda Katsuyori at night, succeeding in causing severe chaos in the camp, which resulted in massive casualties among the disoriented enemies as they attacked each other. Later in 1590, at Siege of Odawara, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi laid siege to Odawara Castle, which eventually fell, the Hōjō clan was forced to surrender. When the Tokugawa shogunate came to power, the remnants of Fūma-ryū were reduced to a band of brigands operating in and around Edo. A popular but fictional story says that in 1596, Kotarō was responsible for the death of Hattori Hanzō, a famous ninja in the service of Tokugawa Ieyasu, who had tracked him down in the Inland Sea, but Kotarō has succeeded in luring him into a small channel, where a tide trapped the Tokugawa gunboats and his men then set fire to the channel with oil.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1505: Birth of Fūma Kotarō — Notorious ninja leader of the Fūma clan during Japan's Sengoku period.
2. 1580: 1580 Milestone — His biggest achievement came in 1580 at Battle of Omosu, when the Fūma ninja covertly infiltrated and attacked a camp of the Takeda clan forces under Takeda Katsuyori at night, succeeding in causing severe chaos in the camp, which resulted in massive casualties among the disoriented enemies as they attacked each other.
3. 1590: 1590 Milestone — Later in 1590, at Siege of Odawara, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi laid siege to Odawara Castle, which eventually fell, the Hōjō clan was forced to surrender.
4. 1596: 1596 Milestone — A popular but fictional story says that in 1596, Kotarō was responsible for the death of Hattori Hanzō, a famous ninja in the service of Tokugawa Ieyasu, who had tracked him down in the Inland Sea, but Kotarō has succeeded in luring him into a small channel, where a tide trapped the Tokugawa gunboats and his men then set fire to the channel with oil.
5. 1603: Passing & Historical Legacy — Fūma Kotarō passed away on 1603, leaving an enduring historical legacy.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Fūma Kotarō

True or False: “Fūma Kotarō was executed by being poisoned after his capture by the Tokugawa shogunate.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): He was ultimately executed through beheading by an order of Ieyasu.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Al-Suyuti — Contemporary (Died in 1505) (1505): Egyptian Sunni polymath, renowned for authorship across nearly all Islamic sciences.
• Hürrem Sultan — Contemporary (Born in 1505) (1505): Powerful Haseki Sultan, legal wife of Suleiman the Magnificent, and mother of Selim II.
• Heinrich Kramer — Contemporary (Died in 1505) (1505): Dominican friar and influential German inquisitor, known for the Malleus Maleficarum.
• Abel Tasman — Contemporary (Born in 1603) (1603): Dutch explorer famed for charting Tasmania and New Zealand for the VOC.
• Ahmad al-Mansur — Contemporary (Died in 1603) (1603): Saadi Sultan of Morocco, known as 'the Golden' for his influence in the 16th century.
• François Viète — Contemporary (Died in 1603) (1603): Pioneering mathematician, credited as the father of modern algebraic notation.
• Andrea Palladio — Historical peer (Died in 1580) (1580): Master Renaissance architect whose villas defined the Palladian style.
• Bessho Nagaharu — Historical peer (Died in 1580) (1580): A Sengoku period daimyō who initially allied with the Oda before revolting against Hideyoshi.
• Ambroise Paré — Historical peer (Died in 1590) (1590): Father of modern surgery, pioneer in wound treatment and battlefield medicine.
• Bernardino de Sahagún — Historical peer (Died in 1590) (1590): Pioneering ethnographer and Franciscan friar documenting Aztec culture in colonial Mexico.
• 1505 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1505
• 1603 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1603

Frequently Asked Questions about Fūma Kotarō