Kawakami Gensai
Kawakami Gensai [川上玄斎] | |
|---|---|
Ukyo-e depicting Kawakami Gensai after the assassination of Sakuma Shōzan, by unknown artist | |
| Native name | 河上 彦斎 |
| Birth name | Komori Genjiro (小森 彦次郎) |
| Other name | Kouda Genbei (高田 源兵衛) |
| Nickname | Hitokiri |
| Born | 25 December 1834 Kumamoto, Higo Province, Japan |
| Died | 13 January 1872 (aged 37) Kodemmachōin, Nihombashi, Tokyo, Japan |
| Buried | Ikegami Honmon-ji, Tokyo, Japan |
| Allegiance | Ishin Shishi (former) Chōshū Domain (former) Kumamoto Domain |
| Unit | Kiheitai (former) |
| Conflicts | First Chōshū expedition Second Chōshū expedition |
| Spouse |
Misawa Teiko (m. 1861–1872) |
| 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.