Inaba Kozo - Inaba Kozo

In the Edo period, at the beginning of the Tenmei era (1781-89), he was a thief commonly nicknamed Inaba Kozo. One theory is that his father was a vassal of Inaba Tango no Kami, and that he was disowned from an early age due to his tendency to steal, but in fact his real name is unknown. He specialized in ransacking feudal lords' houses and stealing swords, wakizashi, and other weapons, and is said to have been 21 years old in 1785 (Tenmei 5). He is often confused with the country thief Shinsuke, who was paraded around and executed that same year at the age of 36, and is often referred to as a single thief known as "Inaba Kozo Shinsuke." The story of how Inaba Kozo was arrested and on his way to the magistrate's office, he escaped from his ropes, jumped into the Shinobazu pond, and disappeared is famous and was even incorporated into Osome Hisamatsu's Sewa Kyogen. He escaped to Joshu (Gunma Prefecture), but is said to have died of an illness while in hiding.

[Fumio Inagaki]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸時代、天明(てんめい)（1781～89）の初めごろ巷間(こうかん)に稲葉小僧とあだ名された盗賊。一説に親は稲葉丹後守(たんごのかみ)の家臣であり、本人は幼少からの盗癖のため勘当されたというが、実のところ本名は不明である。大名屋敷を専門に荒らし、刀、脇差(わきざし)などを盗み、天明5年（1785）には21歳であったと伝わる。この年に36歳で引廻(ひきまわ)しのうえ獄門となった夜盗田舎(いなか)小僧新助と混同され、また「稲葉小僧新助」という1人の泥棒として語られることが多い。稲葉小僧が捕縛されて町奉行(ぶぎょう)所へ赴く途中、縄抜けして不忍(しのばず)の池に飛び込み、姿を消した話は有名で、お染久松の世話狂言に取り入れられもした。上州（群馬県）まで逃げ延びたが、潜伏中に病死したといわれる。

［稲垣史生］

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