Kashin Koji - Kashin Koji

Japanese: 果心居士 - かしんこじ

Year of birth: Year of birth and death unknown. Illusionist of the Warring States and Azuchi-Momoyama period. He was famous in the Kinki region, including Nara, Kyoto, and Osaka, during the Eiroku to Tensho eras (1558-92). According to Guken's "Gizan Kokaku," he was born in Tsukushi (Fukuoka Prefecture), but another theory is that he was born at Kofuku-ji Temple in Nara. He is said to have transformed dead leaves scattered in Sarusawa Pond into fish, made people see illusions of floods, and performed great magic in the homes of nobles and outdoors. He summoned the phantom spirit of Matsunaga Hisahide's late wife to appear before Hisahide at Tamon Castle in Nara, and when he was invited by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he used magic to expose Hideyoshi's secrets, which led to his capture. Illusions were introduced from China as a type of scattering learning, but there is no record of Kashin using magic for intelligence gathering or combat, so it is thought that he was not a ninja.

(Yumio Nawa)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

生年：生没年不詳
戦国・安土桃山時代の幻術師。永禄～天正年間(1558～92)に奈良,京都,大坂など近畿地方で名を知られた。愚軒『義残後覚』によると筑紫(福岡県)の生まれとされるが,一説には奈良興福寺の生まれ。猿沢の池に散らした枯れ葉を魚に変えたり,洪水の幻影を人に見させたり,貴人宅や屋外で大魔術を演じたりしたと伝えられる。奈良多聞城の松永久秀の面前に久秀の亡妻の幻霊を呼び寄せ,豊臣秀吉に招かれた折には,秀吉の秘事を術によって露見させ,そのために捕らわれの身になったという。幻術は散学の一種として中国から渡来したものだが,果心も諜報収集や戦闘に術を使ったとする記録はなく,忍びの者ではなかったと思われる。

(名和弓雄)

出典　朝日日本歴史人物事典：（株）朝日新聞出版朝日日本歴史人物事典について　情報

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