Gonbei the Chinese Dog

Japanese: 唐犬権兵衛 - とうけん・ごんべえ

Year of death: 1655
Year of birth: Unknown. A gangster from the early Edo period. Head of the Karainu-gumi, a group of Edo town thugs who dressed strangely and had bold shoulders. He targeted Mizuno Jurozaemon, a younger brother of Hatatsuin Chobei, who had assassinated Chobei. The name Karainu comes from the large sword that Karainu used to strike and kill him with one blow after he was barked at. He also influenced the yakuza of today in a trivial way, as seen in the "Karainu forehead" (sorikomi), which has the edges of the forehead shaved. He was arrested in the Meireki purge of gamblers led by Nakayama Kaneyu, who had been a criminal arsonist and bandit, and was beheaded. <References> Mitamura Engyo, "Edo no Gaijin" (Mitamura Engyo Complete Works, Volume 5)

(Masaaki Hiraoka)

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

Japanese:

没年：明暦1(1655)
生年：生年不詳
江戸前期の侠客。異装異風,肩で風を切る江戸の町奴のグループ唐犬組の頭。幡通院長兵衛の弟分で長兵衛を暗殺した水野十郎左衛門をつけ狙った。唐犬の名のいわれは,唐犬にほえつかれ一撃で殴り殺した大刀にちなむ。また,つまらぬことで現代のヤクザに影響もしており,額際を剃り込んだ「唐犬額」(ソリコミ)はそれだ。火付け盗賊あらため中山勘解由の明暦の博徒刈り込みで逮捕され,斬首。<参考文献>三田村鳶魚「江戸の豪侠」(『三田村鳶魚全集』5巻)

(平岡正明)

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