Hikoichi

Japanese: 彦市 - ひこいち

Hikoichi is the protagonist of a comedy tale passed down mainly in the Kuma District and Yatsushiro regions of Kumamoto Prefecture. He is a man of wit who skillfully deceives feudal lords, receives rewards, and is cheered on by the common people. The intelligent little man is contrasted with the powerful giant, and is more popular than the giant. Hikoichi not only plays the role of a feudal lord, but also of a tengu (long-nosed goblin) and fox who he skillfully deceives and drives away. He is famous for the story of him winning a contest of wits with a fox. Compared to Yoshishiro from neighboring Oita Prefecture, Hikoichi has fewer foolish stories and is primarily seen as a wise man. There is also a theory that the name Hikoichi comes from Higo Ichi, the wisest man in Higo (Kumamoto Prefecture), or that it comes from the name of a storyteller from the Edo period, Yonezawa Hikohachi, who told the Hikoichi tales.

(Miyata Noboru)

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

Japanese:

熊本県球磨郡や八代地方を中心に伝わる笑話の主人公。頓智の持ち主で,殿様をうまくだましては,ほうびをもらい,庶民の喝采を得る。知力を備えた小男は,大力を持つ大男と対比されており,大男よりもむしろ親しまれる存在だった。彦市は,殿様だけではなく,天狗や狐を巧みにだまして追い払う役割も演じている。狐と化けくらべして勝った話は有名である。隣の大分県下の吉四六とくらべると,彦市の方に愚か話がなく,もっぱら知恵者のイメージが濃い。彦市のヒコイチは,肥後(熊本県)で一番の知恵者,すなわち肥後一からきたという説や,また彦市話を語った米沢彦八という江戸時代の咄家の名前から生じたのだという説もある。

(宮田登)

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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