Asaemon Yamada

Japanese: 山田朝右衛門 - やまだあさえもん

During the Edo period, they were ronin who served as tameshigiri (masterless swordsmen) (on duty to the shogun) for the shogun's swords. For generations they went by the name Asaemon (also written as Asaemon), and lived in Hirakawacho, Kojimachi, Edo, where they had disciples. In addition to their main job of samashigiri, they often took on the role of beheading (kubiuchiyaku) on behalf of the magistrate's police officers at the time of the execution of a death sentence, and they came to be known as Kubikiri Asaemon. The first Asaemon Sadatake lived around the Genroku and Hoei periods (1688-1711). He was a master of suemonshigiri (mounted swordsmanship), and passed it down as the family trade.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

江戸時代，将軍佩刀（はいとう）の様斬（ためしぎり）(御様御用（おためしごよう）)を務めた浪人。代々朝右衛門(浅右衛門とも書かれる)を名のり，江戸麴町平河町に居住して門弟を抱えた。本職たる様斬のほか，死罪執行のとき町奉行同心に代わって首打役（くびうちやく）を引き受けることも多く，世に首斬朝右衛門と称された。初代朝右衛門貞武は元禄･宝永(1688‐1711)ころの人。据物斬（すえものぎり）の名手で，これを家業として伝えた。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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