Nezumi Kozo
Encyclopedia
Nezumi Kozō is the nickname of Nakamura Jirokichi (仲村次郎吉 1797 - 1831), a Japanese
thief and folk hero who lived in Edo
(present-day Tokyo
) during the Edo period
.
of over 100 samurai
estates and the impressive theft
of over 30,000 ryō
throughout his 15-year career. He was tied to a horse and paraded in public before being beheaded
at the Suzugamori execution grounds
. His head was then publicly displayed on a stake. He was buried at Ekō-in
located in the Ryōgoku
section of Tokyo. So many pilgrims chip away pieces of his tombstone for charms that substitute stones have had to be constructed since shortly after his death.
, resulted in the popular legend that he gave the money to the poor, turning the petty crook into a posthumous folk hero similar to Robin Hood
. The fact that he died alone, serving his wives with divorce papers just prior to arrest in order to protect them from sharing in the punishment as the law decreed, further enhanced his stature.
is the Japanese
word for "rat"; a kozō was a young errand-boy who worked in a shop in the Edo period. The nickname can thus be roughly translated as "rat boy". Since a nickname containing the term kozō was often given to pickpockets, who were often youngs boys and girls since the profession required nimble fingers, it has been suggested that Jirokichi was a well known pickpocket when he was younger.
theatre, folk songs
, jidaigeki
, video games, and modern pop culture. See more in the Japanese historical people in popular culture article.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
thief and folk hero who lived in Edo
Edo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
(present-day Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
) during the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
.
Capture and tattoo
In 1822, he was caught and tattooed, and banished from Edo. On August 8, 1831, he was captured again, and confessed to the burglaryBurglary
Burglary is a crime, the essence of which is illicit entry into a building for the purposes of committing an offense. Usually that offense will be theft, but most jurisdictions specify others which fall within the ambit of burglary...
of over 100 samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
estates and the impressive theft
Theft
In common usage, theft is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent. The word is also used as an informal shorthand term for some crimes against property, such as burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, shoplifting and fraud...
of over 30,000 ryō
Ryo
Ryo may refer to:* The Japanese kana digraph ryo, ryō, or ryoh * Ryō , a gold piece in pre-Meiji era Japan worth about sixty monme or four kan...
throughout his 15-year career. He was tied to a horse and paraded in public before being beheaded
Decapitation
Decapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
at the Suzugamori execution grounds
Suzugamori execution grounds
The were one of many sites in the vicinity of Edo where the Tokugawa shogunate executed criminals, anti-government conspirators and Christians in the Edo period. Others sites included Shibaguchi, Honzaimokuchou, Itabashi, near the Torigoe Myoujin shrine, in front of Saihouji in Kondobashi, and...
. His head was then publicly displayed on a stake. He was buried at Ekō-in
Eko-in
, also known as Honjo Ekōin, is a Pure Land Buddhist temple in Ryōgoku, Tokyo. The formal name of the temple is , reflecting its founding principle of Pariṇāmanā, or the spreading of Amida Buddha's benevolence to all souls of all living creatures.-History:...
located in the Ryōgoku
Ryogoku
is a neighborhood in Sumida, Tokyo. It is surrounded by various neighborhoods in Sumida, Chūō, and Taitō wards: Yokoami, Midori, Chitose, Higashi Nihonbashi, and Yanagibashi....
section of Tokyo. So many pilgrims chip away pieces of his tombstone for charms that substitute stones have had to be constructed since shortly after his death.
Background
At the time of the arrest, Jirokichi was found to have very little money. This, combined with the public humiliation he dealt out to the daimyoDaimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
, resulted in the popular legend that he gave the money to the poor, turning the petty crook into a posthumous folk hero similar to Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
. The fact that he died alone, serving his wives with divorce papers just prior to arrest in order to protect them from sharing in the punishment as the law decreed, further enhanced his stature.
Nickname
Jirokichi's nickname, Nezumi Kozō, is not a name. NezumiNezumi
-Real life:* The Japanese word 鼠 literally meaning "rat" or "mouse"* Nezumi Kozō was the nickname of a thief in the 19th century* Previous name of Yuuki Matsuda-Software:* Mobile Application for monitoring applications...
is the Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
word for "rat"; a kozō was a young errand-boy who worked in a shop in the Edo period. The nickname can thus be roughly translated as "rat boy". Since a nickname containing the term kozō was often given to pickpockets, who were often youngs boys and girls since the profession required nimble fingers, it has been suggested that Jirokichi was a well known pickpocket when he was younger.
In popular culture
His exploits have been commemorated in kabukiKabuki
is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...
theatre, folk songs
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, jidaigeki
Jidaigeki
is a genre of film, television, and theatre in Japan. The name means "period drama" and is usually the Edo period of Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. Some, however, are set much earlier—Portrait of Hell, for example, is set during the late Heian period—and the early Meiji era is also a popular...
, video games, and modern pop culture. See more in the Japanese historical people in popular culture article.