Who Is Kichiji the Gold Merchant (Kichiji Nobutaka) (Kaneuri Kichiji)?
The gold merchant who led Yoshitsune to Ōshū
Kichiji
Kichiji the Gold Merchant is a wealthy merchant from Sanjō in Kyoto who travels to Ōshū in the far north every year to trade in gold.
He tells Shanaō at Kurama Temple about the power of Fujiwara no Hidehira in Hiraizumi and travels with him on the journey north. On the way, at the Kagami post station, a gang of robbers led by Yuri no Tarō and Fujisawa Nyūdō attacks at night to steal Kichiji's treasure, but Shanaō drives them off.
Depending on the tradition, his name is also given as Kichiji Nobutaka, and there are various theories about whether he really existed.
