Who Is Fuma Kotaro (Fūma Kotarō)?
Four-fanged giant and leader of 200 rappa
Fuma Kotaro was the leader of 200 rappa, or ninja, said to have served the Hojo clan in the Kanto region of eastern Japan during the Warring States era. He appears under the name "Fuma" in the Hojo Godaiki, a war chronicle from the Edo period, and the name is also written "Kazama." The chronicle describes him as seven shaku two sun tall (about 2.18 meters), with eyes and a mouth split wide, four fangs, and a voice that carried 50 cho (about 5 kilometers).
Fuma Kotaro is the lead character of episodes 3 and 4 of this manga. As the rappa chief serving Hojo Ujinao, he commands four companies of followers and faces Takeda Katsuyori's great army at the Kise River. Crossing the river night after night to loose horses and set fires, he throws the Takeda camp into chaos.
The name "Kotaro" is said to have spread through stories and legends of later times. One theory holds that the leader's name was passed down through generations, and another tale says he became a bandit after the Hojo clan fell and was captured in Edo, but the real man remains largely unknown.
Episodes featuring this character2
NEWEpisode 3
Summon the Seven-Foot Ninja With FangsFuma Kotaro
With the vast Takeda army camped across the river and a decision due by dawn, young commander Hojo Ujinao summons the Fuma, men his retainers sneer at as common thieves. Out of the dark steps a man over seven feet tall, with four fangs and a voice said to carry for miles.
19 pages
NEWEpisode 4
No Swords Drawn. An Army Fell.The Fuma Night Raids at Kisegawa
Night after rainy night, Fuma Kotaro's ninja cross the river, set horses loose, light fires, and raise war cries. They never draw a single sword, yet the great Takeda army crumbles. On the final night, a young soldier driven mad by fear turns his blade on the man who looked out for him. Then, bare-handed, he steps between comrades about to cut each other down.
20 pages