Chapter 832 The truth is revealed! Boss Kiryus true identity is exposed! 4800
In the Edo period, being an executioner was considered an unclean job and not a decent job.
Generally speaking, those who are responsible for killing people, disposing of corpses and other dirty work on the execution ground are untouchables who are not regarded as human beings... that is, filthy and inhuman.
In such an environment, the Yamada Asaemon clan appears to be particularly unusual - they are obviously a clan of executioners who specialize in killing people, but they enjoy a very high social status.
In fact, the main job of the Yamada Asaemon clan is not to kill people, but to test swords for the general. They are the royal sword testers of the shogunate.
For ordinary people who have no money and power, the most common method of testing knives is to chop wood and bamboo mats.
However, no matter how hard and thick wood or bamboo mats are, they cannot perfectly replicate the density and texture of the human body.
It's really boring to cut such vulgar things, and you can't test the true sharpness of the blade.
The only function of a sword is to kill.
Therefore, if you want to test the true sharpness of the blade, you have to cut people!
As a result, there are often some cruel perverts who, in order to test the sharpness of new knives, hide on the streets late at night, ambush passers-by, and test the knives by beheading them.
This behavior is called "Tsuji Slash".
Many innocent people died tragically at the hands of these beasts.
When important figures such as generals and daimyo want to test their swords, they will certainly not use wood or bamboo mats.
Most of them will use three methods of testing the knife: "test on a living person", "test on a dead person" or "test on a solid object".
The first two are easy to understand, they are to use living or dead people to test the knife.
As for the "hard object test", it involves chopping helmets, armor and other hard objects.
"Experimenting with strangers" is too cruel, so the government never adopts this method - at least not officially.
Therefore, the most mainstream official knife test method is still the "dead man test".
In the early Edo period, a swordsman named Yamano Kaemon was considered the earliest professional sword tester.
It is said that he beheaded more than 6,000 corpses in his lifetime.
His son, Kanjuro Yamano, inherited his mantle and became not only the royal sword tester of the shogunate, but also the royal executioner of the shogunate, responsible for executing death row prisoners.
Unfortunately, those who followed were not proficient in swordsmanship and were unable to undertake the work of sword testing and execution.
For this reason, the Yamano family's royal sword tester and royal executioner were relieved of their duties.
After that, several disciples of Kanjuro Yamano took on the role of trial beheading.
Initially it was Washiji Juroemon and Matsumoto Nagatao.
After the death of these two people, only one person remained - this person's name was Yamada Asaemon Sadake.
In the first year of Yuanwen (1736), Zhenwu submitted an application to the shogunate to allow his son Jitoki to succeed him.
In this way, the Yamada Asaemon family officially became the royal sword testers of the shogunate, and sword test became a profession monopolized by them.
The reason why the Yamada Asaemon clan was able to obtain this honor was, firstly, because of their superb swordsmanship, and secondly, because Sadatake was related to the Shogun's side chamber.
Since the fall of Sadake, the Yamada Asaemon family has inherited the position of "waist priest" and enjoys a salary of more than 1,000 koku.
As the name suggests, "wainwu" refers to the knife on the waist.
The main responsibility of the waist guard is to manage the swords of the general, the swords given to the daimyo, and the swords presented by the daimyo.
Of course, on the surface, they say they are keeping swords, but in fact, their main job is to help the general test swords.
Whenever the shogun got a new sword, he would order the Yamada Asaemon clan to try it out.
The corpses were pulled from the execution ground and the toughness and sharpness of the swords were tested by chopping various parts of the corpses.
In this way, the concept of "body beheading" is derived.
"Carcass cutting" is an important indicator to measure the quality of swords.
"One cut" means that one knife can cut off a human body.
You know, the human body is not that easy to cut.
The human body has both flexible skin and hard bones.
A knife that can cut off a body with one strike is considered a high-quality knife.
The "Three Body Slash" is a unique sword.
The current record is the "Seven Body Slashes" created by Yamano Kaemon.
At that time, Yamano Kaemon stood on the high platform with his famous sword Kanafusa, jumped down quickly, and chopped seven stacked corpses in half with just one sword blow.
After the Yamada Asaemon family tried their swords, they would carefully record the results, called "origami", and keep them carefully as a basis for evaluating the value of the swords.
Not only that, they will also engrave the sword's inspection results on the stem - such as how many body cuts they have completed - and then engrave their own names to prove that the sword was indeed made by the Yamada Asaemon clan.
Trial beheading completed.
The continuous accumulation of experience in sword testing, coupled with the noble status of "the royal sword tester of the shogunate", gave the Yamada Asaemon clan absolute authority in swords.
As long as a sword is approved by the Yamada Senemon clan, it is definitely a good sword - this concept is deeply rooted in people's hearts. And it is indeed true.
If a sword can be recognized and praised by the Yamada Asaemon clan, then the economic value and collection value of the sword will skyrocket!
As a result, the daimyo and dignitaries of the feudal kingdom often hired the descendants of the Yamada Senemon clan to help them test swords.
The Yamada Asaemon family is also happy to earn this extra money.
In the 9th year of Kansei (1797), the third generation Yamada Asaemon Yoshitsugi compiled an illustrated book called "Hoken Kaishaku" based on the knife test data left by his predecessors.
This illustrated book records the world's famous swords and divides them into four levels: "the most powerful thing", "the great thing", "the good thing" and "the thing".
With the release and publication of this book, the absolute authority of the Yamada Senemon family in the sword appraising world has been confirmed.
Although the main job of the Yamada Asaemon clan is to test swords, their other identity - executioners - is more famous than "sword testers"!
Because of their superb swordsmanship, they were also responsible for serving as executioners at the execution ground while testing swords.
Beheading is a technical job, and not just any cat or dog can do it - especially in the Edo period.
According to the regulations of the Edo period, the punishment of beheading was not just chopping off the head.
It is necessary to behead, but it cannot be completely beheaded.
After the head is chopped off, a layer of skin must remain between the head and the torso - this beheading method is called "head-holding".
If the head is chopped off and flew out, it is a very serious work error and will be punished.
If you want to cut off the head beautifully, the best place to cut is the gap between the third and fourth bones of the posterior cervical vertebrae.
In order to hone their sword skills, the Yamada Asaemon clan created a very unique practice method - stacking two tatami mats vertically, and then using a knife to split the gap between the two tatami mats.
The gap is only one or two millimeters wide, not much wider than the blade edge.
To get the blade to accurately penetrate this gap... you can imagine how difficult it is!
No matter how you swing the sword, as soon as you release it, the blade will be able to accurately cut into the gaps in the tatami - only when you achieve this can you be considered a master.
The deep family inheritance, coupled with the vast number of training opportunities, makes the children of the Yamada Asaemon clan all great swordsmen with strong swordsmanship!
Their sword skills are all terrifyingly fast and terrifyingly accurate! They have extremely precise control over their own power!
If I say I chop off your eyebrows, I will never chop off your eyes.
Over the years, how many people have the Yamada Asaemon family killed?
No one can count them.
Even if we are conservative, there are at least tens of thousands of people!
A family that has killed tens of thousands of people over the past hundred years... It is not an exaggeration to call them the "Executioner Family"!
In addition to the "Executioner Family", they also have names such as "Shou-Kiri Senemon" and "Hit-Zan Senemon".
Those who have made mistakes and have to commit seppuku will even hire the disciples of the Yamada Asaemon clan to explain their mistakes in order to make their death easier.
The current head of the Yamada Asaemon clan is named Yamada Asaemon Yoshiki.
When Aoshinobu was still a member of the northern town of Hokkaido, he had met this man several times.
According to the regulations of the shogunate, whenever a prisoner is to be executed, the person responsible for handling the case must go to the execution site to observe in person.
In this way, Aoto once saw Yamada Asemon's lucky face at close range at the execution ground.
The deepest impression the other party left on Qingdeng... was "cold".
His face was expressionless and his eyes were like daggers.
He moved to the prisoner's side like a machine, then drew the knife like a machine, and then swung the knife like a machine.
The decisiveness and determination of the sword are chilling.
It seems that in his eyes, the tortured person is not a living human being at all, but just a pile of meat.
But on the other hand, his swordsmanship is really amazing!
The movements flowed like flowing water, the weight seemed to be lifted lightly, and the falling knife was as precise as measuring it with a ruler.
The blade cut into the gap between the third and fourth joints of the back of the neck, no more than an inch, and cut off the head, leaving only a layer of skin as thin as a cicada's wings, even faintly translucent.
It was obvious that he was chopping the head with enough force to cut bones and muscles, but he could still stop the force in time, leaving such a thin layer of skin...
Thinking about it now, Qingdeng is still amazed.
At that moment, the idea that "the Yamada Senemon clan lives up to its name" deeply penetrated into Ayoto's heart.
It is worth mentioning that after Yoshida Shoin, the mentor of the "Three Heroes of Choshu" and the spiritual mentor of the Zunbo sect, was arrested by the shogunate in the sixth year of Ansei (1859), his head was cut off by Yamada Asemon Yoshiki.
Qingden originally thought that after leaving Beifansuo, he would never have any contact with this gloomy family.
He never expected...that he would be related to the children of this family in such a way!
Whatever.
No matter what, there is only one thing to do now - find Boss Kiryu and confront him face to face!
…
…
The first year of Yuanzhi (1864), July 25——
Osaka, the headquarters of Huluya——
"Mr. Tachibana, please go this way."
Qingdeng, led by others, strode towards the depths of the house.
After a while, a beautiful courtyard came into Qingden's sight.
"Mr. Ju, you're fine."
In the center of the courtyard, Boss Kiryu held a bowl of bait in his hand and leisurely threw the bait into the pool at his feet to feed the koi in the pool.
Seeing Qing Deng coming, he immediately put on a soft smile.
"I've heard about the 'Battle of Ikedaya' a while ago."
"Congratulations, you have made another great contribution."
Speaking of this, Boss Kiryu changed the subject and put on a confused tone:
"At this critical moment just after the war, you should have a lot of things to do, so why are you suddenly looking for me?"
Qingdeng ignored his questions, strode towards him, and said bluntly:
"Yamada Asaemon Katsumi."
As soon as this name came out, Boss Kiryu felt as if he was struck by lightning. His whole body froze, and complex and unspeakable emotions burst out in his eyes.
Qingdeng moved to his side and stared directly into his eyes.
"Boss Kiryu, who is Asaemon Yamada Katsumi?"
Boss Kiryu was silent for a moment, then turned his head and looked at each other with a serious expression.
"...Tachibana-kun, where did you hear this name?"
Qingden told the other party in detail how the Souji and others encountered Prajna.
After hearing this, Boss Kiryu pursed his lips - countless emotions surged in his cheeks.
Qingdeng said nothing and waited quietly.
After a while, the old man sighed silently.
"That's it...you met him..."
He smiled bitterly as he spoke, and after pouring the remaining bait into the pool, he turned around and walked to the verandah.
After sitting down on the corridor, he reached out and patted the empty space beside him.
"Jijun, come here and sit over here."
Qingdeng obeyed the instructions and sat down next to the other party.
"To be honest, if possible, I don't want to tell you about this..."
After feeling this way, Boss Kiryu turned his head to the sky, with a look of reminiscence on his face.
"Where should I... start?"
Silence fell between the two of them.
About 10 seconds later, Boss Kiryu produced the next sentence:
"Anyway...I'd better tell you my real name first."
"Tachibana-kun, I told you a long time ago: My true identity is the once famous 'Ryuuang Hachiman' Kuro Mamiya."
"Although this is true, in fact, 'Kuro Mamiya' is also my pseudonym."
"My real name is actually 'Yamada Senemon Yoshitsune'."
Hearing this, Qingdeng uncontrollably widened his eyes and cast a horrified look at the old man.
Boss Kiryu smiled slightly and continued:
"I am not only a descendant of the Yamada Asaemon clan, but also a direct descendant of the family."
Qingdeng: "..."
At this moment, Qingden seemed to be down, his eyes were straight and he was silent for a long time - in fact, his brain did temporarily stop functioning due to the excessive amount of information.
Kuro Mamiya is not the real name of Kiryu's boss - Aoto is not surprised by this.
Because Boss Kiryu is so mysterious and he doesn't often talk about his past, Aoto has long suspected that "Kuro Mamiya" is not his real name.
Qingto had many speculations about the true identity of Kiryu's boss.
He never expected...the truth would explode like this!
A direct descendant of the Yamada Asaemon clan!
At this moment, Aoden realized that his relationship with the Yamada Asaemon clan seemed to be deeper than he had expected!
Seeing that Qingden had regained his composure, Boss Kiryu continued the conversation calmly:
"I am the eldest son of the Seventh Generation Yamada Asemon Fumaki."
"As the eldest son of the family, I should have inherited this huge family business."
"However... something happened later, which caused some unpleasantness between me and my father, so that in the end I resolutely gave up my family name and left the family."
"Tachibana-kun, you should also know that in addition to testing swords and killing people, Yamada Asaemon also has a side job of refining medicine."
Qingden nodded slightly, his expression slightly changed.
Talking about the Yamada Asaemon clan, there is another thing that is widely known and terrifying.
While the Yamada Asaemon clan was responsible for executions, they were also responsible for disposing of corpses.
Typically, these corpses are kept for future knife testing.
However, these corpses had another purpose before being taken to test the knife.
And this is the famous side job of the Yamada Asaemon clan: using people’s internal organs to make medicine!
In ancient Japan, it was believed that human liver, brain, gallbladder, and bile were all good things, and that human internal organs could be used as medicine.
In this way, the Yamada Asaemon clan made full use of the power they received from the shogunate to dispose of corpses, and used the liver, gallbladder, brain, etc. in the corpses as raw materials to make drugs such as "Human Liver Pills" and "Asama Pills"
.
The most famous pill among them is undoubtedly "Rendan Pill".
It is said that the medicine made from human bile is specially designed to treat lung diseases, and it has a miraculous effect on blood cough...that is, tuberculosis.
Therefore, high-quality "rendan pills" have always been expensive but not marketable.
Testing knives with one hand and selling medicine with the other, the Yamada Asaemon family made a lot of money and became extremely wealthy.
In terms of financial resources alone, the Yamada Asaemon family can even be compared with the daimyo who has a salary of 34,000 to 40,000 koku.
Not only does he test knives and behead people, but he also uses people's internal organs to make medicine... All these things make the general public's impression of the Yamada Asaemon family basically dark.
There are many urban legends related to the Yamada Asemon clan circulating in the market.
Why did you collect a large number of corpses and conduct dark experiments secretly?
Why are you secretly arresting people to make medicine under the orders of the shogunate in order to treat big shots?
Too many to mention.
When he got to the part about "having trouble with his father", Boss Kiryu lowered his eyelids and his expression became a bit sad.
"Under the orders of the shogunate, my father secretly kidnapped a large number of innocent people and took their fresh internal organs to make medicine."
"I really cannot agree with this kind of crazy behavior."
"In this way, I broke with my father and gave up the name of 'Yamada Senemon'. From then on, I became a ronin."
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PS: Leopard Leopard once considered designing a female swordsman from the Asaemon Yamada family. Because Souji and Sanako already occupy the ecological niche of "female swordsmen", it would be really boring to design another female swordsman.
