Hattori Hanzo’s Spear.

A Relic of the Iga Ninja, Hattori Hanzo

There were five men — all accomplished spearmen and warriors — known as Hattori Hanzo!  The most famous was the second Hattori Hanzo, Hattori Hanzo Masanari. His father was Hattori Hanzo. Masanari’s son, grandson, and great-grandson were all named Hattori Hanzo. However the more famous Hattori Hanzo Masanari was born in 1542 in what is now Iga-cho, Okazaki City. The Hattori family originally had its roots in Iga, Mie Prefecture, and Hattori Hanzo is said to have often returned to Iga when he was young, ostensibly to practice ninjutsu, although there is no proof of him ever having actually been a ninja, instead he was a trusted and loyal samurai in the close service of Tokugawa Ieyasu.