Okada Izō

Okada Izō (1838–1865) was a swordsman who traveled from Tosa Province (present-day Kōchi Prefecture) to Kyoto during the turbulent Bakumatsu period and is known by the alias 'Killer Izō'. He was one of the Four Great Swordsmen of the Bakumatsu Period. He belonged to the Tosa Kinnō Party organized by Takechi Hanpeita (Buddhist name: Zuizan), and is said to have carried out numerous assassinations in Kyoto during the sonnō-jōi movement.

Izō was born into a family of lower-ranking samurai (kashira) in Tosa and learned kenjutsu from childhood. He became an inner disciple of Takechi Hanpeita, the leader of the Tosa Kinnō Party, and earned his trust through intensive kenjutsu training in both Edo and Kyoto. He is also said to have had contact with Sakamoto Ryōma. From 1861 onward, as the Tosa Kinnō Party grew more radical, Izō served as an assassin, allegedly striking down many pro-shogunate figures, though historical sources offer varying accounts of the precise details.

Regarding the kenjutsu style Izō employed, Shinmeiji-ryū is considered the most likely, with his exceptional blade speed and keen judgment believed to have underpinned his success as a killer. His profound connection to the katana defined his entire existence, and his effort to survive the turbulent age by sword alone embodies the tragedy of the Bakumatsu swordsmen.

In 1864, Izō was captured by the Tosa Domain and tortured; he reportedly confessed the names of his comrades, including Takechi Hanpeita. When Izō was executed in Tosa in 1865, his life ended at just 27 years of age. Yet as a swordsman who lived through the Bakumatsu upheaval, he became the subject of numerous literary works, films, and dramas, and the name 'Killer Izō' remains widely recognized today. Through his relationship with Sakamoto Ryōma and his master-student bond with Takechi Hanpeita, he has become an essential figure in Bakumatsu history.