Kunisada Chūji
Japanese gambler (1810–1851)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kunisada Chūji (国定 忠治; 1810–1851) was a popular figure in the Edo period. He was a bakuto (gamblers commonly seen as forerunners to the modern yakuza).
Romanticized counterpart to Robin Hood
His story is mainly responsible for the romanticised "chivalrous bandit" or "Robin Hood" image in Japan. An example was when a village had a famine, he helped the village out.[1]
Execution
He was publicly executed in 1850 for various crimes after a large man-hunt.
Legacy
Chūji is depicted on a 1999 Japanese stamp.
See also
- A Diary of Chuji's Travels (忠治旅日記 Chūji tabi nikki)
- Films based on his story in 1954, 1958 and 1960
