Bushidoboutique

True name: Akabane Genzō Shigekata (赤埴 源蔵 重賢)

Age: 35

Katana mei: mumei, length unknown

Wakizashi mei: mumei, length unknown

The tale of the text – with a little twist

Genzo was a master with the spear — the kind of guy who could probably skewer a fly mid‑air — but his true passion in life was sake. Not casual, “after work” sake. No, this man drank from morning to night and even tied a one‑quart bottle to his spear so he could sip on the go. Hydration, samurai‑style.

Despite being a mobile brewery, Genzo lived simply. Rough clothes, plain food, no frills. Picture a monk, if monks carried spears and drank like fish.

After the fall of the Akao clan, he settled in Honjo Hayashida‑chō and stayed fiercely loyal to his late lord. Once a month, on the anniversary of his lord’s death, he refused to touch sake — which, for Genzo, was basically the emotional equivalent of climbing Mount Fuji barefoot. He spent the whole day grieving dramatically, a tragic figure with a very dry throat.

One day, his friend Fuwa Katsuemon invited him to kabuki. A popular play was running about a lord shedding blood in the palace — a real crowd‑pleaser. They watched Takenojo perform, and instead of applauding like normal theatergoers, they got so offended by the portrayal that they marched backstage and beat up the producer, Hanai Saisaburō. Because nothing says “refined samurai culture” like assaulting the guy who organizes the props.

When Oboshi Yoshio heard about this, he basically said,

“Gentlemen, we are planning a historic vendetta. Maybe don’t start bar fights over kabuki plots.”

But honestly, what do you expect when you mix unwavering loyalty with a man who treats sake like a personality trait?

For an accurate translation of the print text, I would encourage you to get the book: Kuniyoshi -The faithful samurai by David R Weinberg.