Bushidoboutique

True name: Muramatsu Kihei Hidenao (村松 喜兵衛 秀直)

Age: 62

Katana mei: Kuninaga, length 2 shaku 8 sun

Wakizashi mei: Samuhiro, length 2 shaku 4 sun + Long Yari

The tale of the text – with a little twist

Hidenao was sixty‑two years old, which for most people is the age to take up gardening or complain about back pain. Instead, he heard that Lord En’ya had died and immediately said, “Right. Time to pack. Revenge won’t plan itself.”

His son Handayū tried to talk him out of it, probably with arguments like, “Father, you’re sixty‑two,” and “Father, please stop sharpening things while I’m talking.” Eventually he gave up, and the two marched off to Akao like a very determined father‑son hiking trip.

Oboshi, ever the voice of reason, basically told them, “Not yet. Please don’t die today.” So they signed an agreement to regroup in Kanto and plot vengeance properly, like responsible conspirators.

Hidenao moved to Kojimachi and waited. And waited. And waited. But he wasn’t just sitting around—he was preparing. On the night of the attack, he even had his final words sewn into his skullcap. That’s commitment. Most people can’t even remember where they put their keys, and this man was walking into battle with embroidered philosophy on his head.

His farewell poems boiled down to:
Dying for your lord is the ultimate life goal.
Duty makes life feel light.
You can try to run from fate, but good luck with that.
Then he signed it like a very dramatic business card: Uramatsu Kihei Hidenao, lay priest, age 62.

And with that, he strode into the attack—calm, devoted, and absolutely unstoppable, proving that sixty‑two is only old if you’re not planning a vendetta.

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