Kashinkyoshi

Kashinkyoshi(果心居士, Kashinkoji) a famed fictional genjutsu master that was said to be active during the Sengoku period to the Azuchi-Momoyama period (16th century) of Japan. Throughout Kashinkyoshi's many feats, he had performed many miracles such as reviving the life of a samurai that a certain woman had been married to before her own eyes. Another one of Kashinkyoshi's illusional arts took place within the town of Nara. The certain townsmen that were within this party had asked Kashinkyoshi to show them an illusional trick, so Kashinkyoshi had flooded the entire hall with water, and had made an enormous water dragon appear amongst the substance. The townsmen, who at the time had feared for their lives of being killed by the dragon or to drown by the water, fainted. However, when they had all regained their consciousness, the hall had no evidence what so ever of what they had previously seen.

Within a different time, Kashinkyoshi had at one time scared Oda Nobunaga because he had shown Nobunaga a man that was currently within hell being tortured. Some time later, Kashinkyoshi would show a certain illusion to the famed Toyotomi Hideyoshi, which had hurt his pride, leading him towards a feat of anger. Due to this fact, Hideyoshi ordered for Kashinkyoshi's execution. Before Kashin was to be executed, the executioner had asked for his last wish. Kashinkyoshi had responded by saying that he had never at any time performed the illusion of turning into a mouse, which was of course what he had intended on doing. After the executioner had loosened the rope for Kashinkyoshi, he quickly turned into a mouse and had climbed to the top of the executional post. However, within a moment, a hawk had dove down from the sky and grasped Kashinkyoshi with its sharp claws. This was to be the last of Kashinkyoshi.

References

cite book
last = Hatsumi
first = Masaaki
authorlink = Masaaki Hatsumi
coauthors =
title = Essence of Ninjutsu
publisher = Mcgraw-Hill
date = 1988
location =
pages =
url =
doi = 10.1036/0809247240
id =
isbn = 0809247240