Kasagawa Higezō

父は播刕の浪人䌓瀬何某母は笠川の百姓与兵エが娘なり幼なして孤となり祖父与兵エが養育にて成人活達にして勇気羣に抜華近世一個の侠客たり髭藏未だ福松とよびし頃小美川の滴流馬髭藏が土場を荒し一端大河へ沈められしが命助り再度件土場に至りて悪口す鏑流馬彼が大膽なるを賞し養子なし䌓瀬髭藏と呼なしけり或時笠川の市中を放牛猛狂ひて衆人をなやみしければ髭藏やがて馳来り牛の隂嚢をはたと蹴りへしひなむを透さず拳をかため頭上を續きて打たりしがさしもの猛牛二ヶ処の窮所に㞍込なすを端綱を結びて持王にわたせしは巴提使武松が怪力に比すとも耻るところあらん。その後髭藏諏訪の社内に角力を催せしをり捨五郎と不和になり。たがひに呉越の思ひをなし白刃を交る事数回なりとぞ
山々亭有人記

[Kasagawa Higezō = Sasagawa Shigezō]

His father was a rōnin, one Iwase from Harima Province [present-day Hyōgo Prefecture] and his mother was the daughter of Yohei, a farmer from Kasagawa [= Sasagawa]. He was orphaned at a young age and his grandpa Yohei raised him. He joined the Yūki Gang ["Gang of Courage"] as a young man, where he excelled as a true kyōkaku [rough yet chivalrous strongman] of this age. When Higezō [= Shigezō] was still known as Fukumatsu he once caused a ruckus in the gambling den of Yabusame Higezō [= Yabusame Shigezō] at Omigawa, which led to him being thrown into the river [getting wrapped in a reed mat and thrown into the river was a method of lynching in these times]. But when he escaped death he immediately returned to the gambling den and hurled some verbal abuse at his assailants, Yabusame appreciated his guts [daitan 大膽 = literally ‘large gall bladder’] and decided to adopt him. From then on he was known as Iwase Higezō.

Once upon a day a raging bull went on a rampage in the middle of the Kasagawa market. Higezō came running to the rescue and kicked the animal in the scrotum with all his might. Without a moment of hesitation he made a fist and began to pound the rampaging bull's head. While the bull was startled and dazed, Higezō bound its head in a halter and brought the animal back to its owner. That was a feat of strength that surely would have put Hadesu and Bushō to shame [Kashiwade no Hadesu, fl. 6^e eeuw, famous for killing a tiger in Korea, and Bushō (C: Wu Song), one of the 108 heroes from Water Margin (Suikoden), who also kills a tiger in the story].

Later Higezō organised a sumo competition on the grounds of the Suwa Shrine [Suwa Daijin in Sasagawa]. During the conflict with Sutegorō [= Iioka no Sukegorō] they became bitter enemies [goetsu 呉越] and crossed swords several times.

Written by Sansantei Arindo [= Jōno Saigiku, 1832–1902]