Shougen Kazamachi (風待 将監, Kazamachi Shōgen) is a member of the Kouga Manjidani clan and one of the ten ninjas selected by Danjou to participate in the war against the Iga. It appears he is part of an entire family of spider-like ninja when someone very similar to Shougen attacks Koshirou Chikuma in the Kouga Village.
Appearance
Shougen has one of the most unique appearances of all the ninja with a bulbous hunchback, oversized hands and feet and long gangly limbs. He also has a long tongue, which sticks through the gaps where his front teeth should be. His black hair is short and messy, framing the entire outside of his face. His eyes are a blood red color. He has six red dots on his head along with what appears to be a scar. His nose is also rather flat. He wears a sleeveless black vest with a red spider imprinted on the back, a belt, black wristbands and black knee-length hakama. He wears traditional sandals and ties black fabric round his ankles. In his first appearance he is seen carrying a sword horizontally across his lower back.
Biography
Before the War
In an anime-only scene Shougen is seen fishing with Saemon. He had been told by Juubei Jimushi earlier that day that he would suffer misfortune at the water and was determined to prove him wrong. He catches a fish by spitting his glue-like substance, which stuck the fish to the rock. Shougen and Saemon then have to dive out the way of Jousuke, who was rolling down the hill towards them. Shougen lands on a rock but is splashed by the water when Jousuke lands in it, which also lets the fish escape. Okoi and Gyoubu appear behind Jousuke and accuse him of letting a boar they were hunting get away. The group then joke that they should cook Jousuke for food instead.
Visit to Sunpu
Shougen is chosen to represent Danjou at the meeting at Sunpu, held by Ieyasu Tokugawa. He is ordered into battle against Iga's representative Yashamaru, picked by Iga's leader Ogen. Yashamaru begins by using his "Black Ropes", which Shougen moves backwards to avoid. He hits a rock however and Yashamaru ties him around it, trapping Shougen in a vulnerable position. Yashamaru taunts Shougen and pulls the ropes tight, slicing through the rock and through Shougen's sword. Shougen manages to escape however and spits his saliva into Yashamaru's face, managing to trap his hands at the same time. He walks up behind Yashamaru and taunts him for being unable to use his technique, but is forced to dive backwards when the ropes spring up from around his ankles. Yashamaru cuts away the glue-like saliva, along with most of his hair, before running towards the castle. Shougen follows after him and climbs up the wall using his hands. They continue the battle with Shougen spitting his saliva pellets at Yashamaru, who avoids them all. They then run towards each other for a final attack but are ordered to stop, an order to which they immediately comply. Shougen is shown to have his hand around Yashamaru's head, ready to crush it.
The two rejoin their leaders and watch as the peace treaty is broken and ninjas from both clans are selected for battle. Shougen is then handed a scroll by Danjou, who orders him to take it back to Kouga. Shougen then sprints off at top speed, heading directly for Kouga Manjidani.
Return to Kouga
Shougen runs non stop well into the night but finds himself ambushed by four Iga ninja who leap down at him from the trees. Shougen spits his saliva into the face of Koshirou Chikuma, who attempted to use his technique. He then avoids an attack from Nenki Mino and leaps onto a tree. Surprised, Shougen asks how they know about the treaty being broken but they simply reply he shouldn't have underestimated Iga. Shougen laughs and tells them that he'll erase all their names from the scroll, causing three of the ninja to run at him. He then sprays his saliva into strands and catches Nenki, Koshirou and Rousai Azuki in the web he had weaved. He climbs across the web and begins to taunt Rousai, giving him the choice of how he should die. Suddenly he is surrounded by a large swarm of butterflies which had been summoned by Hotarubi. He tries to swat them away and in the confusion Hotarubi managed to throw Koshirou's sickle to Nenki. Nenki grabbed the sickle with his hair and managed to stab it into Shougen's forehead. Shougen stumbles and then falls off his web, but sees Juubei in the distance. He throws the scroll over the Iga's heads to him and then collapses on the ground.
Nenki, Rousai and Koshirou chase after Juubei but Hotarubi stays behind. She places a knife against Shougen's throat and interrogates him, demanding to know where Yashamaru is and if he's safe. He doesn't answer and instead spits the sticky saliva at her, which lands on her cheek. This sends her into a blind rage and she begins stabbing Shougen over and over again, while screaming her earlier questions about Yashamaru at him, despite the fact Shougen was already dead.
Personality
Shougen is a rather sadistic man who enjoys taunting his opponents before killing them. He also doesnt seem to listen to warnings or advice, shown when he ignores Juubei's warning that something bad will happen when he is near water. Instead he sets out to try and prove them wrong. He is confident in his abilities and didn't appear worried when facing four Iga ninjas at once, even believing he could kill them all. Shougen didn't appear to be afraid of dying as he showed no hesitation at provoking Hotarubi when she had a knife against his throat.
Abilities
Spider Physiology: Shougen is able to stick himself to and climb around on vertical surfaces by using his sticky sweat which created from his palm, much like that of a spider. He can also hang upside down as well as use his four arms to run quickly, mimicking a spider's quick scurrying movements.
- Sticky Substance: Shougen has the ability to create a sticky, glue-like substance that he can spit from the tip of his tongue. He can make it take the form of small pellets or as a thick stream. He can even create a sticky spider's web by spraying the saliva through his teeth, creating strand that he weaves into a web. As such, Shougen is one of the few members of the Kouga who specializes in combat rather than stealth and assassination.
Trivia
- Shougen was not included in Shinobi: Heart Under Blade, a film based on the same source material as Basilisk.
- In the original novel, Shougen receives a concussion from Nenki's club when attacked by the four Iga during his return to Manjidani. He fights to remain conscious and succeeds in trapping three of his enemies but ultimately succumbs to his injury after being distracted by Hotarubi's butterfly swarm.
Quotes
- (To Yashamaru) "Come on, cry like the bitch you are. I'll go easier on you. You know, make sure its quick and painless. Hm?"
- (Upon capturing the Iga ninja) "I thought I was going to have to miss dinner. What an unexpected treat."