Shimotsuki Kouzaburou

For the chapter of the same name, see Chapter 1033.

Shimotsuki Kouzaburou^[3] was a member of the Shimotsuki Family and a swordsmith who crafted the Great Grade Blades, Wado Ichimonji and Enma. He was born in Wano Country, but illegally departed from there 55 years ago^[2] and eventually settled down in what became Shimotsuki Village in the East Blue. There, he fathered a son named Koushirou, making him the grandfather of Koushirou's daughter Kuina.^[4]

Appearance[]

The last time he was seen alive, Kouzaburou was an old man with a large, thick unibrow that jutted to the sides of his face, a ponytail over a tuft of gray white hair and a beard framing his jawline. He had a scar on his left temple as well.^[4]

He wore a dark blue (green in the anime) kimono decorated with purple flower patterns and sandals. He also carried a katana with him and frequently smoked from a kiseru.^[5]

Gallery[]

Kouzaburou's color scheme in the manga.

Kouzaburou's concept art from the anime.

Personality[]

Kouzaburou appeared to be adventurous in his past, as he departed from Wano to adventure despite that being illegal. He was a heroic man, seeing that he helped with protecting a village in the East Blue from bandits.^[4]

In his old age, Kouzaburou was a grumpy, lonely man who spent his time fishing in the coasts near Shimotsuki Village. Despite not liking Zoro's company at first, he took interest in the boy and gave him real swords to help with his training, showing that he was still capable of sympathy. He was also very aware about the nature of named swords, showing particular pride for Enma, his masterpiece.^[1] He considers swords that are commonly labeled as cursed to be worthy of praise, stating that these swords fulfill their purpose when wielded by a swordsman able to tame the wild nature of the sword. He looks down upon those unable to tame swords and labeling them cursed, calling them weak.^[6]

Relationships[]

Family[]

The full extent of Kouzaburou's relationship with his family is unknown since he was never seen interacting with them. However, it is clear that he was loved by both his son and grandaughter, as they were both seen mourning for him at his funeral.^[1]

Roronoa Zoro[]

Kouzaburou met Zoro when the latter was just a boy. Zoro pestered him by asking him about his past and he responded by telling him to scram. However, when he saw Zoro's determination to best Kuina, he was kind enough to lend the boy two normal katana that he crafted himself, and offered him wisdom about the nature of a sword while mentioning his greatest creation. Despite all this, Zoro never bothered to learn Kouzaburou's name and only learned that he was Kuina's grandfather when he died. However, he was able to realize the old man's true identity during his time on Onigashima when he had trouble wielding the greatest creation that Kouzaburou mentioned, Enma.^[1]

Marines[]

For unknown reasons, Kouzaburou was considered a wanted criminal to the Marines. He told Zoro to stop asking questions about his past out of fear of them learning about his identity and location.^[5]

Abilities and Powers[]

Craftsmanship[]

According to Sukiyaki, Kouzaburou was a legendary master swordsmith whose craftsmanship was known far and wide. His known masterpieces being two of the 21 Great Grade Blades Wado Ichimonji and Enma, the latter of which has the supernatural ability to absorb the wielder's Armament Haki.^[2] However, by his old age, Kouzaburou's craftsmanship had declined, as he could no longer forge high-quality swords, instead only making low-grade blades suitable for practicing.

Kouzaburou was immensely knowledgeable about swords and how they functioned, having imparted some of his wisdom to Zoro when the latter was younger.^[1]

Swordsmanship[]

As a samurai of Wano, Kouzaburou was a highly skilled in swordsmanship, having protected a village from bandits and then training the villagers in swordsmanship.^[4]

Even in his old age, Kouzaburou still carried a sword on his person.^[5]

History[]

Biography[]

Back in his youth, Kouzaburou forged the swords Wado Ichimonji and Enma, which were classified as Great Grade Blades.^[2] 55 years ago, he illegally set out to sea with Shimotsuki Furiko, Minatomo, and 22 other people from Wano Country.^[7] Somehow, he became a wanted criminal, but was able to evade capture from the Marines. He eventually ended up in a village in the East Blue and helped save it from bandits. He fell in love with a woman while training the villagers in swordsmanship, and decided to stay in the village. Four years later, he married a village girl and fathered a son named Koushirou who would go on to father a daughter named Kuina.

He was still living in the village around eleven years before the present day, as Roronoa Zoro once overheard him use the cry "Sunacchi" while training.^[4][8] Showing curiosity about the old man due to rumors he had heard from the village, Zoro was at first dismissed by Kouzaburou and resumed his training. That is when Kouzaburou took notice of Zoro's dedication and presented him with a pair of katana to help with his training. He also imparted some of his own swordsmanship wisdom to the kid by explaining the wills and dangers a sword may possess, as well as his creation of Enma in the past.

13 years before the present day, Kouzaburou passed away and was buried somewhere in the village.^[1][3]

Legacy[]

Even after his death, Kouzaburou's two finest swords, Wado Ichimonji and Enma, the latter he considers his masterpiece, made huge impacts upon the world.

The Wado Ichimonji was brought with him all the way from Wano and became the prized heirloom of the Shimotsuki Family. After his death, it was used by Kuina in her final duel with Zoro, who used the two ordinary katana that Kouzaburou gave him. Then after Kuina's death, Zoro requested the blade from her father so that he could carry on their dream of becoming the world's greatest swordsman. He held the blade and the other two swords during his tenure as a bounty hunter and after he became a member of the now infamous Straw Hat Pirates, and it was the only sword to survive his first duel with Dracule Mihawk whereas the other two were destroyed.

Kouzaburou's other sword, Enma was once owned by the famed Kouzuki Oden alongside Ame no Habakiri since the age of eighteen. He wielded it while traveling across Wano and throughout his journey as a member of the Whitebeard Pirates and then the legendary Roger Pirates. With it, he was able to deal a permanent scar on the powerful emperor, Kaidou. After his demise, it was somehow acquired by Oden's father, the swordsmith and former shogun of Wano, Kouzuki Sukiyaki, until he passed it on to his daughter, Kouzuki Hiyori. However, she then gave it to Zoro as a replacement for Shusui, and he then used it in the final battle against the Beasts Pirates, where he inflicted yet another scar on Kaidou and later defeated the All-Star King, thus contributing to the liberation of Kouzaburou's homeland from 20 years of tyranny.

Trivia[]

• Kouzaburou's name has the same structure as his son Koushirou's, as both names begin with Kou and end with rou, and contain a number in the middle: zabu meaning three and shi meaning four.
• Kouzaburou's face bears a resemblance to an anthropomorphic version of Wado Ichimonji drawn by Eiichiro Oda in SBS Volume 92. This makes sense as Kouzaburou is the swordsmith who crafted the blade in question.
• Kouzaburou's favorite foods are refined sake and sea beast sashimi.^[3]

Kouzaburou's face.

Wado Ichimonji as a human.

References[]

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