My Conspiracy

Stealth, Disambiguation, Secrecy and Deception are the cornerstone of Ninjutsu philosophy. So it isn't exactly good for a Ninja to be famous, considering anonymity was a prized status. Needless to say, it doesn't necessarily speak to highly of Hattori Hanzo - one of the most famous ninja, that his exploits are so well known. Or are they? After reading through bios of the man a few underlying characteristics become apparent:

It seems that the aura of mystery cultivated by Hanzo coupled with a few high-profile exploits and super-competence is the dark-arts of Ninjutsu has thrown him into the realm of cult-hero. Three deductions can be made. There is more fiction than fact, cultivated by legions of followers and admirers. There is very little doubt of his abilities, at the very least considering that the Shogun who established the ‘great peace’ was in awe of Hanzo’s skills. There is very little , I actually know about the man.

Hattori Hanzo was born Masanari, in the town of Mikawa. His training began at a young age since he was from a family of Iga-ninja )his family served the Matsudiara clan - ascendants of the future shogun Tokugawa).
Hanzo was a common name for a ninja at the time, and to distinguish him from the others Hattori was nicknamed Oni-Hanzo (or Devil-Hanzo for his daredevilry). It is with deception and psychological warfare that Hanzo created an aura of superhuman abilities for himself.

Though Hanzō was born and raised in Mikawa Province, he often returned to Iga Province, home of the Hattori family. He was an extremely skilled swordsman, tactician and spearman. Onmyodo, a Chinese system of divination propagated in Kyoto by Abe no Seimei, had been brought from the capital. The village of Yagyu , along the Kyoto-Nara border, was home to a venerable school of sword technique. The Hōzōin temple in Nara supported a unique school of spear fighting, the Hozoin-ryu.

Hattori, who fought his first battle at the age of 16, went on to serve at the battles of Anegawa (1570) and Mikatagahara (1572), but his most valuable contribution came in 1582, following Oda Nobunaga's death. Hattori Hanzō died in 1596 at the age of fifty-five of natural causes. However, there is a popular legend that a ninja, Fūma Kotarō, killed Hanzō in battle.