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The Spellbinding Life of Koji Kashin: Japan's Legendary Wandering Magician

Around the mid-16th century, stories spread around Japan about a mysterious man who could perform feats of great magic named Koji Kashin.

He only survives today through legends and folklore, yet it’s very tempting to think that the man was real and simply erased all historical documents proving his existence with a magic snap of his fingers for no other reason than because he thought it would be funny. Not questioning his luck, he dragged the magician in front of his master, where Koji promptly accused Arakawa of keeping the real paintings for himself, earning the samurai a vicious but well-deserved beating with bamboo sticks. Other legends about Koji include the time he was drinking with Akechi Mitsuhide — who betrayed Nobunaga and forced him to commit suicide — when he summoned a ship from a painting in the traitorous samurai’s possession, flooding his house.

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