Horibe Yasubei

Horibe Yasubei Taketsune (堀部 安兵衛 武庸, 1670–March 20, 1703) was a warrior in Japan. Yasubei was born to Nakayama Yajiemon (中山 弥次右衛門), a samurai of the Shibata Domain (a han in present-day Niigata Prefecture) . When Yasubei was 13, his father lost his position and became a ronin. Soon afterwards, Yajiemon died, and as Yasubei's mother had died shortly after giving birth to him, Yasubei was thus orphaned. Eventually, Yasubei ended up in Edo and became successful as a master swordsman at the dojo.

In 1694, Yasubei came to the aid of his dojo mate and pledged uncle in a duel at Takadanobaba in Edo, killing three opponents. He received acclaim for his role, and Horibe Yahei of the Akō Domain asked Yasubei to marry his daughter and become the heir to Yahei's family. Yahei was so impressed with Yasubei that he pleaded to his liege, Asano Naganori, to allow Yasubei to keep his Nakayama surname while marrying into the Horibe family. Yasubei eventually took on the Horibe surname and became a successful retainer of the Akō Domain.

In 1701, Asano Naganori was sentenced to commit seppuku as a result of an attack on Kira Yoshinaka. The Akō Domain was disbanded, and Yasubei once again became a ronin. In 1702, Yasubei and Yahei were among the Forty-seven Ronin who attacked and killed Kira, avenging their late lord's death. Yasubei surrendered to the authorities and was placed in the custody of Matsudaira Oki no Kami Sadanao. On March 20, 1703 (according to the Gregorian calendar), he was sentenced to commit seppuku.

Horibe Yasubei has a prominent role in plays, films, and television depictions of Chūshingura, the fictionalized account of the Forty-seven Ronin.