Goemon Ishikawa I was a character who appeared in Lupin the 3rd Part 2 and is the ancestor of Goemon Ishikawa XIII.
History[]
Goemon Ishikawa often appeared as a painting or was referenced such as when Lupin III had a print of Goemon and he wanted to steal the original Ukiyo-e at the Central Museum. His only appearance was in Part 2 Episode 120.
According to Millarca who was the leader of the Red Ghost, he had stolen a pot that was linked to the Roman Pope that he thought that it happened in during the Tenshō era however she told him that it was in 1582. She claimed that Goemon went from Japan to Rome illegally on a ship of a Christian delegation, he stole the Rosenkreuz pot that was kept under close surveillance by the order of Pope Gregory XIII. In his account, after stealing the Rosenkreuz, he had returned to Japan to take on Toyotomi Hideyoshi however he was caught then tied up to be boiled alive in a pot. He had managed to hid the Rosenkreuz pot in a finger inside a Buddha statue in the Todaiji temple.
After his death, his spirit was released and it is implied that Millarca had caught it with a soul gun. Millarca had tie up Goemon XIII and using a soul gun had released the spirit of Goemon as the house started to shake. He wondered where he was as he was resting and was surprised that he had a descendant, Millarca then commanded him to possess Goemon XIII. Millarca had used him to locate and deliver the Rosenkreuz as it contained the soul of Frankenstein's Monster. After going back to the lab where the Red Ghost was based, Goemon had witnessed the awakening of Frankenstein's Monster. Lupin and Daisuke Jigen tried to attack then tried to get away from the monster when Goemon, Millarca and Dr. Frankenstein XV stood in a corridor, Jigen had disarmed the soul gun from Millarca and used it on Goemon XIII to release the spirit of Goemon as he was about to attack him. It is unknown what happened to his spirit.
Appearance[]
Goemon is an olive-skinned man with a curled beard and a ridiculous curly pompadour.
Source material[]
He is based on the real life Goemon Ishikawa (石川五右衛門, Ishikawa Goemon) who was an outlaw that lived from August 24, 1558 to October 8, 1594. After the failure to assassinate Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he was boiled alive in a pot along with his son in public. In Japanese pop culture, he had become a legend and his exploits had become exaggerated even claiming to have an assassination attempt at Oda Nobunaga and having ninja skills. He was looked on as a Robin Hood figure who championed the disadvantaged.
Notes[]
- Since the real life Goemon and his son were boiled alive, it meant that having a descendant was impossible. However, many stories have Goemon's son be pardoned and allowed to live.
- The name given in Frankenstein Attacks Lupin was The First Ishikawa Goemon, this is due to that his descendant is often referred to as just Goemon Ishikawa with the XIII title rarely referenced outside of Part I, Part 5 and the Pilot Film.