Kijima Matabei

Kijima Matabei , also known as Masahisa (政久), was a Japanese samurai who served as a retainer to Lord Mōri of Chōshū. Though his name was Masahisa, he is known by his "common" name of Matabei. While his income may not have been particularly high, his voice was certainly one closest to the ear of the daimyō. Though he was born into the unstipended Kitamura clan, he was adopted by Kijima Masatsune, the head of another Chōshū retainer family. Matabee became greatly renowned for his martial skill, both in Chōshū and in Edo, owing to his many trips accompanying Lord Mōri. He studied swordsmanship and spearmanship with Ōishi Susumu of the Yanagawa domain, horsemanship with the Hagi-based Narasaki Shirōbei, as well as training in Edo at the dōjō of Kubota Sukeshirō.