Ishikawa Goemon was a semi-legendary Japanese outlaw hero who stole gold and other valuables to give to the poor.

He and his son were boiled alive in public after their failed assassination attempt on the Sengokuperiod warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

There is little historical information on Goemon's life, and as he has become a folk hero, his background and origins have been widely speculated upon. 

In his first appearance in the historical annals, in the 1642 biography of Hideyoshi, Goemon was referred to simply as a thief. As his legend became popular, various anti-authoritarian exploits were attributed to him, including a supposed assassination attempt against the Oda clan warlord Oda Nobunaga.

According to one account, he was born as Sanada Kuranoshin in 1558 to a samurai family in service of the powerful Miyoshi clan in Iga Province. In 1573, when his father was killed by the men of Ashikaga shogunate, the 15-year-old Sanada swore revenge and began training the arts of Iga ninjutsu under Momochi Sandayu. He was however forced to flee when his master discovered Sanada's romance with one of his mistresses (but not before stealing a prized sword from his teacher). 

Some other sources state he formed and led a band of thieves and bandits as Ishikawa Goemon, robbing the rich feudal lords, merchants and clerics, and sharing the loot with the oppressed peasants.

According to another version, which also attributed a failed poisoning attempt on Nobunaga's life to Goemon, he was forced to become a robber when the ninja networks were broken up