Hidari Jingoro (左甚五郎)
Jingoro HIDARI (Dates of birth and death unknown), was a legendary sculptor living in the early Edo Period. His name is famous in Rakugo (Traditional Japanese comic storytelling) and Kodan (traditional storytelling), and there are many stories that are said to have been written by Jingoro HIDARI. Among the Kodan stories, there is a story about his right arm being cut off by a jealous carpenter, and one about his almost being killed for knowing the secrets of Edo-jo Palace.
According to legend, Jingoro was from Kaizuka City, known today as Osaka; he studied under Eitoku KANO, and was involved in the construction of Kitano-tenmangu Shrine and Hokoku-jinja Shrine (Kyoto City)
Some say the carvings in Nikko-Toshogu Temple are the works of Jingoro HIDARI, which seems doubtful.
There is a person claiming to be a descendent of Jingoro HIDARI, asserting that Jingoro was in fact Toshikatsu ITAMI (1594 - June 16, 1651 (April 28, 1651 by the old calendar)), a carpenter specializing in shrines and temples from Harima Province, and that his grave is in Shikoku. However, there is no proof that Toshikatsu ITAMI worked on carvings at Nikko-Toshogu Temple.
On the ceiling of the Goei-do, Chion-in Temple in Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City, there is an umbrella that was supposedly forgotten by Jingoro HIDARI