Yes, Himura Kenshin was based on Kawakami Gensai. There was of course some differences and so on, Gensai's life is somewhat murky and its hard to tell a lot of things about his life. His sword style is supposedly Shiranui or Furanui Kenjutsu, but there is little information available so it may be a fiction invented sometime since his death in 1871.Mausthemighty said:Was that the real-life person Kenshin Himura was based on?Hitokiri_Gensai said:Kawakami Gensai was an 19th Century Samurai who served as an assassin known as "Hitokiri" for the Ishin Shishi. He was known to be feminine in appearance and often mistaken as a woman. Ive trained in Japanese martial arts since i was little, and being a woman, someone made the connection and ive been called Gensai ever since.