One of the actors of a troupe, Ebisu was an apprentice of Kakunoj�'s household, who had treated him very well. When the household was being burnt and Kakunoj�'s parents were murdered before his very eyes by Hario Genba as part of the Ansei Purges, Ebisu attempted to protect Kakunoj�, and while doing so, he was burnt by the resulting fire, forced to live the rest of his life with bandages covering his face and body. (Source: Wikipedia)