Born as the nephew (or adopted son) of Maeda Toshiie, Keiji was a warrior of the powerful Kaga-Maeda clan — yet became famous for a stunt of breathtaking audacity against his own lord. According to legend, he lured Toshiie to a stable in the dead of winter, claiming his horse wanted to swim, then dumped both lord and horse into a freezing pool and strolled off as a ronin, never looking back. But Keiji was no mere roughneck. He was a man of deep culture — accomplished in renga poetry, tea ceremony, and waka — generous to the poor, and fierce in loyalty to those he respected. His bond with Naoe Kanetsugu on the eve of Sekigahara is celebrated: two proud men who recognized each other's mettle across rival factions. In the Battle of Sekigahara (1600) he fought on the Western (Uesugi) side against the Mogami and Tokugawa forces. In his later years he reportedly retreated to Kyoto and Yonezawa, living as a renga poet and man of elegance. "Kabukimono" — one who shocks the world with flamboyant behavior and outrageous style — is a word that might have been invented for Keiji. The bestselling novel by Ryu Kenichiro, "Ichimuan Furyu-ki" (adapted into the smash-hit manga "Hana no Keiji"), brought his magnificent, chaotic life roaring back for modern readers.

A man of free, grand, and unhurried spirit who cared nothing for convention or authority. Yet beneath that surface lay deep culture and an unshakeable sense of loyalty — and he never lost his sympathy for the oppressed. "Kabuku" (to tilt, to flout norms) was not merely love of spectacle but a rebellion against the absurdity of the world, and Keiji embodied it completely.

As the symbol of the "kabukimono" culture of the Warring States period, he exercised enormous influence on later kabuki, performing arts, and popular culture. The re-evaluation sparked by the manga "Hana no Keiji" was unprecedented, and fans from across Japan still visit Yonezawa, Kanazawa, and other sites connected to his life. As a figure who embodied the longing to live free, he continues to grip the modern imagination.