I was once wondering where did Watsuki-sensei get the name "Kenshin", then as I read the tankuobon no 5 (Yutaro section), Kenshin was telling about another guy named Kenshin, and he (the other Kenshin) was actually a true hero in Sengoku Jidai, the age of war. When I red a book about Bushido, I found a story about him. Uesugi Kenshin was a real man at heart and soul, though he fights against Takeda Shingen, he cried aloud when he heard about his 'beloved' enemy's death (just like Kenshin's feeling to his old adversary, Shinsengumi). One of his most noble deed is when Prince Houjou wanted to weaken Shingen's people by blocking any transportations which carried salt to Shingen's territory. Shingen lived in mountain range far away from the sea, that's why they really dependent on salt from Houjou, Tokkaido. When Kenshin heard about the dilemma which his enemy endured, he tried the best he could to get enough salt from his own region and sent it to Shingen. Then he wrote a letter to Shingen, that's in his personal opinion, what the Prince Houjou had done to them is very contemptible. Although Kenshin was in a war state against Shingen, he wants to fight fairly. Furthermore he added by saying, " I do not fight with salt, but I fight with sword". That's also what Himura Kenshin did by giving Tsukayama Yutaro (who was at that moment, his enemy's fellow) an onigiri, a simple but tasty Japanese rice-cake. I think basically Kenshin inherited Uesugi Kenshin's spirit, they both were pretty gentle swordsman, desu ne? ^_^.

But about the model, Watsuki-sensei said that it was taken from one of the greatest hitokiri (assassins) in the Bakumatsu namely Kawakami Genzai. When Watsuki-sensei issued Rurouni Kenshin for the very first time in Shonen Jump Magazine, he wrote it as Kawakami Genzai, not Himura Kenshin as we're known todays.