- Hijikata Toshizō
Hijikata Toshizō (土方歳三,
May 31 ,1835 —June 20 ,1869 ) was the deputy leader ofShinsengumi , a small-built and talentedJapan esemilitary leader who resisted theMeiji Restoration .Background
"Hijikata Toshizō Yoshitoyo" was born on
May 31 ,1835 in present-dayHino (a suburb ofTokyo ,Japan ). He was the youngest of six children, and his father, a well-to-do farmer, died shortly before his birth. Hijikata's mother also died when he was a young boy and he was therefore raised by his older brother and sister-in-law.He was spoiled at an early age and was alleged to be mean to all but his friends and family. This changed, when a 21-year-old swordsman from the
Aizu clan known for opposing the Loyalists was forced to commitseppuku (ritual suicide). When Hijikata attended the man's funeral, he apparently cried in public.Hijikata spent his youth selling his family's "Ishida Sanyaku" (medicine for treating injures such as bruises and broken bones) while practicing his
self-taught kenjutsu . His brother-in-law, Satou Hikogorou, managed a "Tennen Rishin-ryu " dojo in Hino; through Satou, Hijikata met the laterKondo Isami and was formally enrolled at the Tennen Rishin-ryu's Shieikan in 1859.hinsengumi Period
In 1863, he and
Kondo Isami formed the Shinsengumi. Kondo and two other men,Serizawa Kamo ,Niimi Nishiki became joint leaders of the group, and Hijikata served as one of the deputy leaders. Shinsengumi served as aspecial police force inKyoto that fought against the Loyalists underMatsudaira Katamori , theDaimyo of Aizu.However, Serizawa and Niimi began fighting, drinking, and committing extortion in Kyoto, which started to tarnish the reputation of Shinsengumi and earned the group the nickname of "Wolves of Mibu (壬生狼 "miburou")." Hijikata found enough proof against Niimi in these matters and ordered him to commit seppuku. Serizawa and his followers, however, were assassinated, and Kondo became the sole leader of Shinsengumi with
Yamanami Keisuke and Hijikata as his deputy leaders.The group grew to 140 men, which included a number of farmers and merchants whose livelihood was threatened if the Tokugawa Shogunate was overthrown. The regulations set up by Shinsengumi within Kyoto were strictly enforced and Hijikata was known to be harsh in enforcing them with his sword, the Kanesada, hence his nickname: "The Demon of the Shinsengumi". Even within the Shinsengumi itself, regulations were strictly enforced by Hijikata. Deserters and traitors were forced to commit seppuku; this happened to Yamanami (one of Hijikata's old friends) when he tried to leave Shinsengumi in 1865.
Together with the rest of the Shinsengumi, Hijikata became a
hatamoto in 1867. [ [http://www.geocities.jp/str_homepage/rekishi/bakumatsu/shinsengumi/kaisetsu/sgh/sgh_bakushin.html 幕臣取り立て 新選組概史 歴史館-動乱の章 ] ] He was given the rank of "yoriai" ("yoriai-kaku" 寄合格) in early 1868. [ [http://tamahito.com/toshizo.htm 土方歳三 HIJIKATA ] ]Death
After Kondo surrendered to the Imperial Loyalist Army and was executed on
May 17 (lunar calendar April 25) 1868, Hijikata led Shinsengumi on their final battles against the new government. After a time inAizu , he went toSendai , where he joined up withEnomoto Takeaki 's fleet. [ [http://tamahito.com/toshizo.htm 土方歳三 HIJIKATA ] ] In Hakodate, he was made a vice-minister of the Army in the newEzo Republic . [ [http://tamahito.com/toshizo.htm 土方歳三 HIJIKATA ] ] He knew he was fighting a losing battle, and told the physician Matsumoto Ryōjun that "I am not going to battle to win. With the Tokugawa government about to collapse, it would be a disgrace if no one is willing to go down with it. That is why I must go. I will fight the best battle of my life to die for the country".On
June 20 (lunar calendar May 11), 1869, he was killed nearHakodate , while in combat on horseback by a bullet that shattered his lower back. It is unknown where he was buried, but a memorial gravestone stands near Itabashi Station inTokyo , next to Kondo Isami.The death poem that was entrusted to
Ichimura Tetsunosuke shortly before Hijikata's death read:"Though my body may decay on the island of Ezo, My spirit guards my lord in the east."
Trivia
He owned a "Izuminokami-Kanesada" () forged during the
Edo period .Although Hijikata himself never fully mastered the "
Tennen Rishin-ryu ", it is said that he managed to develop the standard Shinsengumi fighting style, the "Shinsengumi-Kenjutsu," from the Tennen-Rishin Ryu.The story of Hijikata and the Shinsengumi is a very popular one in Japanese culture, and several books and
anime movies have been made about them. There are also many Hijikata fan clubs inJapan .Hijikata in Fiction
Hijikata is depicted in the 1999 film "Gohatto" (played by
Takeshi Kitano ), the 2004NHK Taiga drama series "Shinsengumi! " (including the single-episode sequel "Shinsengumi!: Hijikata Toshizo Saigo no Ichinichi"), as well as being one of the main characters in "Peace Maker Kurogane " (anime/manga) and "Kaze Hikaru " (manga).Hijikata is the protagonist in
Morita Kenji 's manga "Getsumei Seiki ", and in Mibu Robin's "Baragaki" ("Red Demon").Hijikata (as well as other members of the Shinsengumi) also appears in the yaoi manga "
Soshite Haru no Tsuki ".Hijikata appears in the TV series "Shinsengumi Keppuroku", and is played by
Hiroaki Murakami .Hijikata is also featured in the anime/manga "
Shura no Toki " and in the short OVA"Hijikata Toshizou - Shiro no Kiseki ".He also has a part in the anime
Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto .He is a minor character in anime
Tenpou Ibun Ayakashi Ayashi as well.Hijikata was also featured prominently in the 2-part anime: Unkai no Meikyuu (Mask of Zeguy)
Notes
Further reading
*Hijikata Toshizō and Okita Sōji. "Hijikata Toshizō, Okita Sōji zenshokanshū" edited by Kikuchi Akira. Tōkyō : Shin Jinbutsu Ōraisha, 1995. ISBN 4404023065.
*Itō Seirō. "Hijikata Toshizō no nikki". Tokyo: Shin Jinbutsu Ōraisha, 2000. ISBN 440402861X
*Kikuchi Akira, et al. " Shashinshū Hijikata Toshizō no shōgai". Tōkyō : Shin Jinbutsu Ōraisha, 2001. ISBN 4404029306
*Miyoshi Tōru. " Senshi no fu: Hijikata Toshizō no sei to shi". Tōkyō: Shueisha, 1993. ISBN 4087480011 408748002X.
*Tanaka Mariko and Matsumoto Naoko. " Hijikata Toshizō Boshin senki". Tōkyō : Shin Jinbutsu Ōraisha, 1976.External links
* [http://www.city.hino.tokyo.jp/museum/ Hino city museum] (Japanese)
* [http://www.hijikata-toshizo.jp/ Hijikata Toshizo Archives] (Japanese)
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