Hijikata Toshizo
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Hijikata Toshizō (土方歳三 Hijikata Toshizō) was the deputy leader of Shinsengumi, a young, small but talented group of Japanese swordsmen who tried to resist the Meiji Restoration in 1868 and failed.
Hijikata was born in 1835 in present-day Hino, a suburb of Tokyo, Japan. He was the youngest of six children, and his father was a well-to-do farmer. Hijikata was spoiled at an early age and was known to be mean to all but his friends and family. This changed, however, in 1864, when a 21-year-old swordsman from the Aizu clan, which was known for opposing the Imperial Loyalists and their loyalty for the Tokugawa Shogunate, was forced to commit seppuku (ritual suicide). When Hijikata attended the man's funeral, he apparently cried in public. Later that year, he and Kondo Isami formed Shinsengumi. Kondo and two other men, Serizawa Kamo, Niimi Nishiki became joint leaders of the group, and Hijikata served as one of several deputy leaders. Shinsengumi served as a police force in Kyoto that fought Imperial Loyalist activities after being appointed to that position by Matsudaira Katamori, the Daimyo of Aizu.
Serizawa and Niimi starting abusing their power in Kyoto by fighting, drinking, and committing extortion, which started to tarnish the reputation of Shinsengumi. 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 Hijikata as his deputy.
The group grew to 140 men, which included farmers and merchants whose livelihood was threatened if the Tokugawa Shogunate was overthrown. The laws 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, rules were strictly enforced by Hijikata. Deserters and traitors were forced to commit seppuku; this happened to Yamanami Keisuke, one of Hijikata's close friends, when he tried to leave Shinsengumi in 1865.
After Kondo surrendered to the Imperial Loyalist Army and was executed in April 1868, Hijikata led Shinsengumi on their final battle against his comrade's killers. He knew he was fighting a losing battle, and told a physician acquaintance of his 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 May 11, 1869, he was killed 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 in Tokyo, next to Kondo Isami.
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 also exists many Hijikata fan clubs in Japan, including the Kyoto Shinsengumi Fans' Group.
External links
- READY TO DIE FOR THE SHOGUN: Japanese rediscover a hero in a 19th-century underdog (http://www.asahi.com/english/lifestyle/TKY200401100160.html) from Asahi.com written by Masahiko Ota.
- Toshizo Hijikata, the Man Who Killed His Gentler Feelings (http://www.chthonian.net/Aoshi/hijikata.html) from chthonian.net.
- Hino city museum (http://www.city.hino.tokyo.jp/museum/)(Japanese)fr:Hijikata Toshizoja:土方歳三