Among Men, The Samurai

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When he was a child, he used to practice sumo wrestling naked on a pillar in his house after getting out of the bath. The pillar still remains today.

When his nephew (Tamekichi, Sato Hikogoro’s third son) fell down in the garden and cut his forehead, he immediately rushed to the scene. He laughed and said, “The boy has a wound on his face now. Congratulations! Congratulations!”

The only extant record of Toshizo in the Tennen Rishinryu dojo is the Chugokui Mokuroku. It seems that he was unable to let go of the habits of the various styles he had learned while peddling. However, it’s said that he was very strong in actual combat. (During a swordfight, he would hit his opponent with the sand under his feet and cut him down while he flinched, or strangle him by throwing his haori at him.)

He is said to have devised strict rules, such as “jinchu-hojo” and “kachu-hojo,” and to have showered his merciless blade on traitors and outcasts, earning him the nickname “Demon Vice-Commander”, and is usually described as a ruthless man. However, according to Nakajima Noboru, a Shinsengumi member who even followed him to Hakodate, at the time of the Hakodate War, he was “mild-mannered and adored like a mother. It is said that he often took young soldiers out to eat and drink and gave them advice.

He was a kimono maker, so he was better than most women at cutting fabric with scissors.

He loved takuan (pickled turnips), and once received a whole barrel of it as a souvenir from a relative’s house.

He had a face that was popular among women. The sister of a Byakkotai member wrote in her diary of the day she accompanied her brother to see Toshizo, "He was a nice, fair-skinned man.”

He was also described by men of the same sex as a handsome man.

And a little more about the secret story of the formation of the Shinsengumi…

The man behind the formation of the Shinsengumi was Hijikata Toshizo’s brother-in-law, Sato Hikogoro (husband of his sister Nobu).

He was under the direct control of Egawa Eiryu (江川英龍), a shogunate vassal, and it seems that Egawa approached him with the idea of a farmer’s army, which he passed on to Toshizo.

The Shinsengumi, a meritocratic organization controlled by Toshizo that did not depend on status, seems to have been an implementation of Eiryu’s modern concept of a farmer’s army.

Interestingly, Eiryu was also the teacher of Sakuma Shozan, and through Shozan, his student Yoshida Shoin may have drafted the original idea of the grassroots soldiers, “Kiheitai”.

The Shinsengumi and the Kiheitai may have shared the same roots 😲

Kondo Isami and Hijikata Toshizo met through the dojo that Hikogoro built in his house. He was also a financial supporter of the Shinsengumi.

Without Sato Hikogoro, the Shinsengumi might not have existed.

References

歴史群像シリーズ 土方歳三

新 歴史群像シリーズ 土方歳三

聞き書き新選組, by Sato Satoshi (descendant of Sato Hikogoro), published by Shinmono Oraisha, Inc.

子孫が語る土方歳三, by Hijikata Megumi (descendant of Kiroku, Hijikata Toshizo’s elder brother), published by Shinbunjo-Oraisha.

Kondo Isami, Hijikata Toshizo, Sato Hikogoro, Egawa Eiryu in Wikipedia

About the written letters of the top five most important people of the Shinsengumi.

Kondo Isami: In his early years in Kyoto, he wrote letters in a sloppy script, but at some point he began practicing calligraphy, and by the Keio era, he had left behind some magnificent calligraphy. The style of his calligraphy resembles that of his friend Sakuma Shozan. I wonder if he began practicing around the time Kagejiro (Miura Keinosuke), the son of Sakuma Shozan, joined the Shinsengumi. When two letters from different periods are placed side by side, it shows the great difference. The latter period’s calligraphy is magnificent.

Hijikata Toshizo: This is the writing style of Ichikawa Beian, who is said to be one of the three most famous calligraphers of the late-Edo period. If we trace the genealogy of Hijikata’s brother, Ryojun, who was adopted by the Kasuya family of doctors, it leads back to Ichikawa Beian. I wonder if he studied there. The handwriting is so speedy that it makes old document deciphering groups weep, and the scribbling style is a combination of Beian style and Hijikata style, so the hastily written letters in particular are difficult to decipher, but when viewed from afar, the entire letter is a wonderful work of art.

Sannan Keisuke: His calligraphy as well as his actions are a mystery, and only one piece of calligraphy has been found. The only signature on it is “山南”.

Okita Souji: He is a man who wrote typical “terakoya characters”. He writes soft, slightly rounded characters. This is especially noticeable in his signature. He is known for his careful wording in his letters, but in the famous letter reporting the death of his close friend Yamanami, after a series of polite greetings in the first two thirds of the letter, when he begins to talk about Sannan’s death, his writing is quite erratic.

Behold for the meme!!

[Full-sized image]

Translation

Dear Sir, I understand the details of your letter. As I am about to leave for my hometown, I have a letter from Matsumoto-sensei for you, but I will not be able to see you for a while. As requested, and I will send you the letter from him. Tomorrow on the 27th, I will pass through Kyoto and Osaka to visit the temples. I will inquire about Kondo-sensei's head, I will inquire about the graves of comrades, and I will go to Taniai and Miyagawa to make inquiries. I would also like to ask for your kind cooperation. I hope you will make every effort to collect all the information you can by the end of July, and I will return to Tokyo in late April to see you. I offer my deepest sympathies to you. March 26 Signed, Sugimura Yoshie [T/N: Nagakura Shinpachi’s alternate name] Sato Toshimasa-san [T/N: Sato Hikogoro’s alternate name] Please take care of yourself at this time and in the meantime, I would like to extend my best wishes to the Miyagawa, Kasuya, and Hijikata families and, last but not least, to your family.

Original Text

拝啓陳ぶれば御書翰 の趣き巨細承知仕り候 小生義御地へ罷り出ずるに付き 松本先生より貴殿ヘ 一書を呈し候らえども仰せに任せ 暫時見合わせ候間 右松本先生御手紙 差し送らせ御落手 下さるべく候時に明廿七日 京大坂へまかり越し候寺々 近藤先生首級は尋ね 取り調べ申すべし同志墓も 取り調べ参り候谷合宮川 へ小生より別段申さず候 猶亦宜敷く願い上げたてまつり候 精々七月頃迄に是非とも 御取り集め御尽力 願い上げ奉り候いづれ四月下旬 には帰京余は拝眉を得 万申し述ぶべく候也 　三月廿六日 　　　　杉村義衛拝印 　佐藤俊正様 　　　　　　貴下 　 尚々時候如何御大切 願い申し候御序での砌宮川 粕谷土方へも宜敷く 且つ末ながら御家内中様 へ宜敷く願い上げ奉り候

Information

Addressed to: Sato Toshimasa (Hikogoro)

Date of creation: March 26, 1891

Dimensions: 14cm x 58cm

Current location: Sato Hikogoro Shinsengumi Museum

Commentary

It’s written that he plans to go to Kyoto tomorrow to search for the burial place of Kondo Isami's head and the graves of his comrades. Since the fall of 1890, Nagakura had been scrambling to raise funds from related people for the 23rd anniversary of the deaths of Kondo Isami and Hijikata Toshizo, and to repair the memorial tombs of Shinsengumi members (currently located in front of JR Itabashi Station).

Wikipedia:

In 1868, Kondo Isami, leader of the Shinsengumi, was jailed for twenty days at Itabashi, and beheaded at the execution grounds. A memorial to him stands at the east (Takino-gawa) exit of Itabashi Station. On the right side are engraved the names of forty Shinsengumi people who died in war, and on the left, the names of 64 who died of disease, seppuku, or other causes. To the left of the memorial is a Buddha statue dedicated to people who died without relatives to care for their graves, and to the right, the graves of Kondō and Nagakura Shinpachi, who is said to have erected the memorial. There is also a stone for Hijikata Toshizō, who died in battle at Goryōkaku.

pandanotabi:

The memorial was built by Nagakura Shinpachi, who we have largely to thank for writing detailed memoirs and accounts of the Shinsengumi and their actions, in 1876.  Although some have named this as the Shinsengumi Grave, this is incorrect.  Despite the fact that Kondou Isami met his end in Itabashi, he is not buried here.  His head was sent to Kyoto and his body to Mitaka. The only actual grave that is located inside the memorial grounds is that of Nagakura Shinpachi. To the left you can see a stone tablet honoring Kondou Isami, as well as the grave of Nagakura Shinpachi himself.  At the center is a monument dedicated to both Kondou Isami and Hijikata Toshizou.

To the right is a large stone tablet engraved with more than 100 names of Shinsengumi men who had died in the years leading up to and immediately following the Meiji Restoration in the Boshin Wars. The very first two names are Kondou Isami and Hijikata Toshizou.

Inside a former Shimabara teahouse

Despite the renovations, you can still get a sense of how a small teahouse or inn might have looked like during the Edo period. The photos make good reference images for art if you ignore the modern additions.

Commonly known as "Shimabara", the official name of this area is "Nishishinyashiki". It is said that this name came from the upheaval of its relocation from Rokujo-Misujicho to the current location, which resembled the "Shimabara Rebellion" conflict caused by Shiro Amakusa in Kyushu. Shimabara is said to be the first officially licensed Hanamachi in Japan, and its history goes back more than 400 years. Its most prosperous time was around the Genroku period about 330 years ago and was known as one of the most prestigious Hanamachis in Japan which produced many famous and talented geishas. With Yoshino Tayu as one of those top geishas, in the last days of the Tokugawa shogunate, Takamori Saigo, one of the most influential samurais in Japanese history, and the members of Shinsengumi often visited the area. It was also one of the remarkable starting places of the Meiji Restoration. Today, buildings such as Shimabara-Ohmon Gate, Wachigaiya teahouse, and Sumiya Museum retain the remnants of those days when they were Hanamachi and are carefully preserved. According to the house tax payment record, this building existed since at least 1917. Its unique appearance also tells us that it is not just an ordinary building. Shimabara is now becoming a quiet residential area with many teahouses disappearing. In order not to let the history of Shimabara fade away, we kept its original appearance as much as possible, renovated the building in December 2013, and brought it to life as a share house. Until then the house had been vacant for a long time, but before that, it was used as a restaurant serving chicken dishes. Going back further, it was a so-called teahouse. A large entrance is carefully set up to welcome the honorable guests. Together with a courtyard where bright red Sasanqua flowers bloom, and the small hospitality rooms lined up on the 2F facing the street, this is a quaint Kyomachiya with invaluable reminiscent of the old days The building was renovated into a share house by Hachise, leaving the remnants of the time when it was a teahouse. Since the building itself has very unique features, rather than over-decorate it, we reused the columns and beams, fittings, and other usable materials at the time of construction. The name of each room is derived from the famous "Tayu" who were active in Shimabara.

Virtual tour: https://nodalview.com/s/2OOlbWV2XFv9AOdKnn_xxL

Many roads in the Shimabara area are paved with cobblestone. It is an area that still protects the cityscape with tradition and history.

We reused the old stairs and handrails left from the past. A characteristic handrail made with a bent log.

The Japanese-style room on the entrance side of the 2F is like a secret small room. The shade of light reflected on the tatami mats changes its overall atmosphere over time.

I’ve read lots of rumours about homosexuality within the Shinsengumi ranks, but I’ve been holding out for a real source before writing about it. eggandroid recently shared one with me: a letter from Kondou to the Shogun written in 1864. Now, unfortunately I don’t have any translation of the passage to share with you, I’m told it’s written in pretty antique style and difficult to translate. Anyone who wants to take a shot at it, here’s the pertinent bit.

昨年に府中宿で登楼して「妄戯」したことを時々思い出す。近頃、女性と戯れることは聊かもなく、「局中頻二男色流行」している。帰府の際、申し上げたい。

“But more or less, he says that recently, since there aren’t many women around, some men indulge in pretty peculiar pastimes (in Japanese he uses an even more convoluted play on words), and how that reminds him of a visit to a brothel in Fuchu-shuku the precedent year.”

So there you have it. No names attached. Kondou sounds more amused than bothered. 

There’s even a word for it: shudo, which is an abbreviation for wakashu-do, or the way of young men.

Among the samurai class, these relationships were generally between an older and a younger man, and the younger man was often still a teenager who had not yet celebrated his coming-of-age ceremony.

These relationships were a big to-do requiring formal permission from the families and a ceremony similar to a marriage, including the exchange of cups of sake. In most cases, these relationships were monogamous: the older samurai usually did not have multiple male lovers and the younger partner was not in a shudo relationship with more than one man.

It’s also noteworthy that the sexual part of this relationship was just that, a part. The older person served as a mentor and confidant, introducing his younger partner to important people, furthering his scholaship, and instructing him in the martial arts. The sexual portion of the relationship usually ended when the younger man came of age, but the two often maintained lifelong close friendships.

As for the shoguns,

Notwithstanding the moral tone and sexual restraint they tried to establish during the period, the Tokugawa shoguns were well known for their devotion to nanshoku [male love] . The first Tokugawa shogun, Ieyasu, despite his thirteen wives and concubines and the seventeen children he produced, was also known for his fondness for young men. The third shogun, lemetsu, displayed a marked preference for males all his life. The fifth Tokugawa shogun, Tsunayoshi who presided over the cultural brilliance of the Genroku period, was especially preoccupied with his wakashu, even considering the standards of the time. According to the Sanno gaiki, Tsunayoshi’s biography, the shogun pursued sexual relationships with more than one hundred young men, some of whom were procured for him by a special officer he appointed in 1693 for that purpose. The Sanno gaiki adds that Tsunayoshi’s passion for the young men was irrespective of social origins or rank. “If they were handsome, he appointed them attendants.” (Neill, The Origins and Role of Same-Sex Relationships in Human Societies, 2009)

Nanshoku, or male love, was also widely featured in Edo period literature and art. And I don’t mean you would have to patronize some back-alley book or print seller to obtain them, but that they were sold front-and-center among other books and prints of the period … and they sold quite well.

The most famous collection of nanshoku stories to survive were Ihara Saikaku’s “Nanshoku Okagami”, which are available in English translation as “The Great Mirror of Male Love.” It’s a collection of 40 stories published in 8 illustrated volumes during the Edo period, which enjoyed immense popularity. Ihara also wrote additional volumes of erotica with tales of both homosexual and straight couples, plus multiple non-erotic books.

So, you might ask: if homosexuality was as common as period sources suggest, then why was Kondo Isami so bothered by seeing some of it among the Shinsengumi?

I think - and this is just opinion, of course - that his primary issue would have been one of discipline: he was worried about the drama he might have to deal with among the ranks, from unwelcome advances toward some of the younger members to unhappy break-ups.

—

For those wanting to read more:

Neill, The Origins and Role of Same-Sex Relationships in Human Societies (Chapter 11)

Leupp, Male Colors

Watanabe, The Love of the Samurai

Ando, The History of Male Prostitution and Male Sexuality in Edo Culture (JP)

Hayakawa, Ukiyo-e Shunga and Nanshoku (JP)

—

In Japanese prints, you sometimes have to look quite closely unless the print is explicit… and many of them are, which is why I’m only posting these two examples.

In this one, the person in the yellow kimono is a young man. The shaved top of his head is hidden under a kerchief but he carries a short sword.

This one’s my favorite because it’s frequently misidentified as a woman. Remember, both unmarried women and young men prior to their coming-of-age ceremony commonly wore furisode, long-sleeved kimono, during the Edo period. (I’ve mentioned this before, here and here. ) However, you can clearly see the shaved top of the young man’s head in the image.

On June 4, 1864, under torture by Hijikata Toshizo and others, Furutaka Shuntaro confessed to a plan to set fire to the Imperial Court on a windy day around June 20 and take the Emperor away to Choshu. He also confessed that “Ikedaya” and “Shikokuya” were the two meeting places. On June 5, the Shinsengumi prepared to meet the Kyoto Shugoshoku and stood by, but he did not show up at the appointed time. Reluctantly, the Shinsengumi decided to attack alone at around 10:00 p.m. After some hesitation as to whether to attack Ikedaya or Shikokuya, the Shinsengumi decided to split up into two groups. 10 elite members headed for Ikedaya: Isamu Kondo, Soji Okita, Shinpachi Nagakura, Heisuke Toudou, Mantaro Tani, Totaro Asano, Kanryusai Takeda, Eisuke Okusawa, Hayataro Ando, and Kisaemon Nitta. On the other hand, more than 20 people headed for Shikokuya, led by Hijikata Toshizo. This shows that the number of those mobilized at this time was only 30 or so. It turned out, the shishi were at Ikedaya. 

First, Okita Soji held the second floor by himself and killed several people, but he had a fit and collapsed. We do not know if this was due to tuberculosis. If it was tuberculosis, he would have fought for four more years. It’s hard to believe that a TB patient who had progressed to the point of having coughing fits and collapsing could have played such an active role in battle. If it wasn’t TB, what was it? I’m at a loss…. Kondo was at the back entrance at first, and after killing one person, he went inside the room to help Nagakura and the others. It’s said that Kondo’s fighting spirit (his loud voice) encouraged the other members. Todo was fighting near the courtyard when he was cut on the forehead and lost a lot of blood. He was unable to fight as well as he wanted because of the blood in his eyes, and Nagakura saved him. Nagakura was fighting near the dining area, and it’s said that he was slightly cut on his palm. It is said that Takeda, Tani, and Asano were in the front, and Nitta, Okusawa, and Ando were in the back. The three men guarding the back door were also victims of the incident.

need to entertain your friends? try shoving a fist in your mouth. works every time

finding out that hijikata actually called kondo “kat-chan” irl, incredible

an accurate name for a kat-chan biography: 101 tales of kondo isami running away from hetero responsibilities

ishida sanyaku is either the greatest miracle or the greatest roast

toshi’s poetry is always getting poked fun at and there’s a 50% chance that someone will read his book without permission…or steal it

Violent Love Triangles™

kondo papa and hijimama is a Forever Constant

what will souji’s hair look like THIS time??? chonmage??? modern chic??? 70s shag??? like kat-chan’s??? we just Don’t Know Until We Watch

saito, resident spy and always serious. unless he’s being snarky. and if he’s being snarky, you’re probably in hella trouble

“Nagakura Shinpachi Did Nothing Wrong” – a book by nagakura shinpachi

“i wonder how far this movie/show will drag yamanami?”

sano’s harakiri fail scar makes him an expert bellydancer. i dont make the rules, that’s just how it is

shimada was so huge they called him sumo but his heart was even bigger than his body

heisuke is always the sunshine son. always.

gen-san <3

lol @ serizawa duck

matsudaira getting fed up with the bullshit and opening duck-hunting season on the low 👀 👀 👀

the shieikan looking like absolute shit in some media

“what’s okita gonna get scolded for this time and will it be one or two dads telling him off? or better yet, will it be uncle yamanami?”

kat-chan’s big ass shoes scaring a friend’s maid

this misconception: katsu kaishu was the ONLY person in ALL of japan who knew they had to strengthen their navy and etc

this other misconception: no one knew anything about guns, until they were being shot at. and toshi had a great epiphany as a bullet grazed his flawless porcelain cheek. “ARMS!! WE NEED…ARMS!!“ he shouted and lost his mind. and that’s how he cut his hair and the shinsengumi got guns

getting asked, “are kondo and hijikata always…Like That??” and replying, “take a sip, babe. it’s time to have a Talk”

THE JOINT GRAVES that nagakura built. insane. truly

“i wonder how this movie will deal with the Candlesticks™??”

watching the ikedaya raid for the 10000000000000th time

enjoying watching the ikedaya raid for the 10000000000000th time

“why the hell were these 60 year old men cast as kat-chan and toshi???”

“which photograph of someone who is not okita will be presented as okita?”

not knowing whether to brace myself to laugh or suffer, or should i laugh while i suffer or suffer while i laugh. why did i do this to myself, why do i love them so much

getting a sudden strong interest in studying time travel………for reasons

a propensity to kill, a propensity to kill, a propensity to kill, a propensity to kill, –a propensity to kill, (a propensity to kill), A Propensity To Kill, a propensity to kill, ……that’s right, a propensity to kill

souji or soushi?

suzuki or miki or both or none, since he barely ever shows up anywhere

on a scale of 0 to ito, how gay is ito?

on a scale of 0 to toshi, how salty is toshi?

take a sip every time iba is toshi’s bff

takeda is an asshole and doesn’t deserve nice things, ever

ryouma is staring out at the sea and shouting. just shouting. mood.

it’s time to READ THE RULES!!11 HITOTSU!!

here comes oume, let’s all get Big Mad™ about how she’s treated

the haori color is either blue af or brown and looks like a sack. on occasion, it’s black. on rarer instances, the lettering is red. why red? mibu gishi den, you’d better explain yourself

the gion festival sounds jkhglksdgsdlgsdhjsd

enomoto has a rad mustache and he’s causing headaches for toshi lol distract yourself from hokkaido pain by laughing at this ha ha ha…ha.

oh here comes a random made-up love interest for XYZ person, who will then go on to be ignored and treated like shit but 60′s drama demanded it i guess

gohatto simply should not exist.

“OMG THIS ACTOR WAS KAT-CHAN IN THAT MOVIE but now he’s toshi in this show…and this heisuke was that kondo, and saito here was sakamoto there, why is this guy okita when he was perfect as yamanami?” actor overlap is exciting

kat-chan isn’t even a character in this show but i still have to watch him kneeling at itabashi for the sake of toshi having emotions. unkind and unappreciated

They were both low-ranking samurai with a real talent for the sword and little interest in politics. Both followed the head of their local sword school, even when that meant going to another part of the country and using their swords in battle.

The difference was, of course, that Takechi Hanpeita (Izo's teacher) used Izo as a tool for assassination but didn't have a high opinion of him, considering him an uneducated fool who was disposable when he was no longer useful.