Letter from Sato Hikogoro from Hijikata Toshizo 07/02/1864
English Translation
First of all, let me tell you how things are with us. On June 22, exactly at 4 o'clock , about 500 people from the Choshu clan, led by Fukuhara Echigo, invaded Fushimi. Gradually, their number increased to about 2000 people.
One of the enemy military camps is located in Yamazaki, on Mount Tenno, and their main headquarters is in Saga, in Tenryu-ji near Kameyama. Raising the red and white banner and filled with inspiration, Shinsengumi, along with the Aizu troops, left Kyoto along the Takeda tract and camped in Higashi-Kujo *. There will probably be a battle soon.
Of course, combat readiness has been stepped up everywhere. See below.
Mount Tenno - 500 people.
Tenryu-ji - 600 people
Fushimi - 600 people
Tamba * - 600 people
This is how the troops stand. I should have come to visit you on the occasion of the hot weather **, but circumstances do not allow it. So forgive that I rarely write, and please tell me my regards to all my relatives and friends. When the order came from the palace, we were all overwhelmed with great joy. If I stay alive after this battle, I will tell you in detail how it went. With deepest respect.
Second Day of the Seventh Month
From the military camp in Higashi-Kujo,
Hijikata Yoshitoyo
Brother Sato
bakusin:
Prior to the Kinmon Incident that caused a great uproar in Kyoto following the Ikedaya incident, a letter that was set up when packing in the placed camp. Although it is short, there is something that is reminiscent of one side of Toshizo, who was said to be a good warrior in later years, as he analyzes and reports on the Choshu domain and his own situation in detail. At the end of the letter, "I should have come to visit you on the occasion of the hot weather, but circumstances do not allow it. So forgive that I rarely write, and please tell me my regards to all my relatives and friends. When the order came from the palace, we were all overwhelmed with great joy. If I stay alive after this battle, I will tell you in detail how it went."
fushigi-dono:
The notes say that there should be a layout of the bakufu troops, drawn in the hand of Hijikata himself. But I haven’t come across this drawing anywhere on the net, so I am placing the Choshu / Choshu troop disposition from "Shinsengumi!" NHK.
When translating this letter, the most difficult thing was to understand the place names, which Hijikata also writes at random.
Tamba * - he has it there 丹波阿 の ふ 寺 - some kind of temple. Hillsborough says the fourth camp was in Yawata - I don't know how much the same thing.
Higashi-Kujo - literally "Eastern Kujo". At Shiba, and Hillsboro and everywhere it is "Kujo-Kawara".
"Kavara" translates as "dried up river mouth; gentle river bank", so one can immediately imagine the area.
And "Kameyama" (亀 山 - turtle mountain) at Hijikata for some reason "Kamenyama" (加 免 山)
I should visit you on the occasion of hot weather** - the word 見 舞 い (mimai) is used here - visiting (patient, etc.); making inquiries about health; expression of sympathy, condolences (including in writing). It was common for decent Japanese to start a letter with polite "seasonal greetings" - a couple of lines about the weather, and then everything else. And here he is right off the bat, so perhaps it would be more correct to translate as "I should express my sympathy to you on the occasion of the hot weather, but in such circumstances it was not up to that."
Or maybe it's just that a person's summer vacation was broken off because of this uprising. But he doesn't seem to be very upset about it.:)In this Higashi-Kujo he is more interested - he got hold of the first real war in his life, with a military camp, banners, numerous enemies and allies. He studies the situation, draws plans of the area, prepares for battle, and is even ready to die in it! But they did not manage to fight normally this time - the Shinsengumi were too far from the main scene. For almost a month, from June 26 to July 20 (in our opinion, it is July-August), they sunbathed there in the heat in full combat readiness, and then returned to half-burnt Kyoto.
The promised "details" of Hijikat "to brother Sato" did not seem to be written (((The next letter to him is dated October, and is intended mainly for Kondo (which is ).
But the details are here:
Entrecote - "The case of the palace gate"
Romulus Hillsborough - "The Battle of the Forbidden Gates" Ryotaro Shiba, "Blaze, Sword!" - Chapter 25
"Shinsengumi!" NHK - episode 29.
While translating, I revised and re-read all this, so let the links be here, to the heap
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Talk about vulnerability. For me, getting into a headstand was enough of a commitment....I'm not at the point where I'm comfortable enough with losing my balance to get into a handstand...so I applaud this man for being able to in all sorts of settings. True bravery is being able to turn upside down and still being in balance.
