was a Japanese warrior. As of the '' Shinsengumi'', he resisted the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were r ...

and fought to his end.

Background

was born on May 31, 1835, in the

Ishida Ishida (written: lit. "stone ricefield") is a Japanese surname. The name is sometimes romanized as Isida. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese voice actor *, actress and singer *, Japanese singer *, Japanese idol and singer *, J ...

village, Tama region of

Musashi Province was a province of Japan, which today comprises Tokyo Metropolis, most of Saitama Prefecture and part of Kanagawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province encompassed Kawasaki and Yokohama. Musashi bordered on Kai, Kōzuke, Sagami ...

(present day Ishida,

Hino Hino may refer to: Places Estonia * Hino, Põlva County * Hino, Võru County ** Lake Hino Japan * Hino, Shiga * Hino, Tokyo * Hino, Tottori ** Hino District, Tottori ** Hino River Transportation * Hino Motors, a Japanese truck manufacturer o ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

), Japan. He was the youngest of ten children and his father Hijikata Yoshiatsu (Hayato), a well-to-do farmer, died a few months before his birth. His eldest brother Tamejiro, was born blind and as a result, could not inherit the family property. His third older brother Daisaku (later Kasuya Ryojin), was adopted to another family and would later become a physician. His eldest sister Shuu died when he was about three years old and his mother Etsu also died when he was six years old, and he was therefore raised by his second older brother Kiroku and sister-in-law. He was apparently tall compared to the average Japanese men of the period, and it is said that he was very handsome. He was said to be 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 is the westernmost of the three regions of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, the other two regions being Nakadōri in the central area of the prefecture and Hamadōri in the east. As of October 1, 2010, it had a population of 291,838. The princip ...

clan known for opposing the Reformists was forced to commit

seppuku , sometimes referred to as hara-kiri (, , a native Japanese kun reading), is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honour but was also practised by other Japanese peop ...

. When Hijikata attended the man's funeral, he apparently cried in public. Hijikata spent his youth selling his family's Ishida san'yaku (medicine for treating injuries such as bruises and broken bones) while practicing his self-taught

kenjutsu is an umbrella term for all ('' ko-budō'') schools of Japanese swordsmanship, in particular those that predate the Meiji Restoration. Some modern styles of kendo and iaido that were established in the 20th century also included modern forms ...

. His brother-in-law, Satō Hikogorō, who was married to his older sister Nobu, managed a Tennen Rishin-ryū dojo in Hino; through Satō, Hijikata later met Kondō Isami and was formally enrolled at the Tennen Rishin-ryū's Shieikan in 1859. Although Hijikata himself never fully mastered the Tennen Rishin-ryū, it is said that he managed to develop the "Shinsengumi-Kenjutsu" fighting style from the Tennen Rishin-ryū. An arrangement was made by his eldest brother Tamejiro for him to marry Okoto, the daughter of the shamisen shop owners. Since he had already planned to join the Rōshigumi with Kondō Isami, Hijikata told them that after he got a promotion, he would carry out his marriage.

Shinsengumi period

In 1863, Hijikata and Kondō Isami joined the Rōshigumi in Edo, they arrived in Mibu,

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ...

and remained there as the Mibu Rōshigumi while the rest returned to Edo. Later, when Mibu Rōshigumi was renamed as the Shinsengumi, Kondō and two other men, Serizawa Kamo and Niimi Nishiki, became joint leaders of the group, and Hijikata served as one of the deputy leaders. Shinsengumi served as a special police force in Kyoto that fought against the Reformists under Matsudaira Katamori, the

Daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and nominall ...

of Aizu. However, Serizawa and Niimi began fighting, drinking, and extorting money from merchants in Kyoto, which started to tarnish the reputation of Shinsengumi and earned the group the derogatory nickname of . Hijikata found enough proof against Niimi in these matters and ordered him to commit seppuku on October 19. Later on October 30 (or October 28) at night, Hijikata and the selected Shinsengumi members went into the house of Yagi Gennojō and assassinated Serizawa, his mistress Oume, and one of his followers Hirayama Goro, with Hirama Jūsuke been the only survivor who fled that night. Kondō became the sole leader of Shinsengumi, with Yamanami Keisuke as his Vice-Commander. During the Ikedaya incident in the evening on July 8, 1864, Hijikata led a second group of 23 Shinsengumi members after Kondō's to help arresting a group of shishi at the Ikedaya Inn. Some time after the Zenzaiya incident, Yamanami Keisuke tried to leave Shinsengumi, despite the regulation against deserters. As a result, he committed

with Okita Sōji as his Kaishakunin on March 20 (

lunar calendar A lunar calendar is a calendar based on the monthly cycles of the Moon's phases ( synodic months, lunations), in contrast to solar calendars, whose annual cycles are based only directly on the solar year. The most commonly used calendar, t ...

February 23), 1865; and Hijikata took over as Vice-Commander. Due to his position in the Shinsengumi, which would be dangerous for anyone close to him, Hijikata felt that he had no choice but to cancel his marriage engagement with Okoto. Although he later had many lovers, he never came close to making a commitment to any of them. The Shinsengumi grew to 140 men, which included a number of farmers and merchants whose livelihood would be threatened if the Tokugawa shogunate was overthrown. The regulations set up by Shinsengumi within Kyoto were strict and Hijikata was known to be harsh in enforcing them, hence his nickname: . Even within the Shinsengumi itself, regulations were strictly enforced by Hijikata. As usual, deserters and traitors were forced to commit seppuku. Hijikata owned, among others, a sword signed "Izumi no Kami Kanesada" (和泉守兼定), made by the 11th and last generation Aizu Kanesada (1837-1903). Together with the rest of the Shinsengumi, Hijikata became a ''

hatamoto A was a high ranking samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa shogunate of feudal Japan. While all three of the shogunates in Japanese history had official retainers, in the two preceding ones, they were referred to as ''gokenin.'' Howev ...

'' in 1867 and took the name of Naitō Hayato (but reverted to his original name after Kondō was captured and executed during the Boshin war). He was given the rank of Yoriai (寄合格 Yoriai-kaku) in early 1868.土方歳三 HIJIKATA
tamahito.com; accessed 16 June 2015.

Boshin War

Following the Boshin War in 1868, Kondō and Hijikata led the Shinsengumi in their final battles against the new government and fought in the Battle of Toba–Fushimi in January 1868. The Shinsengumi returned to

Edo Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...

and was later reformed into a unit known as the and departed from Edo for Kōfu Castle on March 24 upon orders to suppress the uprisings there. But while on the way there, they received news on March 28 that the Kōfu Castle was taken by Imperial Court forces led by

Itagaki Taisuke Count was a Japanese politician. He was a leader of the "Freedom and People's Rights Movement" and founded Japan's first political party, the Liberal Party (Japan, 1881), Liberal Party. Biography Early life Itagaki Taisuke was born into ...

and later settled at a town of Katsunuma five miles east of Kōfu. On March 29, 1868, Kondō, Hijikata and the Kōyō Chinbutai resisted an attack by the Imperial forces at the Battle of Kōshū-Katsunuma for about two hours but lost, and they were scattered and fled to Edo. On April 11, 1868, Kondō, Hijikata and the Kōyō Chinbutai departed Edo again and later set up a temporary headquarters at the Kaneko family estate, northeast of Edo. They later moved to a new headquarters in Nagareyama on April 25, 1868. During the training at Nagareyama on April 26, 1868, the Kōyō Chinbutai were caught by surprise by the 200 strong Imperial forces led by Vice-chief of Staff Arima Tota of

Satsuma Domain The , briefly known as the , was a domain (''han'') of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1602 to 1871. The Satsuma Domain was based at Kagoshima Castle in Satsuma Province, the core of the modern city of Kagoshim ...

and Kondō was ordered to go with them to their camp at

Koshigaya is a Cities of Japan, city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 345,353 in 158,022 households and a population density of 5700 persons per km². The total area of the city is . It is famous for produci ...

. He was later brought to Itabashi on April 27, 1868, for questioning. On the same day Hijikata went to Edo to see Katsu Kaishū and asked for his help in getting a pardon for Kondō. On the following day, a messenger arrived at Itabashi with a letter seemingly written by Katsu requesting that Kondō's life to be spared, but the messenger was arrested and the request was denied. Following his trial on April 30, 1868, Kondō was executed at Itabashi execution grounds on May 17, 1868. Hijikata, convalesced from a foot injury sustained at the Battle of Utsunomiya Castle, brought Kondō's hair to Aizu and was said to have personally supervised the erection of Kondō's grave memorial at Tenneiji Temple. Following the

Battle of Bonari Pass The Battle of Bonari Pass (Japanese: ) was part of the Boshin War, and occurred on the 6 October 1868 (Gregorian Calendar), or the 21st day of the Eighth Month, Keiō-4 year (Japanese calendar). The Bonari pass was a strategic access at the limit ...

, the next day on October 7, 1868, Hijikata met Saitō Hajime at the Inawashiro Castle and stayed at the Saitoya inn in Wakamatsu. When Hijikata decided to retreat from Aizu, Saitō and a small group of Shinsengumi parted with Hijikata and continued to battle in the Battle of Aizu until the very end. Hijikata and his rest of the Shinsengumi went to

Sendai is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,091,407 in 525,828 households, and is one of Japan's 20 designated cities. The city was founded in 1600 by the ''daimyō'' Date M ...

, where he joined up with

Enomoto Takeaki Viscount was a Japanese samurai and admiral of the Tokugawa navy of Bakumatsu period Japan, who remained faithful to the Tokugawa shogunate and fought against the new Meiji government until the end of the Boshin War. He later served in the M ...

's fleet. He knew he was fighting a losing battle, and told the physician

Matsumoto Ryōjun Baron (born ; July 13, 1832 – March 12, 1907), previously known as , was a Japanese physician and photographer who served as the personal physician to the last ''shōgun'', Tokugawa Yoshinobu. Foreign Minister Hayashi Tadasu was his brother a ...

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.

In October 1868, Hijikata and Ōtori Keisuke led Shogunate forces to occupy the fortress of

Goryōkaku (literally, "five-point fort") is a star fort in the Japanese city of Hakodate on the island of Hokkaido. The fortress was completed in 1866. It was the main fortress of the short-lived Republic of Ezo. History ''Goryōkaku'' was designed in ...

in the Battle of Hakodate, and continued to eliminate local resistance. When the short-lived Ezo Republic was founded in December, Hijikata was made a Deputy Defence Minister (Vice-minister of the Army). Imperial troops continued to attack by land and sea. On May 6, 1869, Hijikata led a daring but doomed raid to steal the imperial warship '' Kōtetsu'' in the

Battle of Miyako Bay The was a naval action on 6 May 1869, in which samurai loyalists of the former Tokugawa shogunate under the flag of the newly formed Republic of Ezo failed to take over the , the flagship of the Imperial forces of the new Meiji government. It wa ...

, in the early morning, a number of oppositionists managed to board the ship via the '' Kaiten'' warship, but ''Kōtetsu'' repelled the attack and mowed them down with a Gatling gun. Many others including the captain of ''Kaiten'' were also killed by gunfire from the Imperial ships. The battle lasted only thirty minutes; Hijikata, the survivors and the ''Kaiten'' retreated to Hakodate. Later on the fourth week of May 1869, Hijikata led the 230-strong Republic of Ezo forces and the surviving Shinsengumi against 600 strong Imperial forces during the Battle of Futamata for sixteen hours and were forced to retreat. The Imperial forces attacked again on the next day, only to retreat. On the following night, Hijikata led a successful raid on the Imperial forces' camp, forcing them to flee. Hijikata and the forces later retreated to Hakodate on June 10.

Death

During the Battle of Hakodate, the final battle of the Boshin War, Hijikata summoned his 16-year-old page, Ichimura Tetsunosuke on June 14 (

May 5), 1869, to a private room in an inn. There, he entrusted Ichimura with a death poem, his

katana A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the ''tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge fa ...

, a letter, a photograph of himself, and several strands of his hair. Ichimura was instructed to bear them to the home of Hijikata's brother-in-law Satō Hikogorō in

. The death poem entrusted to Ichimura reads:

Though my body may decay on the island of Ezo, my spirit guards my lord in the East.

In the final conflict of the revolution, on June 20 (lunar calendar May 11), 1869, Hijikata was killed near the Ippongi Kanmon (一本木関門) by a bullet that shattered his lower back while leading his troops on horseback. His body was later claimed by Koshiba Chōnosuke and others. Three days later on June 23 (lunar calendar May 14), 1869, a group of surviving Shinsengumi members under the last commander Sōma Kazue surrendered at

Benten Daiba was a key fortress of the Republic of Ezo in 1868–1869. It was located at the entrance of the bay of Hakodate, in the northern island of Hokkaidō, Japan. Benten Daiba was built by the Japanese architect Takeda Ayasaburō on the site forme ...

. A week after Hijikata's death, the Goryōkaku fortress was taken and all military forces of the Ezo Republic surrendered to the

Meiji government The was the government that was formed by politicians of the Satsuma Domain and Chōshū Domain in the 1860s. The Meiji government was the early government of the Empire of Japan. Politicians of the Meiji government were known as the Meiji ...

on June 27, 1869, marking the end of Boshin War. It is unknown where Hijikata was buried but it is believed that his body was laid to rest either at Goryōkaku, Hekketsuhi or Ganjoji.

Grave memorials and monuments

Stone Momument of Hijikata Toshizo in Hakodate

The first grave memorial of Hijikata was at Wakamatsu-chō, Hakodate, where he was killed, near the reconstructed Ippongi Kanmon in the present day compound of the Hakodate Welfare Centre. Hijikata Toshizo Boseki

A grave memorial of Hijikata was also erected at Sekidenji temple in

, Japan. Other grave memorials were located at Shōmyōji (Hakodate, Hokkaido), Tenneji (

Aizuwakamatsu is a city in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 118,159 in 50,365 households, and a population density of 310 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . Geography Aizuwakamatsu is located in the wes ...

), Jutokuji (

Kita Kita or KITA may refer to: People * Kita (surname) * Kita Alexander (born 1996), Australian singer-songwriter * João Leithardt Neto, Brazilian footballer nicknamed Kita * Sampsa Astala, Finnish musician whose stage name is Kita Places In Jap ...

, Tokyo), Entsūji (Kita, Tokyo), etc. A monument known as Hekketsuhi, was erected at Hakodate in memory of about 800 people, including Hijikata, who died during the Boshin War. In 1875,

Nagakura Shinpachi was the former captain of the 2nd troop of the Shinsengumi, He was later known as during the Meiji era. History Early life Nagakura Shinpachi Noriyuki, known as Eikichi or Eiji during his childhood, was born in the Matsumae clan's "kami-yashik ...

, with the help of

and several of his surviving former Shinsengumi comrades including Saitō Hajime among others, erected the monument known as the ''Grave of Shinsengumi'' for Kondō Isami, Hijikata Toshizō, and the fallen comrades of the Shinsengumi at Jutoku-ji temple boundary in Itabashi, near

Itabashi Station is a railway station on the Saikyo Line in Itabashi, Tokyo, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Lines Itabashi Station is served by the Akabane Line between Ikebukuro and Akabane stations, which forms part of the Saikyo L ...

The Hijikata Toshizō Museum was later established in 1994 near the Sekidenji temple.

In popular culture

The Shinsengumi have become a popular subject for films, television, and manga and anime, ranging from historical drama to comedy and romance. As a leader of the group, Hijikata is usually a prominent character in such productions. The novel Moeyo Ken, written by

Ryōtarō Shiba , also known as , was a Japanese author. He is best known for his novels about historical events in Japan and on the Northeast Asian sub-continent, as well as his historical and cultural essays pertaining to Japan and its relationship to the r ...

, is a dramatization of Hijikata's life. The novel was adapted into a film in 1966 and a television series in 1970 where Hijikata was played by Asahi Kurizuka. Adapted from the same novel in the 2021 film '' Baragaki: Unbroken Samurai'', Hijikata was played by Junichi Okada, a member of Japanese

boy band A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform love songs marketed towards girls and young women. Ma ...

V6. Hijikata is depicted in the 1999 film '' Gohatto'' ("Taboo") (played by

Takeshi Kitano is a Japanese comedian, television presenter, actor, filmmaker, and author. While he is known primarily as a comedian and TV host in his native Japan, he is better known abroad for his work as a filmmaker and actor as well as TV host. With th ...

) and the 2013 NHK Taiga drama '' Yae no Sakura'' (played by Jun Murakami). He was also played by Koji Yamamoto in both the 2004 NHK Taiga drama series ''

Shinsengumi! is a 2004 Taiga drama historical fiction television series produced by Japanese broadcaster NHK. It was a popular drama about the Shinsengumi, a Japanese special police force from the Bakumatsu period. Actors include Koji Yamamoto, Tatsuya ...

'' (including the single-episode sequel ''Shinsengumi!: Hijikata Toshizo Saigo no Ichinichi'') and 2015 Taiga drama series ''

Asa ga Kita ASA as an abbreviation or initialism may refer to: Biology and medicine * Accessible surface area of a biomolecule, accessible to a solvent * Acetylsalicylic acid, aspirin * Advanced surface ablation, refractive eye surgery * Anterior spinal ...

''. He is the protagonist in

Morita Kenji Morita may refer to: In places: * Morita, Aomori, a village in Japan * Morita, Togo, a town in Togo People with the surname Morita: *see list of people at Morita (surname) Other: * A type of chipotle * A fictional assault rifle from the film ...

's manga '' Getsumei Seiki'', and in Mibu Robin's ''Baragaki'' ("Red Demon"). He is also featured in a number of other anime and manga series, including ''

Gintama is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hideaki Sorachi. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine '' Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from December 2003 to September 2018, later in '' Jump Giga'' from Decembe ...

'' (an inspired character named Hijikata Tōshi''rō'' 土方十四郎), ''

Peacemaker Kurogane is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated created by Nanae Chrono. It is unrelated to the ''Peace Maker'' manga by Ryōji Minagawa. The story begins in 19th century Japan before the Meiji Restoration, a chain of events that led to ...

'', '' Intrigue in the Bakumatsu - Irohanihoheto'', '' Ghost Slayers Ayashi'' (as a child, with a brief glimpse of his future death); ''

Kaze Hikaru is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Taeko Watanabe. Set in the period, the story follows Tominaga Sei, a young girl who poses as a boy named Kamiya Seizaburō so she can join the Mibu-Roshi (Special Police; later known as ...

'', '' Shura no Toki'', '' Hell Girl'', '' Soar High! Isami'' (inspired character: Toshi Tsukikage) and the popular

otome game An , is a story-based video game that is targeted towards women. Generally one of the goals, besides the main idea/goal, is to develop a romantic relationship between the female player/main character and one of the second-lead male characters. His ...

/anime series '' Hakuouki: Shinsengumi Kitan.'' Hijikata is also a supporting character in ''Shin Teito Monogatari'', the prequel to the bestselling historical fantasy novel ''

Teito Monogatari is an epic historical dark fantasy/science fiction work; the debut novel of natural history researcher and polymath Hiroshi Aramata. It began circulation in the literary magazine ''Monthly King Novel'' owned by Kadokawa Shoten in 1983, and ...

'' ( Hiroshi Aramata). In the manga and anime, '' Drifters'', Hijikata serves as one of the antagonists, who holds hatred to the protagonist, Shimazu Toyohisa, because he is an ancestor of the Shimazu clan he fought. He is also a main character in the manga '' Golden Kamuy'', having been secretly imprisoned in Abashiri Prison instead of killed. Hijikata appears in the 2014 historical fiction novel ''The Soldier and the Samurai''.() Hijikata is one of the main characters in the 2014 video game '' Ryū ga Gotoku Ishin!'', voiced by Nakamura Shidō II. He has the visual likeness of previous series antagonist Yoshitaka Mine. Hijikata also appears in the mobile game '' Fate/Grand Order'' as a limited 5-Star Berserker-class Servant. He debuted during the GUDAGUDA 2: Meiji Restoration event, and his Noble Phantasm is known as Shinsengumi, which gets stronger as his HP dwindles.

Notes

External links

Hino city museum

Hijikata Toshizo Archives

SamuraiWikiSHINSENGUMI
新選組 Shinsengumi Website {{DEFAULTSORT:Hijikata, Toshizo 1835 births 1869 deaths Hatamoto Japanese swordfighters of the Edo period Shinsengumi People of the Boshin War People from Hino, Tokyo Japanese warriors killed in battle Tennen Rishin-ryū