was the former captain of the 2nd troop of the

Shinsengumi The was a special police force organized by the (military government) during Japan's Bakumatsu period (late Tokugawa shogunate) in 1863. It was active until 1869. It was founded to protect the shogunate representatives in Kyoto at a time when ...

, He was later known as during the

Meiji era The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization b ...

History

Early life

Nagakura Shinpachi Noriyuki, known as Eikichi or Eiji during his childhood, was born in the

Matsumae clan The was a Japanese clan that was confirmed in the possession of the area around Matsumae, Hokkaidō as a march fief in 1590 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and charged with defending it, and by extension the whole of Japan, from the Ainu "barbarians" ...

's "kami-yashiki" (upper residence) in

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 ...

on the 11th day of the fourth month of

Tenpō was a after ''Bunsei'' and before ''Kōka.'' The period spanned from December 1830 through December 1844. The reigning emperor was . Introduction Change of era * December 10, 1830 () : In the 13th year of ''Bunsei'', the new era name of ''T ...

10 (May 23, 1839). His father, Nagakura Kanji, was a retainer of the Matsumae clan, with a 150 koku stipend. Like

Okita Sōji was the captain of the first unit of the Shinsengumi, a special police force in Kyoto during the late shogunate period. He was one of the best swordsmen of the Shinsengumi. Background He was born in 1842 or 1844 from a samurai family in the S ...

, Nagakura was a true product of the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

— being a son of a retainer (of a domain he had never seen), who had lived in Edo his entire life. Nagakura's father spelled the family name with the "naga" meaning "long", but Nagakura later spelled it with the "naga" meaning "eternity". At eight, Nagakura entered Okada Juusuke Toshisada's

Shindō Munen-ryū is a Japanese '' koryū'' martial art school founded by Fukui Hyōemon Yoshihira (福井兵右衛門嘉平) in the early 18th century. The style rapidly gained popularity throughout Japan due to the efforts of Togasaki Kumataro, Okada Junmatsu, ...

dojo; at age eighteen he reached mokuroku (6th dan), and received the menkyo kaiden certification. At age nineteen he left the service of the Matsumae clan in order to travel and improve his technique. He spent some time at Yurimoto Shuuzou's Shintō Munen Ryu dojo. Nagakura also spent time at Tsubouchi Shume's Shingyoto Ryu dojo, where he met

Shimada Kai Shimada may refer to: *Shimada (surname), a Japanese surname * Shimada (city), Shizuoka, Japan **Shimada-juku **Shimada Station *Shimada (hairstyle) is the term used for a number of traditional Japanese hairstyles considered to be distinc ...

, the future vice-captain of the Shinsengumi 2nd unit. Around 1861, he started "taking his meals" at

Kondō Isami was a Japanese swordsman and official of the late Edo period. He was the fourth generation master of Tennen Rishin-ryū and was famed for his role as commander of the Shinsengumi. Background He was born Miyagawa Katsugorō to a farmer Miyagaw ...

's Shieikan.

Rōshigumi

In 1863 (Bunkyū 3), Nagakura and Kondō joined the

Rōshigumi The Rōshigumi (浪士組, meaning "the rōnin squad"), the "Kyoto Defenders", was a group of 234 masterless samurai (''rōnin''), founded by Kiyokawa Hachirō in 1862. Loyal to the Bakufu, they were supposed to act as the protectors of the Tokug ...

. Upon arrival in Kyoto however, the Rōshigumi was immediately disbanded. While most of the Rōshigumi returned to Edo, Nagakura, Kondō,

Hijikata Toshizō was a Japanese warrior. As of the ''Shinsengumi'', he resisted the Meiji Restoration and fought to his end. Background was born on May 31, 1835, in the Ishida village, Tama region of Musashi Province (present day Ishida, Hino, Tokyo), Jap ...

Serizawa Kamo Serizawa Kamo (芹沢鴨; September 2, 1826 – October 30, 1863) was a samurai known for being the original lead commander of the Shinsengumi. He trained in and received a licence in the Shindō Munen-ryū. "Kamo" means goose or duck in Japanes ...

were among nineteen Roshigumi members stayed behind in Kyoto.

Shinsengumi

The ''

Mibu Rōshigumi The was a special police force organized by the (military government) during Japan's Bakumatsu period (late Tokugawa shogunate) in 1863. It was active until 1869. It was founded to protect the shogunate representatives in Kyoto at a time whe ...

'' was formed by the Kyoto Shugoshoku ("Kyoto Protector") Matsudaira Higo no Kami (Katamori, of

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 ...

), and headed by Kondō and Serizawa. After the events of the 18th day of the 8th month (September 18, 1863), the group became known as ''

''. Nagakura became a fukuchou jokin (assistant vice commander) in 1863. On July 8, 1864 during the

Ikedaya incident The , also known as the Ikedaya affair or Ikedaya riot, was an armed encounter between the ''shishi'' which included masterless samurai (''rōnin'') formally employed by the Chōshū, Tosa and Higo clans (han), and the Shinsengumi, the Ba ...

, Nagakura was one of ten members which included

Tōdō Heisuke was a samurai of Japan's late Edo period who served as the eighth unit captain of the Shinsengumi. His full name was ''Tōdō Heisuke Fujiwara no Yoshitora''. Background Tōdō was from Edo, Musashi Province (now Tokyo). Very little is known abo ...

, and Kondō being the leader of the first group to raid inside the Ikedaya Inn, he later suffered a deep wound on his left thumb and his sword was broken during the battle. A month later on August 20, 1864, he was also involved in the

Kinmon incident The , also known as the , was a rebellion against the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan that took place on August 20 unar calendar: 19th day, 7th month 1864, near the Imperial Palace in Kyoto. History Starting with the Convention of Kanagawa in 1 ...

along with Kondō, Okita and several others to suppress the Chōshū rebellion at the Hamaguri Gate of the Imperial Palace. He then became the captain of the 2nd unit in 1865. Together with the rest of the Shinsengumi, he 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.'' However ...

'' in June 1867. On December 13, 1867, Nagakura was involved with

Harada Sanosuke was a Japanese warrior (''samurai'') who lived in the late Edo period. He was the 10th unit captain of the Shinsengumi, and died during the Boshin War. Background Harada was born to a family of ''chūgen'', or low-ranking quasi-samurai, who ser ...

and several other Shinsengumi members during the Aburanokōji incident with the ambush of Itō Kashitarō's Goryō Eji

Kōdai-ji __NOTOC__ , formally identified as , is a temple of the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Japan—the largest subtemple of the Kennin-ji branch. History It was established in 1606 by the nun Kōdai-in (often known by t ...

faction, which consisted of a small group of Shinsengumi defectors. Seven of these defectors were trying to retrieve Itō's body, who was assassinated earlier and left at the crossroad of Aburanokōji-Shichijō as a trap. Three of them had been assassinated during the ambush, while the remaining four fled. Nagakura had a daughter with a

geisha {{Culture of Japan, Traditions, Geisha {{nihongo, Geisha, 芸者 ({{IPAc-en, ˈ, ɡ, eɪ, ʃ, ə; {{IPA-ja, ɡeːɕa, lang), also known as {{nihongo, , 芸子, geiko (in Kyoto and Kanazawa) or {{nihongo, , 芸妓, geigi, are a class of female ...

from Shimabara Kameya in Kyoto known only by her stage name as , who died after her birth in December 1867. Due to the approaching

Boshin War The , sometimes known as the Japanese Revolution or Japanese Civil War, was a civil war in Japan fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and a clique seeking to seize political power in the name of the Imperi ...

, Nagakura was not able to attend to her burial. Fortunately he managed to arrange for his infant daughter to be brought up by Kotsune's sister, who lived in a village of Fudoson not far from Kyoto. Assumed that he would never see his daughter again, Nagakura gave the family 50 ryo to cover the child expenses.

Boshin war

On January 27, 1868, in the

Battle of Toba–Fushimi The occurred between pro-Imperial and Tokugawa shogunate forces during the Boshin War in Japan. The battle started on 27 January 1868 (or fourth year of Keiō, first month, 3rd day, according to the lunar calendar), when the forces of the shog ...

in Kyoto, Nagakura shown his courage by leading the members of a suicide squad and charging with a sword towards the bullet-firing imperial army. Right after the

Battle of Kōshū-Katsunuma The was a battle between pro-Imperial and Tokugawa shogunate forces during the Boshin War in Japan. The battle followed the Battle of Toba–Fushimi on 29 March 1868 (Gregorian calendar). Prelude After defeating the forces of the Tokugawa sho ...

in April 1868, Nagukura and Harada Sanosuke left the

Kōyō Chinbutai The was a special police force organized by the (military government) during Japan's Bakumatsu period (late Tokugawa shogunate) in 1863. It was active until 1869. It was founded to protect the shogunate representatives in Kyoto at a time whe ...

(the renamed Shinsengumi) after disagreements with long-time comrades Kondo and Hijikata. According to Nagakura, Kondō wanted the surviving men to become his retainers; Nagakura, Harada, and a few others staunchly refused. Nagakura and Harada, taking with them some other members, joined with a group of former Tokugawa retainers with Haga Gidou being one of them to form a new unit, the Seiheitai.Kikuchi, p. 228. Nagakura and the Seiheitai unit left Edo shortly after Edo Castle's surrender, and participated in some battles in the

Battle of Utsunomiya Castle The was a battle between pro-imperial and Tokugawa shogunate forces during the Boshin War in Japan in May 1868. It occurred as the troops of the Tokugawa shogunate were retreating north towards Nikkō and Aizu. Background In early spring 1868, ...

and at Imaichi and headed north, hoped to take part in the fighting that was moving northward, toward

. But upon receiving news of the surrender of the

Aizu Domain was a domain of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1601 to 1871.Ravina, Mark. (1998) ''Land and Lordship in Early Modern Japan,'' p. 222 The Aizu Domain was based at Tsuruga Castle in Mutsu Province, the core of the ...

, Nagakura and the unit returned to Edo.

Meiji Restoration

While in Edo, he had to hide for a while because he had fought against the Imperial forces and would turned himself in to the senior councilor Shimokuni Toshichiro of the Matsumae clan and served as an infantry instructor and was stipended at his father's original rate of 150 koku. However, he would often run into

Suzuki Mikisaburō is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Minami-ku, Hamamatsu, Japan. Suzuki manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal com ...

, the younger brother of deceased Itō Kashitarō and one of the four Shinsengumi defectors who narrowly escaped from the assassination attempt during the Aburanokōji incident back then in December 1867. Due to his involvement in that incident and suspecting that Suzuki was trying to kill him, Nagakura returned to Matsumae,

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

in late 1868 (Meiji 1). In 1871 (Meiji 4), Nagakura married , daughter of the physician (). In 1873 (Meiji 6), he was adopted into his wife's family and changed his name first to , and later . Their only son, was born on February 24, 1873. Later in 1875, Sugimura Yoshie, with the help of 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 ...

and several surviving former Shinsengumi comrades including

Saitō Hajime (born ; February 18, 1844 – September 28, 1915) was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period, who most famously served as the captain of the third unit of the Shinsengumi. He was one of the few core members who survived the numerous wars o ...

(as Fujita Gorō) 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 is a special ward located in Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. In English, it calls itself Itabashi City. Itabashi has sister-city relations with Burlington, Ontario, in Canada; Shijingshan District of Beijing in the People's Republic of China; and ...

, Tokyo and held requiems for their past comrades' souls. In 1882 (Meiji 15), Sugimura moved his family to

Otaru is a city and port in Shiribeshi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan, northwest of Sapporo. The city faces Ishikari Bay and the Sea of Japan, and has long served as the main port of the bay. With its many historical buildings, Otaru is a popular tou ...

, and was invited by the police bureaucrat Tsukigata Kiyoshi to work as kenjutsu teacher to train the prison guards in Kabato prison for four years. Following his retirement in 1886 (Meiji 19), he opened a dojo to teach kendo at

Asakusa is a district in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan. It is known as the location of the Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon. There are several other temples in Asakusa, as well as various festivals, such as the . History The ...

Taitō is a special ward located in Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. In English, it is known as Taitō City. As of May 1, 2015, the ward has an estimated population of 186,276, and a population density of 18,420 persons per km2. The total area is . Thi ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

. Sugimura later moved back to Otaru in 1889 (Meiji 22) when his wife and son opened a pharmacy there. In 1900 (Meiji 33), Sugimura was on his way to attend the funeral of his former Shinsengumi comrade Shimada Kai in Kyoto, he was reunited with his daughter Isoko there, who had become a well-known geisha actress of the

Kansai region The or the , lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropolita ...

under the stage name . Following their reunion, Sugimura and Isoko never met again. Isoko was later adopted into the Okada family and took the name of . In 1905 (Meiji 38), Sugimura moved again and lived at Midori 1-chome near the Otaru Juvenile Science Museum. Sugimura's geisha daughter died on December 21, 1905 at the age of 39. In late July 1909 (Meiji 42), he moved again to Hanazono, Otaru, where he taught kendo at the club of the

Tohoku Imperial University , or is a Japanese national university located in Sendai, Miyagi in the Tōhoku Region, Japan. It is informally referred to as . Established in 1907, it was the third Imperial University in Japan and among the first three Designated National ...

's Faculty of Agricultural (present day location of

Hokkaido University , or , is a Japanese national university in Sapporo, Hokkaido. It was the fifth Imperial University in Japan, which were established to be the nation's finest institutions of higher education or research. Hokkaido University is considered ...

). In 1911 (Meiji 44), he gave an oral background of the Shinsengumi to a journalist for a newspaper. It is believed that since the reports were given half a century after the events, the accounts were more for pleasing crowds than a faithful record. Sugimura did however, write his memoirs that can testify first hand to the bloody lifetime of the Shinsengumi. He had lent his written memoirs to an acquaintance long before his newspaper interview, but the memoirs were never returned to him. Sugimura Yoshie's memoirs were lost for decades before being found in 1998 and was published in book form.

Death

Sugimura Yoshie died of

periostitis Periostitis, also known as periostalgia, is a medical condition caused by inflammation of the periosteum, a layer of connective tissue that surrounds bone. The condition is generally chronic, and is marked by tenderness and swelling of the bone an ...

caused by

caries Tooth decay, also known as cavities or caries, is the breakdown of teeth due to acids produced by bacteria. The cavities may be a number of different colors from yellow to black. Symptoms may include pain and difficulty with eating. Complicatio ...

and

sepsis Sepsis, formerly known as septicemia (septicaemia in British English) or blood poisoning, is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage is follo ...

on January 5, 1915 (Taisho 4). He was seventy-six. His last words was "". Upon his will, he was buried at the Grave of Shinsengumi,

. Coincidentally, later in this same year, Saito Hajime, died at the age of seventy-two from a stomach ulcer on September 28.

Notable work

* Shinsengumi Tenmatsuki (1998)

Nagakura in Fiction

Accounts of Nagakura's time before and during his Shinsengumi period appear in novels, period dramas and anime/manga series. For example, Nagakura is featured in ''

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 e ...

'' (anime/manga), ''Hakodate Youjin Buraichou Himegami'' (manga), ''

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 a ...

'' (manga), '' Rurouni Kenshin: The Hokkaido Arc'' (manga), '' Getsumei Seiki'' (manga),

Golden Kamuy is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Satoru Noda (artist), Satoru Noda. It was serialized in Shueisha's Seinen manga, manga magazine ''Weekly Young Jump'' from August 2014 to April 2022, with its chapters collected in thirt ...

(anime/manga), 2004

NHK , also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee. NHK operates two terrestri ...

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 Fuj ...

'', '' Shinsengumi Gunrou-den'' (video game series), and ''

Bakumatsu Renka Shinsengumi was the final years of the Edo period when the Tokugawa shogunate ended. Between 1853 and 1867, Japan ended its isolationist foreign policy known as and changed from a feudal Tokugawa shogunate to the modern empire of the Meiji government. ...

'' (video game series.), Shimura Shinpachi from the manga/anime ''

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 December 2 ...

'' is loosely based on Nagakura Shinpachi, Also ''

Hakuouki is a Japanese ''otome'' video game series by Idea Factory, first released for the PlayStation 2 in 18 September 2008 and ported to many other platforms. It has been adapted into an anime series by Studio Deen; the first series was broa ...

'' (video game series and 2010 anime). Nagakura is prominently featured in the 2014 historical fiction ''The Soldier and the Samurai''.() Nagakura is portrayed in the 2014 video game Ryu Ga Gotoku: Ishin, a spinoff of the Yakuza franchise. He shares his appearance and voice with series regular Taiga Saejima.

References

Bibliography

*'' Shinsengumi Tenmatsuki''. Tokyo: Shin Jinbutsu Oraisha, 1971. ASIN 440400284X {{DEFAULTSORT:Nagakura, Shinpachi 1839 births 1915 deaths Hatamoto Meiji Restoration Samurai Shinsengumi Japanese swordfighters Shindō Munen-ryū