was a Japanese

policeman A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...

who in 1891 attempted to assassinate the Tsesarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich of Russia (later Emperor

Nicholas II Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Pol ...

), in what became known as the

Ōtsu incident The was an unsuccessful assassination attempt on Nicholas Alexandrovich, Tsesarevich of Russia (later Emperor Nicholas II of Russia) on , during his visit to Japan as part of his eastern journey. Background Tsesarevich Nicholas went to Vladiv ...

. He was convicted for attempted murder and sentenced to

life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes fo ...

Biography

Born into a

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They ...

family, his ancestors were doctors to 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 ...

s'' of

Iga Iga may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Ambush at Iga Pass, a 1958 Japanese film * Iga no Kagemaru, Japanese manga series * Iga, a set of characters from the Japanese novel '' The Kouga Ninja Scrolls'' Biology * ''Iga'' (beetle), a g ...

. In 1872 he was drafted into the army. He participated as a sergeant in the suppression of the uprising of the samurai in 1877 under the leadership of

Saigō Takamori was a Japanese samurai and nobleman. He was one of the most influential samurai in Japanese history and one of the three great nobles who led the Meiji Restoration. Living during the late Edo and early Meiji periods, he later led the Sats ...

. His participation unsettled him, as Saigō Takamori was a symbol of Japanese spirit and dedication. From 1882 onward, he served in the police force.

Ōtsu incident

In 1891, then-Tsesarevich Nicholas visited Japan during his eastern journeys. As the Russian party traveled through

Ōtsu 270px, Ōtsu City Hall is the capital city of Shiga Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 343,991 in 153458 households and a population density of 740 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Ōtsu ...

on May 11 (April 29 in the Russian Old Style), Tsuda, who was assigned to guard the street that the distinguished guests would follow, swung his saber at Nicholas, aiming at his head. Nicholas turned and the blow grazed him, leaving a 9-centimeter scar on his head. At the trial, Tsuda indicated that he had attempted to assassinate Nicholas because he suspected that he was a Russian spy. Tsuda was sentenced to life imprisonment on May 25, 1891, which he had to serve in

Hokkaido is Japan, Japan's Japanese archipelago, second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost Prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own List of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; th ...

, often called "the Japanese Siberia". However, on September 30 of that year, Tsuda died in prison from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severit ...

. According to another version, he starved himself to death. In his native village after the incident, it was forbidden to give newborn children the name Tsuda, and his family became outcasts. There were also calls to rename the city of

because of its association with the disgraceful act.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tsuda, Sanzo 1855 births 1891 deaths Failed assassins Japanese police officers Japanese prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment Nicholas II of Russia People from Musashi Province Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Japan Prisoners who died in Japanese detention