Hijikata Toshizo, the Vice Commander of the notorious Shinsengumi, was born on May 31, 1835, in Hino, present-day Tokyo. Orphaned at a young age, he was raised by his elder brother and sister-in-law after his father, a prosperous farmer, passed away just prior to Hijikata's sixth birthday. Sadly, his mother also passed away a few years later. In time, he would take up the role of a salesperson for his family's medicinal products and remedies.
Though self-taught in the art of swordsmanship, Hijikata later honed his skills at the Tennen Rishin Ryu school's dojo in Hino. It was here that he crossed paths with Kondo Isami, who would later become the commander of the Shinsengumi, a special police force established to safeguard the shogun from anti-bakufu movements.
The inception of the Shinsengumi involved Kondo Isami, Serizawa Kamo, Niimi Nishiki, and Hijikata, who served as the deputy leader. Unfortunately, due to the unruly behavior of Serizawa and Niimi—extortion from Kyoto's merchants, reckless indulgence in drinking, gambling, and brawling—the Shinsengumi garnered a reputation as a band of rogue ruffians. Hijikata was the one who ordered Niimi to commit seppuku for his transgressions, while Serizawa met his end through assassination.
Following these events, Kondo Isami assumed command of the Shinsengumi, with Hijikata Toshizo and Yamanami Keisuke as his vice-commanders. Their ranks swelled to 140 members. It seemed Hijikata assumed a role akin to a policing force within the already established police force, ensuring strict adherence to Shinsengumi regulations. Traitors and deserters were made to commit seppuku, while any transgressors faced severe punishment. His unwavering dedication earned him the moniker "Oni-no-Fukucho," or the Devil Vice Commander.
In May 1868, Hijikata assumed leadership of the Shinsengumi when Kondo Isami surrendered to Imperial forces and met his end. Despite his belief in the slim chances of the Tokugawa restoration, Hijikata continued to fight for their cause, leading his men to Aizu and later Sendai. Subsequently, he became the Vice Minister for Military Affairs in the newly formed Ezo Republic, taking charge of the star-shaped fortress, Goryokaku, in Hakodate, Hokkaido in October 1868.
Hijikata Toshizo passed away at the age of 34 while fighting in the Battle of Hakodate. He was fatally struck in the lower spine while mounted and met his end on June 20, 1869, a mere week before the fall of Goryokaku to the Imperial Army and the subsequent surrender of the Ezo Republic to the Meiji Government. The location of his final resting place remains unknown.
See also
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Araki Murashige
Araki Murashige (1535 – June 20, 1586) was a samurai and retainer of Ikeda Katsumasa, the head of the powerful Settsu-Ikeda clan in Settsu Province. Initially serving under Katsumasa, he aligned himself with Oda Nobunaga after Nobunaga’s successful campaign to establish control over Kyoto.
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Yuki Hideyasu
Yuki Hideyasu (March 1, 1574 – June 2, 1607) was a Japanese samurai who lived during the Azuchi–Momoyama and early Edo periods, serving as the daimyō of Fukui Domain in Echizen Province. Born Tokugawa Ogimaru, he was the second son of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Lady Oman (also known as Lady Kogō), a handmaiden to Ieyasu’s wife, Lady Tsukiyama. Due to Ieyasu’s fears of his wife’s reaction to Oman’s pregnancy, Ogimaru and his twin brother were born in secrecy at the home of Honda Shigetsugu, one of Ieyasu’s retainers. Oman’s other son eventually became a priest, while Ogimaru was raised apart from Ieyasu, whom he only met at the age of three, in a meeting arranged by his older half-brother, Matsudaira Nobuyasu.
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Tsutsui Sadatsugu
Tsutsui Sadatsugu (June 6, 1562 – April 2, 1615) was a prominent figure in the Sengoku and early Edo periods, known as the cousin and adopted heir of Tsutsui Junkei, the feudal lord of Yamato Province. Following Junkei's death in 1584, Toyotomi Hideyoshi relocated Sadatsugu to Iga Province, where he oversaw the construction of Iga Ueno Castle, marking the height of his prominence.
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Matsudaira Kiyoyasu
Matsudaira Kiyoyasu (September 28, 1511 – November 29, 1535) served as the 7th lord of the Matsudaira clan during Japan's tumultuous Sengoku period. Renowned as the paternal grandfather of Tokugawa Ieyasu, one of Japan's "great unifiers," Kiyoyasu expanded his clan’s influence, bringing all of northern Mikawa Province under his control after subduing the Saigo clan. His power was further symbolized by the construction of Okazaki Castle, a testament to the Matsudaira’s growing dominance.
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Matsudaira Hirotada
Matsudaira Hirotada (June 9, 1526 – April 3, 1549) was a daimyo and lord of Okazaki Castle in Mikawa Province during Japan’s turbulent Sengoku Period. He is best known as the father of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate.
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Ikeda Tsuneoki
Ikeda Tsuneoki (1536 – May 18, 1584), also known as Ikeda Nobuteru, was a prominent daimyo of the Ikeda clan and a distinguished military commander during Japan's Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He served under the influential warlords Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Tsuneoki’s connection to Nobunaga began early, as his mother, Yotokuin, was Nobunaga’s wet nurse and later became a concubine to Oda Nobuhide, Nobunaga's father.
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Oda Nobutaka
Oda Nobutaka (1558–1583) was a samurai of the Oda clan, also known as Kanbe Nobutaka after being adopted as the head of the Kanbe clan, which governed the central region of Ise Province. He was the third son of Oda Nobunaga, born to a concubine named Sakashi. Nobutaka was referred to as "San Shichi," possibly because he was born on the seventh day of the third month in the Japanese lunar calendar. However, there is a theory suggesting he was born twenty days earlier than his elder brother, Oda Nobukatsu, but due to delays in reporting and the low status of his mother’s family, he was acknowledged as Nobunaga’s third son.
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Yamauchi Kazutoyo
Yamauchi Kazutoyo (also spelled Yamanouchi; 1545/1546? – November 1, 1605) was a prominent samurai and retainer who served Oda Nobunaga and later Toyotomi Hideyoshi during Japan's Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. His father, Yamauchi Moritoyo, was a descendant of Fujiwara no Hidesato and a senior retainer of the Iwakura Oda clan, which opposed Oda Nobunaga. Moritoyo was also the lord of Kuroda Castle in Owari Province. Kazutoyo is especially renowned for his marriage to Yamauchi Chiyo, whose wisdom and resourcefulness played a key role in his rise to prominence.
