The Ikedaya Jiken, June 5, 1864
Two months before the affair happened, Shinsengumi had had suspicion among the strange Kyoto inhabitant's behavior. They spread spies to keep an eye of inhabitant's activities and activating the city patrols. At last, there was an issue that the samurai of Choushuu and Higo were gathered in Kyoto, but what their real activities were uncognizant. The spies ordered to follow the followers of Miyabe Teizou, one of Ishin Shishi's leaders, successfully discovered Masuya, a storehouse which was also a secret station of the shishi. When they broke in the store, they found some amount of guns and ammo. The owner, Kiemon, which was actually a Choushuu shishi named Furutaka Shuntarou was caught a day before the incident happened.

Nagakura Shinpachi, the captain of 2nd troop, in his memoirs (Jitsureki Dan which then published as Shinsengumi Tenmatsuki) wrote the interrogation of Furutaka as this followed:

In the beginning, Kondou -sensei himself who interrogated Furutaka, but Furutaka chose not to say a word. He still endured his demeanor though his back was crushed because of the tortures (Eek!). Hopeless to make him talk, Hijikata-sensei took charge. A man who was known as "The Demon of Shinsengumi" tied Furutaka's hands on the back and hung him with his feet on the ceiling on the room. Nails length of 12 cm were embed through his feet, then candles weight of 100 monme (about 1,3 kg) were placed on each nail then being lighted up. Though Furutaka was ready to meet his death but he couldn't endure for more than a half an hour, because the melting candles started to penetrate his wounds into his blood (this is similar with the tortures that Okina did to the Shishio's ninja, maybe Watsuki-sensei imitated it from here). Then from Furutaka's mouth flowed the information of the real shishi's plan: they were planning to engulf Kyoto im fire on a windy night around June 20th, and in the middle of the panic, they will kill Matsudaira Katamori and Nagawanomiya Tatsuhiko, kidnap the Emperor and bring him to Choushuu (or Higo?).

Though shishi's plan couldn't be said an excellent plan but still it made the Shinsengumi worried. Not that the plan would proceed successfully but because there was a possibility that there will be a massacre if the plan was done. Soon they contacted the Aizu party requesting for a back-up, but till late night the Aizu troop didn't show up. Shinsengumi didn't know exactly where the shishi held the meeting but finally Shinsengumi's troops were divided into two so they cold search all over the inn and teahouse in Kyoto. In a normal condition, the patrolling Shinsengumi members could reach about 50 men but because some of them were sick (summer sickness ^ ^), so at that night there were only 40 men in charge. The first group led by Kondou including Okita, Toudou, Nagakura and six others moved to the Ikeda Inn (Ikedaya), meanwhile the 2nd troop led by Hijikata consisted of Inoue, Harada, Saitou and 20 others moved to the Shikokuya. However, Hijikata's troop found nothing but that's not what happened to Kondou's group.

About at 10 PM, Koundou came Ikedaya through the rear door and asking for the guest book to be checked out. Unexpectedly, the guard ran upstairs giving a warn. As quick as possible Kondou went to the 2nd floor, broke in through the shouji (sliding door) and found himself with 30 shishi in that room. Then one of them blow off the light and they were alone in the dark. Though it's completely dark, Kondou-sensei was not hesitated and straight slaying them. Some other members ran upstairs to help him, meanwhile the rest waited downstairs to catch the shishi who were trying to escape. After more than an hour, the casualties recorded: In Shinsengumi's side, 1 dead and 2 were bloody wounded (one of them died on the next day). The shishi: 16 (or 14) dead on spot, 20 shishi were caught that night and the next day. Nevertheless, the victory of Shinsengumi against the well-trained Shishi, esp they were outnumbered (3:1) isn't that surprising. Before the Ikedaya Jiken, they had already being by their guts in battle. Except that, this affair shown that this group was much better than when they came to Kyoto one year before. Though the Kyoto's inhabitant never could receive them sincerely, but it was undeniable that Shinsengumi had done such a noble deed for them. As the rumors widely spread, the members of Shinsengumi were multiplied because they were so many roushi wanted to join with them. The Ikedaya indeed is the acme of Shinsengumi's victory, Yeah, Shinsengumi rulz!!!

Kinmon no Hen, July 18, 1864
Soon after the Ikedaya Affair, the feud of Choushuu (now Yamaguchi perfecture) raised an army and marched towards Kyoto as retaliation. In the grip of madness that know no end, a troop of about 3,000 men began marching to the capital. To meet them were the Bakufu forces totaling about 20,000, the could see defeat before battle even began. The fiefs of Satsuma and Aizu joined forces again, protecting the Gates of the Imperial Palace against the Choushuu army. The Shinsengumi participated in the war also, in which the Bakufu forces defeated the Choushuu army. In a battle lasted barely a day, the Choushuu losses climbed to 400, while the Bakufu casulties were less than 60. The war fires spread to 28,000 homes and many perished in city streets, Kyoto finally was on fire. The war was then known as "Kinmon no Hen".

Shinsengumi's New Hierarchy, 1865
However, there was not a few number of casualties, and therefore Kondou Isami went to Edo (now Tokyo) in order to recruit new members to the Shinsengumi. And then they reorganized the hierarchy of the Shinsengumi, creating in 1865 (1st year of the Keiou Era) the second and the most famous hierarchy of the Shinsengumi.

Souchou ("Commander", "Counselor"):
Kondou Isami Masanobu (Masayoshi) (Edo Gyofunai Dappan, Tennen Rishin Style Teacher)

Fukuchou ("Executive Officer" or "Vice Commander"):
Hijikata Toshizou Yoshitoyo (Edo Gyofunai Dappan, Tennen Rishin Style Mokuroku)

Sanbou ("Military Advisor"):
Itou Kashitarou Takeaki (Hitachi Shizuku Dappan, Shintou Munen Style and Hokushin Ittou Style Menkyo Kaiden)

Kumichou ("Captain"):
Ichibantai (1st Unit): Okita Souji (Soushi) Kaneyoshi (Fusanaga) (Shirakawa Dappan, Tennen Rishin Style Menkyo Kaiden)
Nibantai (2nd Unit): Nagakura Shinpachi Noriyuki (Matsumae Dappan, Shintou Munen Style Menkyo Kaiden)
Sanbantai (3rd Unit): Saitou Hajime (Banshuu Akashi Roushi, master of the Mugai Style)
Yonbantai (4th Unit): Matsubara Chuuji (Tadaji) (Osaka Roushi, Jiu-jutsu teacher of the Sekiguchi style)
Gobantai (5th Unit): Takeda Kanryuusai (Izumo Dappan, master of the Naganuma Style of Military Strategy)
Rokubantai (6th Unit): Inoue Genzaburou Kazushige (Edo Gyofunai Dappan, Tennen Rishin Style Mokuroku)
Shichibantai (7th Unit): Tani Sanjuurou (Osaka Roushi, Harada Sanosuke's master)
Hachibantai (8th Unit): Toudou Heisuke Nobutora (Edo Gyofunai Dappan, Hokushin Ittou Style Mokuroku)
Kyuubantai (9th Unit): Suzuki Mikisaburou (Hitachi Shizuku Dappan, Itou Kashitarou's younger brother)
Juubantai (10th Unit): Harada Sanosuke (Iyomatsuyama Dappan, Taneda Houzouin Style Menkyo Kaiden)

Roushi Torishimari Yaku Narabi Kansatsu Gata(Internal Discipline and Observation Responsibles (Spies)):
Shinohara Tainoshin (from Itou's group)
Yamazaki Susumu
Arai Tadao
Ashiya Nobori
Yoshimura Kan-Ichirou
Ogata Shuntarou

Kanjou Gakari (Cleanup Operations):
Kawai Kisaburou

Note: There were two "Gochou" (Corporal) under the command of one "Kumichou" (Captain), and each "Tai" (Unit) had ten men.
And there were teachers:

Juujitsu Shihan Gashira (Teachers of Jiu-jitsu):
Shinohara Tainoshin
Matsubara Tadaji
Shinoda Satarou

Bungaku Shihan Gashira (Teachers of Literature and Culture):
Itou Kashitarou
Ogata Shuntarou
Mounai Yuunosuke
Takeda Kanryuusai
Tanba Yuuzou

Houjutsu Shihan Gashira (Teachers of Artillery):
Kiyohara Kiyoshi
Abe Juurou

Bajutsu Shihan Gashira (Teacher of Horsemanship):
Yasutomi Saisuke

Soujutsu Shihan Gashira (Teacher of Spear):
Tani Sanjuurou

<< || 1 || 2 || 4 || Profiles || >>

Back to Heart of Sword