Hijikata Toshizo (土方歳三) served as the vice-commander of the Shinsengumi (新選組, 新撰組), an organisation that operated during the late Edo period.
The Shinsengumi functioned as a special police force or security unit for the Tokugawa shogunate amidst the turmoil of the Meiji Restoration. Its core members were Roshi (浪士; samurai who has lost their master due to their lord’s death, downfall, or dismissal), who, upon hearing of any plot to overthrow the shogunate, would not hesitate to resort to force, including assassinations, to preserve its rule.
The leader of the Shinsengumi, known as the ‘Commander (kyokucho, 局長)’, was Kondo Isami (近藤勇), a close associate of Hijikata from childhood.
The enduring legacy of the Shinsengumi, frequently depicted in novels, films, and television dramas, stems in part from how men who rose through the ranks solely by their skill in combat fought against the anti-shogunate forces with nothing but their swords, risking their very lives. The way Hijikata and his fellow samurai lived continues to be portrayed with a sense of romanticism.
A lifelong bond with Kondo Isami
Hijikata was born in 1835 in Tama (多摩) District, Musashi (武蔵) Province (present-day Hino (日野) City, Tokyo). His family were long-established sellers of a traditional medicine known as ‘Ishida San-yaku (石田散薬).’ The youngest of six siblings, he was orphaned at a young age and raised by his second eldest brother, Kiroku (喜六).
At the age of 11, Hijikata was sent to Edo to work as an apprentice. Later, he became a live-in guest of Sato Hikogoro (佐藤彦五郎) while also travelling as an itinerant medicine seller for the family business. He simultaneously dedicated himself to sword training at Sato’s dojo. Sato Hikogoro was a disciple of Kondo Shusuke, a master of the Tennen Rishin-ryu (天然理心流) school of swordsmanship. Kondo Isami, the adopted son of Shusuke (周助), and Hijikata both trained in this style, making them fellow disciples.
Hijikata eventually became a live-in student at the Tennen Rishin-ryu’s Edo training hall, the Shieikan (試衛館), and later rose to the position of assistant instructor. Other future key members of the Shinsengumi, including Okita Soji (沖田総司), Inoue Genzaburo (井上源三郎), Yamanami Keisuke (山南敬助), and Nagakura Shinpachi (永倉新八), also trained there.
The formation of the deadliest assassination unit
In 1863, when Hijikata was 28, the ruling shogun, Tokugawa Iemochi (徳川家茂), planned to travel to Kyoto. In response, the shogunate in Edo recruited skilled swordsmen to serve as his bodyguards.
Hijikata, Kondo, and their associates volunteered and joined the newly formed ‘Roshi-gumi (浪士組)’ (corps of masterless samurai). They established their base in Mibu (壬生), a suburb of Kyoto. The Roshi-gumi had been assembled under the leadership of Kiyokawa Hachiro (清河八郎), who secretly harboured plans unrelated to shogunal protection. Upon learning of this, Hijikata and Kondo decided to part ways with him, leading to the formation of the ‘Mibu Roshi-gumi,’ the precursor to the Shinsengumi.
At the time, the group was simply a band of roshi without a direct master, but they eventually came under the authority of Matsudaira Katamori (松平容保), the daimyo of Aizu (会津), who held the position of Kyoto Military Commissioner. It was under his auspices that they were granted the name ‘Shinsengumi.’
Initially, Serizawa Kamo (芹沢鴨) was appointed as the chief commander, but due to his reckless behaviour, which severely tarnished the group’s reputation, he and his faction were eliminated internally through assassination.
The Shinsengumi not only used force against external enemies but also enforced strict discipline within its ranks. Members who violated the code were compelled to commit seppuku, a form of samurai suicide by cutting the stomach, often performed to preserve honor, atone for failure, or as a form of capital punishment. Alternatively, they were outright assassinated, resulting in an organisation governed by extreme severity. Although there were no restrictions on age or social class for joining, prospective members were required to possess exceptional martial skills. Even after joining, rigorous training and sword practice were mandatory, leading to frequent desertions. Hijikata played a key role in upholding these strict regulations.
The handsome warrior who became famous in the Ikedaya Incident
Following Serizawa’s death, Hijikata supported Kondo Isami, who became the commander of the Shinsengumi, in his role as vice-commander. Their longstanding bond of trust, formed in childhood, enabled them to consolidate the organisation and expand its influence.
One of the most famous events involving the Shinsengumi was the Ikedaya (池田屋) Incident. On 8 July 1864, Shinsengumi forces launched a raid on the Ikedaya inn in Sanjo Kiyamachi (三条木屋町), Kyoto, where anti-shogunate samurai from the Choshu (長州) and Tosa (土佐) domains were plotting an attack. The clash resulted in the deaths of seven insurgents and the capture of approximately 23 others.
The incident cemented the Shinsengumi’s reputation throughout Kyoto, with many regarding them as a ruthless assassination squad willing to employ any means necessary to achieve their objectives.
Prior to the raid, Hijikata had discovered a stockpile of weapons at a roshi’s residence, which led him to intensify searches in the Gion (祇園) and Kiyamachi (木屋町) areas, ultimately uncovering the insurgents’ whereabouts. On the night of the raid, he led a detachment alongside Inoue Genzaburo (井上源三郎) and Saito Hajime (斎藤一) to support Kondo’s initial assault.
Fighting in the confined space of a Kyoto inn, where ceilings were low and quarters were tight, required not only skill with the sword but also grappling techniques. The Tennen Rishin-ryu school, which incorporated jujutsu, proved highly effective in such conditions.
Despite his fearsome reputation on the battlefield, Hijikata was known for his composed and affable demeanour. His striking good looks made him particularly popular among the women of Kyoto. He also had a refined side, composing waka (和歌) and haikai (俳諧) poetry, which were later compiled into a collection called ‘Hogyoku Hokku shu (豊玉発句集).’
The Boshin War and his final days
Despite the Shinsengumi’s valiant efforts, the tide of history could not be reversed. The shogunate relinquished power, and in January 1868, the Boshin War erupted between the imperial forces and the remnants of the Tokugawa shogunate.
With Kondo incapacitated by illness, Hijikata took command of the Shinsengumi but was forced into retreat by the imperial army’s advances. By this time, the group had effectively disbanded, with surviving members scattering across different battlefronts.
In April of the same year, Kondo was captured and executed in Itabashi (板橋), Edo (Tokyo). Hijikata, meanwhile, continued fighting alongside the shogunate’s loyalist forces, engaging in battles across Utsunomiya (宇都宮) and Aizu.
In Utsunomiya, he briefly recaptured the city’s castle from the imperial army, demonstrating his command of Western military tactics.
However, continued defeats forced him to retreat northward, eventually reaching Sendai (仙台). There, he joined the forces of the Ouetsu Reppan (奥羽列藩) Alliance, a coalition of northern domains resisting the new government. Eventually, he retreated further to Hakodate (箱館, 函館) and fought under the command of Enomoto Takeaki (榎本武揚) at the fortress of Goryokaku.
From Kyoto to Hokkaido, Hijikata and his men fought a desperate retreat spanning approximately 1,200 kilometres. On 11 May 1869, while resisting the imperial forces at Goryokaku, he was struck by a stray bullet outside the fortress and died in battle. He was 35 years old (some records state he was 34).
Just six years after its formation, the Shinsengumi had met its end. Hijikata’s brief but brilliant life remains legendary. His grave can still be visited today at Ishida Temple (石田寺) in his hometown of Hino City.
His posthumous Buddhist name was ‘Seishin-in-den Seizan Gihō Daikoji (歳進院殿誠山義豊大居士).’
References
Yoshikawa Kobunkan (吉川弘文館), ‘Kokushi Daijiten (国史大辞典; Great Dictionary of Japanese History)’
Kodansha (講談社), ‘Nihon Jinmei Daijiten (日本人名大辞典; Great Dictionary of Japanese Names)’
Shogakukan (小学館), ‘Nihon Daihyakka Zensho (日本大百科全書; Great Encyclopaedia of Japan)’
This article is translated from https://intojapanwaraku.com/rock/culture-rock/173124/
