An Indispensible Document for Knowing the Facts Regarding Ryōma’s Assassination

Posted on March 12, 2017 by Romlus Hillsborough

The double assassination of Sakamoto Ryōma and Nakaoka Shintarō on the eve of the collapse of the Tokugawa Bakufu is an unsolved mystery—but only to a certain extent. What is known of the details of the incident, including the circumstances surrounding Ryōma and Nakaoka just before the attack, their actual murders, and the aftermath, is based primarily on accounts from men representing the two opposing sides in the revolution. On the one hand are accounts from two men who claimed to have committed the assassinations. On the other hand are accounts from the victims’ friends, some of which is based on information heard directly from Nakaoka as he lay dying soon after the attack. Most of these accounts are included in a document entitled “Sakamoto to Nakaoka no Shi” (“The Deaths of Sakamoto and Nakaoka”; 坂本と中岡の死).

I relied heavily on this document in writing “Part III: The Assassination of Sakamoto Ryōma” of Samurai Assassins. The distinguished Meiji Restoration historian Hirao Michio described it as “indispensible for arriving at a conclusion” as to the facts behind the double assassination of Sakamoto Ryoma and Nakaoka Shintaro, since it “uses every possible piece of historical material in pursuit of the facts.” (「二人の死をめぐってあらゆる史料をあつかい、その真相を追求したもので、この問題史に一断案を下ろしたものとして、見落とすことを許されない労作だ」（平尾道雄氏）) This document was originally published in 1926 as part of the Sakamoto Ryōma Kankei Bunsho, Vol. II (The image of the book shown below is from the from The National Diet Library Digital Collection.).

Takéchi Hanpeita’s Letters from Jail

Posted on March 9, 2017 by Romlus Hillsborough

In writing Samurai Assassins, Part II: The Rise and Fall of Takéchi Hanpeita and the Tosa Loyalist Party, I referred heavily to the letters Takéchi’s wrote from jail to his wife and sisters, and to his cohorts who had not been imprisoned. The letters to his friends, written in formal language and tone befitting a samurai, provide an insight into Takéchi’s thinking, including his stoic philosophy. The letters to his wife and sisters, on the other hand, overflow with the tender feelings of a husband and brother, and include self-effacing humor, complaints, despondency, and melancholy absent in the other letters—and indeed in his entire persona observed through any other medium. To the best of my knowledge, Takéchi’s letters have rarely, if ever, been used by Western writers.The letters are published in Takéchi Zuizan Kankei Bunsho (武市瑞山関係文書; “Takéchi Zuizan-related Documents”; Zuizan was Takéchi’s pseudonym). The images of the book shown here are from the from The National Diet Library Digital Collection.

“The History of Tosa Loyalism in the Meiji Restoration” and the Writing of “Samurai Assassins”

Posted on March 8, 2017 by Romlus Hillsborough

Ishin Tosa Kinnō-shi (維新土佐勤王史; “The History of Tosa Loyalism in the Meiji Restoration”), based on a biography of Takéchi Hanpeita and biographical materials on other men associated with this history, was published in 1912 by a group of former Tosa Loyalists and other former Tosa samurai. 1912 corresponds to the last year of the Meiji era. Takéchi and his Loyalist Party, of course, played a major role in bringing about the Meiji Restoration of 1868, which was the beginning of the Meiji era.

I referred to this book in Samurai Assassins, particularly in Part II: The Rise and Fall of Takéchi Hanpeita and the Tosa Loyalist Party. The cover image shown here (but not the portrait of Takechi) is from The National Diet Library Digital Collection (国立国会図書館デジタルコレクション).

“Assassination” by Matsuura Rei, One of the Greatest Writers of This History

Posted on March 7, 2017 by Romlus Hillsborough

Matsuura Rei (松浦玲) is one of the most important writers of Bakumatsu-Meiji Restoration history. His work on Katsu Kaishu is particularly important. Kaishu is “the shogun’s last samurai” of my book Samurai Revolution. I referred to Matsuura’s Ansatsu (“Assassination” — above) in my new book, Samurai Assassins. Ansatsu was published in 1979, the same year I first set foot in Japan.

Bushido: A Universal Code for the 21st Century

Posted on February 10, 2017 by Romlus Hillsborough

Recently I began writing another book about the Shinsengumi. Their symbol (shown here) was the character makoto, which means “sincerity,” one of the three cardinal virtues of bushidō, along with loyalty and courage. Bushidō of course means “the way of the samurai.” And while men such as Kondo Isami, commander of the Shinsengumi, lived by the code of bushidō, these three virtues are by no means exclusive to the samurai.

Consider the meaning of the symbols used to express two of these concepts in the Japanese language:

sincerity (誠), pronounced makoto
loyalty（忠), pronounced chū

Makoto is a combination of the characters for “to say” and “to do” (or “to accomplish”). “To do what one says” is to be sincere. Chū is a combination of the characters for “inside” and “heart” (or “mind”): A loyal samurai keeps his heart and mind within the fold of his feudal lord, or daimyo. This may be directed at one’s country, or even family or friends.

But even the most loyal person of the best intentions might lack the guts do what he says. It might be too dangerous. Or perhaps the sacrifice would be too great. Which is one of the reasons why courage, both physical and moral, is so important.

So if you think about it, these basic bushidō virtues are not exclusively “of the samurai” or even Japanese. Rather, it seems, “the way of the samurai” is to a certain extent universal.