Old Japan
At the end of the Edo period, Kaishuu Katsu and Takamori Saigo of Satsuma were negotiating.
Saigo was trying to decide whether to launch an all-out attack on Edo.
Edo was on the verge of becoming a sea of fire.
Around the same time, in the middle of the night, a group of Shinsengumi rushed into a village. The first of them was
Isamu Kondo, director of the Shinsengumi
*Photographs are explained at the end of the video.
Ayase, Adachi-ku, Tokyo
Ayase Inari Shrine
Founded in 1614 (Keicho 19) during the Edo period
The shrine was called “Inari Shrine” in the Edo period, and was renamed “Gobei Shrine” in 1874 and “Ayase Inari Shrine” in 1967.
The name was changed to “Ayase Inari Shrine” in 1967, and the shrine has been revered as the local deity for 400 years.
It was at the end of the Edo period (1603-1867) that members of the Shinsengumi invaded the area.
A messenger from a relative of the feudal lord came to the area, and the people who lived in the house were unable to return home because of the congestion on the way.
He was asked to allow about 15 people to stay for a day or two.
After midnight, the head of the steeplejack, who was usually a brave gatekeeper, was sobbing his eyes out.
He announced that not 15, but 40 warriors had arrived in force.
The warriors, who called themselves “Okubo,” turned out to be Isamu Kondo, the chief of the Shinsengumi, who later changed his name, and his men.
The demon second-in-command, Hijikata Toshizo, and others followed them.
Since then, not just one or two days, but day by day, more than 200 members of the Shinsengumi have been pouring into the quiet village, which is not even an inn town.
It was the Shinsengumi who had streamed into the area under the direction of the Shogunate.
After the previous defeat in Kofu, the eaves and corridors were full of people.
Two cannons were set up in the garden of the master of the house, and the training of soldiers with spears and guns started.
Kondo and his men, who had planned to leave immediately to stay in Nagareyama (Chiba) as a temporary lodging until their destination, ended up staying there for 19 days.
As a result of negotiations with Kaishu Katsu, Takamori Saigo decided not to launch a general attack on Edo.
The Shogunate was now so reverent of the new government that it seemed to have cut off the Shinsengumi, the main warring faction of the shogunate.
The burden of feeding more than 200 members of the Shinsengumi, adding snow huts, preparing sleeping quarters, and sometimes contacting Edo, was considerable.
The burden on the feudal lords must have been considerable.
The members of the Shinsengumi were so frustrated at being kept in the area that they even hung the master of the house and almost killed him.
However, it seems that Kondo and his men did not spend their time in this area but rather manufactured weapons.
From the large number of items purchased, which were recorded in detail by the master, it appears that they were manufacturing gunpowder.
it is likely that they were manufacturing gunpowder.
But sensing that the new government forces were closing in on the area
Kondo and his men departed for Nagareyama in the shadows of night on the 19th day, disregarding the orders of the Shogunate.
Sambine Shrine
The Shinsengumi's stay in this area is not well known, but strangely enough, there are no bad words left about Kondo as an individual.
When village children happened to bring him carp or crucian carp caught in the Ayase River, he would pat them on the head and give them money or sweets as a reward.
He would pat them on the head and reward them with coins and sweets.
In the next issue, we will introduce a shrine in the castle town of “Nobo no Shiro”!
In the center is Masami Inaba. Others are, from right to left: Masuhiro Ozeki, Taro Matsudaira, Kaishu Katsu, Shigetaka Ishikawa, Van Valkenburgh (U.S. Minister), and Gyoshinori Ezure (Foreign Inquisitor). September 22, 1867
Edo Castle, 1900
Teahouse in Eyama (or Keiyama?) Teahouse in Eyama, Bunkyu 3 - Keio 4 / Meiji 1 (1863-1868)
A photograph of Isamu Kondo, said to be included in a note left by the owner of the house
Fire extinguisher and pump, ca. 1871
Samurai, Nagasaki, Bunkyu 4/Genji 1 (1864)
Toshizo Hijikata
Portrait taken during the Hakodate War, Keio 4/Meiji 1 (1868)
Dutch military doctor Antonius Bodwin and his pupils (Samurai), Bunkyu 4/Genji 1 (1864)
Japanese infantry, 1869
Ueno Park, Takashi Saigo
下駄職人 大正3～8(1914-1918)年
瓦職人 明治36(1903)年
川で釣りをする少年たち
長崎の通り 明治44～大正2(1911-1913)年
