Five places in English to look at.

Ok, so there IS some Japanese on these pages. However the person
behind these articles was kind enough to include an English
translation, so there's no need to bring out the evil goldfish.

This first article is about the place we discussed last Sunday during
the chat session. Serizawa Kamo very kindly translated a name the
translator had mutilated beyond all recognition, so I know this place
is connected to Hijikata.
http://www.donan.info/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=83

The next two sites I've known about for a while actually. The first
is about the war and Goryokaku. The next one is about the monument
built to Hijikata and the other Tokugawa forces killed in battle.
http://www.donan.info/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=155
http://www.donan.info/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=140

The next article is about my new hero, Yanagawa Kumakichi! This has
cleared up a bit of a mystery for me!
http://www.donan.info/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=139

So this is the temple that the www.tamahito.com site keeps going on
about! While the EXACT location of Hijikata's grave remains unknown,
it seems that it is probably somewhere on the side of Mt. Hakodate.
But I thought that the bodies were cremated? I guess they mean he
buried the ashes? Or is the translator just messing with my head?!
Well, maybe the mystery isn't COMPLETELY cleared up...-_-

Now if I could just figure out what this "Wood Eagle" thing is. It
seems to be the place that Enomoto (and of course Hijikata) first
landed in Hokkaido. They keep showing pictures of some beach.

But I'm off the point now. The point is all you Ishin-haters out
there will really find your blood boiling and know why I have such
tremendous respect for this man!

And if that isn't enough to condemn the new government's actions in
Hokkaido, then check this article out. This appears to be dealing
with some of the Aizu people who joined Hijikata in Hokkaido.
http://www.donan.info/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=97

So are you angry yet?

-MissBehavin

"We are the Shinsengumi! We have business!" << should be our motto.

Hmmmm, killing the sick and wounded [real] bravery...well there are
no rules in warfare sadly. Just like in the Seinan War the gov. was
extremely concerned with their image and they made a strong effort
to enforce their "do not 'harass' the womanfolk policy" but you know
they couldn't keep an eye on thousands of guys.

Well, what I'd like to know is when the Aizu samurai/troops went up
to Hakodate because
1) it means they escaped the clutches of the invading Imperial army
right before the enemy entered the domain
2) or they somehow escaped -after- the army secured the
domain...basically I'm concerned with how the defense of the domain
must've fallen apart.

I have several books with me however NONE discuss the fall of Aizu
extensively...sure it mentions Matsudaira here and there but only in
a political context in Kyoto. It's kind of like how chapters on the
Seinan War do not mention the Seige at Kumamoto Castle/Garrison when
very clearly many authors say it was THE act of war (point of no
return) for Saigo's forces...up until this time the gov. was seeking
negotiations with Satsuma and was willing to pardon him [!].

I did read a bit on Japanese funeral practices and there are some
similarities to a culture I'm studying...basically you cremate the
bodies and interr the ashes/bone in a cemetary (it is common for
family to take some home and worship the remains)...its like in the
case of Fujita Goro's grave...I assume only his ashes/bones are
there under the stone marker...not a "grave" in a Western sense.

--- In SHQ@yahoogroups.com, "warg3791" wrote:
> Ok, so there IS some Japanese on these pages. However the person
> behind these articles was kind enough to include an English
> translation, so there's no need to bring out the evil goldfish.
>
> This first article is about the place we discussed last Sunday
during
> the chat session. Serizawa Kamo very kindly translated a name the
> translator had mutilated beyond all recognition, so I know this
place
> is connected to Hijikata.
> http://www.donan.info/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=83
>
> The next two sites I've known about for a while actually. The
first
> is about the war and Goryokaku. The next one is about the monument
> built to Hijikata and the other Tokugawa forces killed in battle.
> http://www.donan.info/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=155
> http://www.donan.info/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=140
>
> The next article is about my new hero, Yanagawa Kumakichi! This
has
> cleared up a bit of a mystery for me!
> http://www.donan.info/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=139
>
> So this is the temple that the www.tamahito.com site keeps going
on
> about! While the EXACT location of Hijikata's grave remains
unknown,
> it seems that it is probably somewhere on the side of Mt.
Hakodate.
> But I thought that the bodies were cremated? I guess they mean he
> buried the ashes? Or is the translator just messing with my head?!
> Well, maybe the mystery isn't COMPLETELY cleared up...-_-
>
> Now if I could just figure out what this "Wood Eagle" thing is. It
> seems to be the place that Enomoto (and of course Hijikata) first
> landed in Hokkaido. They keep showing pictures of some beach.
>
> But I'm off the point now. The point is all you Ishin-haters out
> there will really find your blood boiling and know why I have such
> tremendous respect for this man!
>
> And if that isn't enough to condemn the new government's actions
in
> Hokkaido, then check this article out. This appears to be dealing
> with some of the Aizu people who joined Hijikata in Hokkaido.
> http://www.donan.info/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=97
>
> So are you angry yet?
>
> -MissBehavin
>
> "We are the Shinsengumi! We have business!" << > should be our motto.

>Well, what I'd like to know is when the Aizu samurai/troops went up
>to Hakodate because
>1) it means they escaped the clutches of the invading Imperial army
>right before the enemy entered the domain
>2) or they somehow escaped -after- the army secured the
>domain...basically I'm concerned with how the defense of the domain
>must've fallen apart.

I translated an article about Aizu a while ago (and posted it in the Miburo
list, I thinK) that dealt with this. Apparently Matsudaira Katamori was
yelling at Hijikata to go get reinforcements from Shonai (a neighboring
domain), so Hijikata took a group (don't know how large) of Aizu samurai and
left. After he left, he heard that Shonai had fallen, so he instead went to
Sendai and joined up with Enomoto, who was on his way to Hokkaido.

--M.

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In a message dated 6/11/2004 10:30:38 AM Eastern Standard Time,
secretarytocapt3@... writes:
Well, what I'd like to know is when the Aizu samurai/troops went up
to Hakodate because
1) it means they escaped the clutches of the invading Imperial army
right before the enemy entered the domain
2) or they somehow escaped -after- the army secured the
domain...basically I'm concerned with how the defense of the domain
must've fallen apart.
I believe that what happened there is that some of these men were ordered to
accompany Hijikata when he was sent to enlist aid from the other domains.
After all, Matsudaira had him out inspecting the defenses earlier. Obviously he
placed a great deal of trust in the man and wouldn't want to risk him falling
into enemy hands by going it alone. Others are probably the Aizu forces who have
been mentioned as having been fighting beyond the domain borders to stop the
Imperial army's advance. Once the enemy broke through, I'm sure there were
many men who found themselves suddenly cut off from returning to Aizu and had to
fight elsewhere.

-MissBehavin


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