written by Hirotada Tokugawa
Kyu Bakufu is a truly unique achievment in the realm of the
historiographical rehabilitation of not only the Edo Period, but the
Tokugawa Shogunate itself. Written by the very men who had formed its
ranks, the magazine was first published in 1898, and featured in its
editorial staff such famous names as Enomoto Takeaki, Katsu Kaishu,
Otori Keisuke, Ogasawara Naganari, and Inoue Masanao. Every square
inch of this magazine is filled to the brim with facts, numbers,
dates, photographs, calligraphy, paintings, commentary, memoirs, and
more. Now largely ignored, it sits on the shelves of major Asian
Studies research libraries around the world, waiting to be rediscovered.
Q. You mentioned Enomoto, Katsu Kaishu and Otori Keisuke.
Can you please explain the significance of those three men and any
possible connections to the Shinsengumi?
Certainly. Enomoto Takeaki (1836-1908) was a senior officer in the
Shogun's navy, as was Katsu Kaishu (1823-1899). Otori Keisuke
(1833-1911) was an Infantry Magistrate in the Shogunate Army. All
three were members of the new nobility during the Meiji era, and all
of them, despite their background in the Shogunate, held high
positions in the Meiji government. Later on in life they wrote at
length on their experiences in the decades leading up to the
Restoration; some of these writings appear in "Kyu Bakufu"
As for connections to the Shinsengumi, these men are directly
connected to them, on a face-to-face basis. Otori Keisuke fought
alongside Hijikata, from Edo, to Utsunomiya, to Aizu, all the way
north to Hakodate. Enomoto was the one who carried Otori and Hijikata
and many others by sea to Hakodate, where they set up the Ezo
Republic. Enomoto became president, Otori was Army Minister, and
Hijikata was Vice-Army Minister. Katsu Kaishu was associated with
Shinsengumi during its time in Edo immediately after the Battle of
Toba-Fushimi (late January 1868 by the western calendar). Katsu Kaishu
was the one who dispatched Shinsengumi, then renamed Koyochinbutai, to
Kai Province, to take posession of Kofu Castle, which was in theory to
become the seat of a 100,000 koku domain ruled by Kondou Isami.
Q. Are there biographies in this work? Anything of interest to us
Shinsengumi fans?
"Kyu Bakufu" has biographies or biographical notes in every single
issue. Of note to Shinsengumi fans is "Kondou Isami-den," quite
possibly the first biography of Kondou Isami which did not depict him
as a criminal. The biography of Kumoi Tatsuo, Nagakura Shinpachi's
acquaintance from Yonezawa, is also worthy of note. The biography of
Nagai Naoyuki, a Shogunate official in constant contact with
Shinsengumi from their very inception, is also present, as is
extensive data on the Aizu domain, Shinsengumi's supervisors and
Shogunate-approved patrons.
Q. Which members of the Shinsengumi were still alive to read this
magazine?
To the best of my knowledge, Saitou Hajime, Nagakura Shinpachi, Takagi
Teisaku, Yamawaki Hayatarou, Hieda Rihachi, and Abe Jurou were still
alive in 1898, as well as others whose names I either don't know or
can't recall.
Q. Do you know the cost of the magazine (per issue) and perhaps how it
was established given the pervasive bias against many who were on the
"wrong side" of the civil war in 1868?
While I don't know what the cost per issue was, I can tell that
without Enomoto Takeaki and Katsu Kaishu's assistance, it never would
have existed. These men, being in high positions in the Meiji
Government, had established the fact that they were men of importance
and loyalty, and so for them to patronize this magazine effectively
was what brought it into being.
Thank you for sharing this text. Although we do not yet know details
like the people who actually contributed financially to the
establishment of the magazine we must assume that having it published
would be difficult. Perhaps most telling is -if- the list of
acknowledged supporters who were less politically powerful than the
men you mentioned does not exist.
I asked about the cost as a way of exploring the possible readership
demographics. If the magazine was very expensive, I'm sure the
circulation would have been very low. Even the location of its
publication (perhaps Tokyo) would be interesting to note.
Just as in the present, fictional portrayals of the Shinsengumi were
more popular. The year 1898 was several years before the epic
DAIBOSATSU-TOGE
http://www.shinsengumihq.com/DBT.htm was published.
That was the first truly public and modern method of introducing the
Shinsengumi in novel form during the late Meiji Era. The novel would
have easily overshadowed this first formal attempt of recording
Shinsengumi history.
The biography of Kondou Isami can be seen here:
http://1happyturtle.com/Hosting/KondoIsami-den1.zip