Like in other parts of the world, the history of Japan was written (and overwritten) by winners. Fortunately, at least a part of the true history survived, transmitted man to man, generation to generation, and the today’s people respect and love their ancestors even if, for a while, they were forgotten by the official history.
The Japanese history is full of celebrated samurai who distinguished themselves not only in battle but, maybe more important, in the way they lived. But their era ended after the Meiji Restoration, when the samurai caste was abolished in 1876. And because of the “The Last Samurai” movie, many people are asking today who was the “true last samurai".
A quick search in Google will bring up the name of Saigō Takamori, whose life loosely inspired the movie, but is this the correct answer? Deepening the study of history, it can be argued that while he was a successful military commander and politician, his way of life was far from being in accordance with the samurai tradition.
Therefore, today, I would like to honor a historical figure who truly deserves the title of “the last samurai": Hijikata Toshizō a gifted swordsman and a talented military commander, whose life stood out as a model of samurai loyalty and honor.
He wasn’t born samurai, but wishing from childhood to become one, he achieved his dream and became a distinguished representative of samurai caste, as the vice-commander of the Shinsengumi, a small group of very talented swordsmen loyal to the Shogunate.
Marginalized and demonized for decades after they resisted the Meiji Restoration, the samurai of the Shinsengumi are recently having a comeback to the Japanese culture, due to an increasing number of historical books being published and due to becoming a pop-culture icon…
And every year around this day (May 7th), in Hino, Tokyo, Hijikata Toshizō’s hometown, at the temple that houses his statue, memorial celebrations are held to honor him and his fellow Shinsengumi warriors…
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Yesterday’s Japan Photo:Japanese modern architecture, Iidabashi Station |
