Yamanami Keisuke
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese samurai
. He was the General Secretary (Vice Commander) of the Shinsengumi
, a special police
force in Kyoto
during the late Edo period
.
instructor originated from the Sendai domain.
Yamanami was trained under Chiba Shusaku Narimasa
, the founder of the Hokushin Itto-ryu, and attained Menkyo Kaiden (license of total transmission) sometime before 1860.
In 1860, after Yamanami was defeated by Kondō Isami
in a match, he was enrolled at the Tennen Rishin-ryū
s Shieikan dojo in Edo
(which was run by Kondō from 1861.) Yamanami was particularly educated in literary and military arts, with a gentle personality and a kind heart. He was very much admired by the Head Instructor (Jukutou) at the Shieikan, Okita Sōjirō (the later Okita Sōji
), who called him a big brother. In 1863, Yamanami, Kondo and other members of the Shieikan joined the Roshigumi
, the military unit being sent to Kyoto by the Tokugawa Shogunate
.
returned to Edo. Soon, the Mibu Roshigumi (which would eventually become known as the Shinsengumi
) was formed. Yamanami served as a vice-commander, alongside Hijikata Toshizō
after Niimi Nishiki
was demoted for instigating a vicious street brawl with sumo wrestlers in Kyoto.
Yamanami was said to be one of the Shieikan members involved in the Serizawa Kamo
assassination in 1863. After the purge of the Serizawa faction, Yamanami became one of two vice-commanders (the other being Hijikata).
Yamanami did not take part in the famed Ikedaya Jiken
in 1864, instead he guarded the group's headquarters.
with Okita as his Kaishakunin
on March 20 (lunar calendar
February 23), 1865. There are several speculations on Yamanami's reason to escape, including a theory that Yamanami committed suicide
without ever leaving the Shinsengumi.
In Shinsengumi : the Shogun's Last Samurai Corps by Romulus Hillsborough there is something mentioned about Yamanami's escape. The following is quoted from this book:
The trouble with Yamanami seems to have originated over a disagreement in philosophy, though Shimosawa also cites a bitter rivalry with the other vice commander, Hijikata Toshizo. Yamanami was apparently vexed over the lately inflated self-importance of Kondo and Hijikata. He felt that they had forgotten the original purpose for which the members of the Shieikan had enlisted in the "loyal and patriotic" corps. The unyielding will to power that had lately consumed his erstwhile friends had diminished their former patriotic ideals. According to most sources, Yamanami's vexation was exacerbated sometime early in 1865, when Kondo and Hijikata, unhappy with their cramped headquarters at Mibu, decided to move to a more spacious location at Nishihonganji Temple in the southwest of the city. The temple priests were perplexed over the decision. Their attempts to rebuff the Shinsengumi were ignored by Kondo and Hijikata. Yamanami objected to what he considered coercion of Buddhist priests. "Certainly there are many other suitable places, " he admonished Kondo, and suggested that his commander reconsider. But his commander would not reconsider, and Yamanami resolved to pay the ultimate price. He composed a farewell letter explaining the reasons he could no longer, in good conscience, risk his life under Kondo's command. Then he defected.
In short, this is the most accepted theory in regard of Yamanami's reason to leave the Shinsengumi, even though officially it is still a mystery. In addition, It must be noted that Hillsborough's source in regard of the rivalry between Yamanami and Hijikata, Shimosawa Kan's Shinsengumi Shimatsuki, is in fact categorized as historical fiction.
Yamanami fled to Otsu
while Kondo sent Okita to retrieve him. After Yamanami returned to Mibu, he was ordered to commit seppuku. He asked Okita to serve as his Kaishakunin. There is also a theory that Kondo asked Okita to serve as Yamanami's Kaishakunin out of respect for Yamanami. (The Kaishakunin was usually a closest friend or family member whenever possible.) Yamanami saw Okita as family and the two shared a strong bond till the very end of Yamanami's life.
Yamanami was buried at the in Kyoto.
Before his death, Yamanami was the second-in-command of the Shinsengumi. (It is a misconception that Hijikata had always been the second-in-command. In fact, Hijikata became the second-in-command after Yamanami's death.)
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
. He was the General Secretary (Vice Commander) of the Shinsengumi
Shinsengumi
The were a special police force of the late shogunate period.-Historical background:After Japan opened up to the West following U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry's visits in 1853, its political situation gradually became more and more chaotic...
, a special police
Special police
Special Police does not have a consistent international meaning. In many cases it will describe a police force or a unit within a police force whose duties and responsibilities are significantly different from other forces in the same country or significantly different from other police in the same...
force in Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
during the late Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
.
Background
Though the details of his origin are unclear, he was thought to be the son of a kenjutsuKenjutsu
, meaning "the method, or technique, of the sword." This is opposed to kendo, which means the way of the sword. Kenjutsu is the umbrella term for all traditional schools of Japanese swordsmanship, in particular those that predate the Meiji Restoration...
instructor originated from the Sendai domain.
Yamanami was trained under Chiba Shusaku Narimasa
Chiba Shusaku Narimasa
was the founder of the Hokushin Itto school of swordsmanship .-Origins:Shusaku was the son of the swordsman Koemon , who was originally from Myagi Pref. Born as the second son in Kesen-Mura , Shusaku was named Narimasa Taira...
, the founder of the Hokushin Itto-ryu, and attained Menkyo Kaiden (license of total transmission) sometime before 1860.
In 1860, after Yamanami was defeated by Kondō Isami
Kondo Isami
was a Japanese swordsman and official of the late Edo Period, famed for his role as commander of the Shinsengumi.-Background:Isami, who was first known as Katsugorō, was born to Miyagawa Hisajirō, a farmer residing in Kami-Ishihara village in Musashi Province, now in the city of Chōfu in Western...
in a match, he was enrolled at the Tennen Rishin-ryū
Tennen Rishin-ryu
is a Japanese martial art, commonly known as the style practiced by several core members of the Shinsengumi.-History:Founded by Kondō Kuranosuke Nagahiro around 1789, the style was popularized by Kondō Shūsuke , the third generation master of the style, who, together with Satō Hikogorō, spread its...
s Shieikan dojo in Edo
Edo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
(which was run by Kondō from 1861.) Yamanami was particularly educated in literary and military arts, with a gentle personality and a kind heart. He was very much admired by the Head Instructor (Jukutou) at the Shieikan, Okita Sōjirō (the later Okita Sōji
Okita Soji
, was the captain of the first unit of the Shinsengumi, a special police force in Kyoto during the late shogunate period. He was one of the best swordsmen of the Shinsengumi, along with Saito Hajime and Nagakura Shinpachi....
), who called him a big brother. In 1863, Yamanami, Kondo and other members of the Shieikan joined the Roshigumi
Roshigumi
The Rōshigumi , the "Kyoto Defenders", was a group of 234 masterless samurai , founded by Kiyokawa Hachirō in 1863. Loyal to the Bakufu, they were supposed to act as the protectors of the Tokugawa shogun....
, the military unit being sent to Kyoto by the Tokugawa Shogunate
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
.
Shinsengumi Period
In Kyoto, Kondō and his "faction" stayed in Kyoto while the rest of the RoshigumiRoshigumi
The Rōshigumi , the "Kyoto Defenders", was a group of 234 masterless samurai , founded by Kiyokawa Hachirō in 1863. Loyal to the Bakufu, they were supposed to act as the protectors of the Tokugawa shogun....
returned to Edo. Soon, the Mibu Roshigumi (which would eventually become known as the Shinsengumi
Shinsengumi
The were a special police force of the late shogunate period.-Historical background:After Japan opened up to the West following U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry's visits in 1853, its political situation gradually became more and more chaotic...
) was formed. Yamanami served as a vice-commander, alongside Hijikata Toshizō
Hijikata Toshizo
was the vice-commander of Shinsengumi, a great swordsman and a talented Japanese military leader who resisted the Meiji Restoration.-Background:...
after Niimi Nishiki
Niimi Nishiki
was born in Mito-han . He was a master of the Shintomunen-ryu swordsmanship style. He was one of the original thirteen members of the Shinsengumi, together with Serizawa Kamo and Kondō Isami...
was demoted for instigating a vicious street brawl with sumo wrestlers in Kyoto.
Yamanami was said to be one of the Shieikan members involved in the Serizawa Kamo
Serizawa Kamo
Serizawa Kamo was a samurai known for being the original lead commander of the Shinsengumi. He trained in and received a licence in the Shindō Munen-ryū. "Kamo" means goose or duck in Japanese which was an odd name to call oneself at the time...
assassination in 1863. After the purge of the Serizawa faction, Yamanami became one of two vice-commanders (the other being Hijikata).
Yamanami did not take part in the famed Ikedaya Jiken
Ikedaya Jiken
The , also known as the Ikedaya Affair or Ikedaya Incident, was an armed encounter between the shishi which included masterless samurai formally employed by the Chōshū and Tosa clans , and the Shinsengumi, the Bakufu's special police force in Kyoto on July 8, 1864 at the Ikedaya Inn in Kyoto,...
in 1864, instead he guarded the group's headquarters.
Death
Some time after the Ikedaya Jiken he tried to escape the Shinsengumi, despite the regulation against deserters. As a result, he committed seppukuSeppuku
is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. Seppuku was originally reserved only for samurai. Part of the samurai bushido honor code, seppuku was either used voluntarily by samurai to die with honor rather than fall into the hands of their enemies , or as a form of capital punishment...
with Okita as his Kaishakunin
Kaishakunin
A kaishakunin is an appointed second whose duty is to behead one who has committed seppuku, Japanese ritual suicide, at the moment of agony...
on March 20 (lunar calendar
Lunar calendar
A lunar calendar is a calendar that is based on cycles of the lunar phase. A common purely lunar calendar is the Islamic calendar or Hijri calendar. A feature of the Islamic calendar is that a year is always 12 months, so the months are not linked with the seasons and drift each solar year by 11 to...
February 23), 1865. There are several speculations on Yamanami's reason to escape, including a theory that Yamanami committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
without ever leaving the Shinsengumi.
In Shinsengumi : the Shogun's Last Samurai Corps by Romulus Hillsborough there is something mentioned about Yamanami's escape. The following is quoted from this book:
The trouble with Yamanami seems to have originated over a disagreement in philosophy, though Shimosawa also cites a bitter rivalry with the other vice commander, Hijikata Toshizo. Yamanami was apparently vexed over the lately inflated self-importance of Kondo and Hijikata. He felt that they had forgotten the original purpose for which the members of the Shieikan had enlisted in the "loyal and patriotic" corps. The unyielding will to power that had lately consumed his erstwhile friends had diminished their former patriotic ideals. According to most sources, Yamanami's vexation was exacerbated sometime early in 1865, when Kondo and Hijikata, unhappy with their cramped headquarters at Mibu, decided to move to a more spacious location at Nishihonganji Temple in the southwest of the city. The temple priests were perplexed over the decision. Their attempts to rebuff the Shinsengumi were ignored by Kondo and Hijikata. Yamanami objected to what he considered coercion of Buddhist priests. "Certainly there are many other suitable places, " he admonished Kondo, and suggested that his commander reconsider. But his commander would not reconsider, and Yamanami resolved to pay the ultimate price. He composed a farewell letter explaining the reasons he could no longer, in good conscience, risk his life under Kondo's command. Then he defected.
In short, this is the most accepted theory in regard of Yamanami's reason to leave the Shinsengumi, even though officially it is still a mystery. In addition, It must be noted that Hillsborough's source in regard of the rivalry between Yamanami and Hijikata, Shimosawa Kan's Shinsengumi Shimatsuki, is in fact categorized as historical fiction.
Yamanami fled to Otsu
Otsu
Ōtsu, or Otsu, may refer to:* Ōtsu, Shiga, Japan** Ōtsu Station, a railway station on the Tōkaidō Main Line ** Ōtsu incident, an assassination attempt on Tsarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich of Russia...
while Kondo sent Okita to retrieve him. After Yamanami returned to Mibu, he was ordered to commit seppuku. He asked Okita to serve as his Kaishakunin. There is also a theory that Kondo asked Okita to serve as Yamanami's Kaishakunin out of respect for Yamanami. (The Kaishakunin was usually a closest friend or family member whenever possible.) Yamanami saw Okita as family and the two shared a strong bond till the very end of Yamanami's life.
Yamanami was buried at the in Kyoto.
Before his death, Yamanami was the second-in-command of the Shinsengumi. (It is a misconception that Hijikata had always been the second-in-command. In fact, Hijikata became the second-in-command after Yamanami's death.)