, (born Kusaka Hidezaburō; May 1840 – 20 August 1864) was a

samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...

of the Japanese domain of Chōshū who was active during the

Bakumatsu were the final years of the Edo period when the Tokugawa shogunate Meiji Restoration, ended. Between 1853 and 1867, under foreign diplomatic and military pressure, Japan ended its isolationist foreign policy known as and changed from a Feudali ...

period and a key proponent of the ''

sonnō jōi was a '' yojijukugo'' (four-character compound) phrase used as the rallying cry and slogan of a political movement in Japan in the 1850s and 1860s, during the Bakumatsu period. Based on Neo-Confucianism and Japanese nativism, the movement sou ...

'' movement.

Early life

He was born Kusaka Hidezaburō in 1840 in Hagi, a town in

Nagato Province , often called , was a province of Japan. It was at the extreme western end of Honshū, in the area that is today Yamaguchi Prefecture. Nagato bordered on Iwami and Suō Provinces. History Although the ancient capital of the province was Shimono ...

Chōshū Domain The , also known as the , was a domain (''han'') of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1600 to 1871.Deal, William E. (2005) ''Handbook to Life in Medieval and Early Modern Japan,'' p. 81 The Chōshū Domain was based ...

. He was the third son of the physician Kusaka Ryōteki and Tomiko; their eldest son was named Genki, and their second died while still young. The family belonged to a 7th-rank samurai family, but received a stipend of only 25

koku The is a Chinese-based Japanese unit of volume. One koku is equivalent to 10 or approximately , or about of rice. It converts, in turn, to 100 shō and 1,000 gō. One ''gō'' is the traditional volume of a single serving of rice (before co ...

of rice. From a young age Kusaka learned the

Four Books The Four Books and Five Classics are authoritative and important books associated with Confucianism, written before 300 BC. They are traditionally believed to have been either written, edited or commented by Confucius or one of his disciples. S ...

by rote at a private ''

juku ''Gakushū juku'' (; see cram school) are private, fee-paying schools that offer supplementary classes often in preparation for key school and university entrance exams. The term is primarily used to characterize such schools in Japan. Juku t ...

'' that

Takasugi Shinsaku was a samurai from the Chōshū Domain of Japan who contributed significantly to the Meiji Restoration. He used several aliases to hide his activities from the Tokugawa shogunate. Early life Takasugi Shinsaku was born in the castle town Ha ...

also attended. He then attended the domain's Kōseikan medical school. At fourteen his mother died, and the following year so did his brother Genki and then mere days later his father as well. As the sole surviving member of his family Genzui became the head of the family and the family's medical practice; he thus shaved his head and took the name Genzui. At 17 his academic achievements won Genzui a dormitory placement at the Kōseikan at the domain's expense.

Physical characteristics

Kusaka stood tall and had a well-built frame. He was slightly wall-eyed in one eye. He was noted for the quality of his loud voice.

Tutelage under Yoshida Shōin

In 1856 Nakamura Michitarō recommended Kusaka to study in Kyushu. He travelled around Kyushu visiting sights and well-known literary figures, and wrote poetry that later appeared in a collected volume. While visiting

Kumamoto is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 738,907 and a population density of 1,893 people per km2. The total area is 390.32 km2. had a populat ...

, the samurai strongly encouraged Kusaka to study under Yoshida Shōin, as had a friend of his brother's for some time. Upon returning to Hagi he wrote Shōin, and with the help of a friend of Shōin's, Tsuchiya Shōkai, applied to study with the master. In his letter to Shōin, Kusaka commented: "As at the time of the

Battle of Kōan The , also known as the Second Battle of Hakata Bay, was the second attempt by the Mongols, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty of China to Mongol invasions of Japan, invade Japan after their failed attempt seven years earlier at the Battle of Bun'ei. In t ...

the foreign envoys should be cut down, in which case the Americans will surely attack. When they do it will probably provide the chance to arouse the loose discipline of the samurai into a vigorous national defence." Shōin returned the letter with a note of condemnation in the margin reading: "Your argument is frivolous and its judgement shallow; it does not come from sincerity. I hate that sort of writing and that sort of person. It is already too late to cut down the American envoys. To employ dead old ways to solve problems in a completely changed modern world demonstrates shallow judgement. You would be better off building your sincerity than wasting time with such tedious speciousness. Remarks not put into practice serve no purpose."

Death

In 20 August 1864 during the

Kinmon incident The , also known as the , was a rebellion against the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan that took place on 20 August unar calendar: 19th day, 7th month 1864, near the Imperial Palace in Kyoto. History Starting with the Convention of Kanagawa in ...

outside the

Kyoto Imperial Palace The is the former palace of the Emperor of Japan, located in Kamigyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan. Since the Meiji Restoration in 1869, the Emperors have resided at the Tokyo Imperial Palace, while the preservation of the Kyoto Imperial Palace was ordered ...

, he was wounded by a rifle fire, and committed suicide to avoid capture by ritual seppuku.

Notes

References

Works cited

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