Yamanami Keisuke

Yamanami Keisuke , also called Sannan ( Japanese 山南 敬 助 , * 1833 ; † March 20, 1865 ) due to an alternative reading of the characters was a Japanese samurai of the Bakumatsu period and vice-commander of the Shinsengumi police unit , which was stationed in Kyoto .

biography

His origin is unclear, but it is believed that he was the son of a Kenjutsu teacher from the Daimyat Sendai .

Yamanami was trained by Chiba Shūsaku Narimasa , the founder of the Hokushin Itto-ryu School. He must have achieved the master's title ( menkyo kaiden ) before 1860. His sword was named Sekishin Okikō . He is said to have been a short, pale man.

When he was defeated by Kondō Isami in a duel in 1860 , he enrolled in the Shieikan Dōjō , which was taught in the style of the Tennen Rishin Ryu school and was led by Kondō's adoptive father and since 1861 by Kondō.

Yamanami was not only literary, but also very skilled in the art of swords. He is also said to have been a very mild and friendly person. Therefore, he was also admired and called "big brother" by the head coach of the dojo, Okita Sōji (then still called Okita Sōjirō).

In 1863 Yamanami joined the Rōshigumi , a samurai group, together with Kondō and Okita, as well as other students of the dojo, Hijikata Toshizō , Nagakura Shinpachi and Harada Sanosuke .

Shinsengumi

This samurai group was later renamed Shinsengumi . There Yamanami became vice-commander, together with Hijikata Toshizō and Niimi Nishiki , who was originally commander, but was later demoted.

Although not fully understood, Yamanami is said to have been one of the members who were involved in Serizawa Kamo's murder in 1863. After the Shinsengumi was also purged of Serizawa's supporters, Yamanami was now one of two remaining vice commanders.

However, he did not take part in the storming of Ikedaya in 1864, instead he guarded the headquarters.

death

Some time after the Ikedaya incident, he deserted for reasons unknown and fled to Ōtsu . Kondo sent Okita to get him back. Since he was caught, he committed seppuku on March 20, 1865 (February 23 according to the lunar calendar) by order , with Okita as his second.

There are several theories about his attempt to escape, including that he committed suicide without leaving the Shinsengumi. In Romulus Hillsborough's book Shinsengumi: the Shogun's last Samurai Corps it says the following:

“The problems with Yamanami seem to have sprung from a dispute over philosophy, although Shimosawa also cites a bitter rivalry with the other vice-commander, Hijikata Toshizo. Yamanami was apparently angry at the recently excessive self-importance of the Kondo and Hijikata. He said that they had forgotten the real purpose for which the members of the Shieikan volunteered for the "loyal and patriotic" corps. The relentless will to power made his former friends seem less important to their earlier patriotic ideals. According to most sources, Yamanami's anger worsened sometime in early 1865 when Kondo and Hijitaka decided to relocate headquarters to Nishi Hongan-ji in the southwest of the city because they were unsatisfied with the cramped space at Mibu headquarters. The priests of the temple were very confused about this. Their attempts to refuse the Shinsengumi were ignored by Kondo and Hijitaka. Yamanami spoke out against it, as he saw this as a coercion of Buddhist dignitaries. "There are certainly many other suitable places," he warned Kondo and suggested that he reconsider the decision. But his commander didn't consider it, and Yamanami decided to pay the price. He composed a suicide note explaining why he could no longer in good conscience risk his life under Kondo's command. Then he deserted. "

Although the cause of his desertion is still not clear, that is the commonly accepted theory. It must be added, however, that Hillsborough's source regarding the rivalry of Yamanami and Kondo is primarily Shimosawa Kan's book Shinsengumi Shimatsuki , which is considered a historical novel and is by no means a factual text.

Yamanami was buried at the Koen Temple in Kyōtō.

Others

The character of the prostitute Akesato in the manga Peace Maker Kurogane really existed. Yamanami had a mistress of that name in Kyoto.

In the literature

The character of Yamanami is taken up in the manga Peace Maker Kurogane , Hakuōki Shinsengumi Kitan , Kaze Hikaru , Shinsengumi Imon Peacemaker , Getsumei Seiki and the video game Bakumatsu Renka Shinsengumi . He is played by Sakai Masato in the Japanese TV series, which revolves around the Shinsengumi and aired on NHK in 2004 . He is also mentioned in the historical novel Shinsengumi Keppuroku .

literature

• Shinsengumi Chronicle . Shin Jinbutsu Oraisha, 2003
• Shinsengumi Encyclopedia . Shin Jinbutsu Oraisha, 1978.

Individual evidence