Yamazaki Susumu

Yamazaki Susumu ( Japanese 山崎 烝 ; * 1833 ; † February 6, 1868 ) was a spy ( kansatsu ) of the Shinsengumi , a police unit stationed in Kyoto during the Bakumatsu period .

biography

Yamazaki was a Rōnin (abandoned samurai) from Osaka and an expert in the Katori Ryu martial art. He joined Shinsengumi in 1863.

In 1864, Yamazaki and Shimada Kai were commissioned by Commander Kondō Isami to investigate the situation in Kyoto. They were able to locate the Ishin Shishi's hiding place, which the Shinsengumi attacked on July 8 and which went down in history as Ikedaya Jiken . Whether Yamazaki was there himself is controversial, possibly this assumption is based only on the fiction of Shimozawa Kan and Shiba Ryōtarō .

Yamazaki is said to have excelled in both military and literary arts. It was important to be learned, or at least to be able to pretend, in order to be able to discuss topics such as politics with nobles.

In 1865 Yamazaki traveled to Hiroshima with Kondo . It is believed that Yamazaki did not return to Kyoto with Kondo, but only a year later. During that time he is said to have investigated the situation in Choshu and its position.

Yamazaki began to study medicine under Matsumoto Ryōnin . Matsumoto thought Yamazaki was a gentle and taciturn man.

Yamazaki was badly wounded during the Battle of Toba-Fushimi in 1868. He succumbed to these injuries on February 6 in Osaka or died on board the Fujisan Maru when the Shinsengumi was fleeing towards Edo . The exact location is disputed.

Throughout his life he had the fullest confidence in commanding Kondōs and vice-commander Hijikata Toshizō , and is said to have been one of the most trustworthy members of the Shinsengumi until the end.

In the literature

Yamazaki appears in the manga Peace Maker Kurogane by Nanae Chrono , in Kaze Hikaru by Taeko Watanabe, and in Getsumei Seiki by Morita Kenji . He is also mentioned in the video game Bakumatsu Renka Shinsengumi . The character Han'ya from the manga and anime Kenshin by Nobuhiro Watsuki is also based on Yamazaki .