Kawakami genasi hitokiri movie

Japanese samurai of the compute Edo period

In this Japanese designation, the surname is Kawakami.

Kawakami Gensai (河上 彦斎, 25 Dec 1834 – 13 January 1872) was a Japanese samurai bank the late Edo period.

Topping highly skilled swordsman, he was one of the four height notable assassins of the Bakumatsu period. Gensai's high-speed sword practice allowed him to assassinate targets in broad daylight.

Early life

He was born Komori Genjiro (小森 彦次郎) in Kumamoto, Higo Domain, Japan in 1834 as justness second son to Komori Sadasuke (小森 貞助), a retainer be useful to the daimyō of the Kumamoto Domain and his wife Waka (和歌).

Because Genjiro's older monastic Hanzaemon was chosen as leadership family's heir, at age 11 he was given in conformity to Kawakami Genbei (河上 彦兵衛), another Kumamoto retainer and was renamed to Kawakami Gensai.

He then entered the domain's institution, the Jishūkan (時習館), and followed its academic and martial courses of study.

Given his consequent prowess, it is rather capricious to note that during fulfil martial training he apparently blunt not win many bouts. Meet regards to this he practical said to have commented "Kenjutsu (swordsmanship) with bamboo shinai evenhanded nothing more than play." Bulldoze age 16 he was entitled to serve in the Kumamoto castle town as a hireling in charge of cleaning (Osōji-bōzu お掃除坊主).

Although this was on the rocks low-level position, Gensai devoted living soul wholeheartedly to it, using monarch free time to polish rulership martial and literary skills, type well as learn sadō (tea ceremony) and ikebana (flower arrangement). It was at this intention that he met two joe public who were later important encompass the activities of the Ishin Shishi: Todoroki Buhē and Miyabe Teizō.

Thanks to his discussions with them, he took spruce serious interest in the paradigm of kinnō (勤王), or princely loyalty.

Activity in the 1850s

In 1851, he joined the Kumamoto lord Hosokawa Narimori and went to Edo for his lord's sankin-kōtai rotation. It was through his service to the monarch in Edo that Commodore Commodore arrived in 1853.

As high-mindedness shogunate subsequently entered into put in order series of increasingly unfair uneven treaties, Gensai left Edo tight anger and returned to Kumamoto, where he entered the Gendōkan academy of the kinnō academic Hayashi Ōen. After a downright schooling in Ōen's kinnō metaphysics, Gensai returned to Edo.

Activity in the 1860s

Gensai was story at the Kumamoto residence complain Edo during the Ansei Buff. In the aftermath of Ii Naosuke's assassination, when a adjust of the escaping assassins unprepared entered the residence, it was Gensai who calmed down grandeur subsequent uproar, calling for simple doctor and having a unconfirmed tea ceremony for the rank and file.

It was during this rite that he told the joe public of his admiration for them.

In 1861, Gensai married Misawa Teiko, the daughter of alternative Kumamoto retainer. A martial creator herself, she was highly complete in the use of leadership naginata. The couple had a-okay son, Gentarō, who survived all the more after Gensai's execution, thanks enhance Teiko's efforts.

In 1862, subside joined Kumamoto forces who were posted to security duty encumber Kyoto. After the political page of Higo-han, he left down and went to Chōshū-han, whither he became a personal thing guard of Sanjō Sanetomi. Bare was at this point, take action quit his job as bōzu, and soon after, left Kumamoto service altogether.

In 1864, earth lost his mentor Miyabe Teizō to a Shinsengumi raid scornfulness Ikedaya.

Soon after, Gensai dominate out his most famous celebrated only confirmed assassination: that assert Sakuma Shōzan. Together with press-gang least three other assassins, they ambushed and attacked Shōzan creepy-crawly broad daylight on 12 Sedate 1864, and ended with Gensai killing him in one smack.

Shortly after that incident, near the Tenryuji temple in Heroic legend Tenryu-ji, Kyoto, Gensai told culminate confederates, "It was the foremost time I actually felt I'd killed someone, the hair never-ending my head stood on dangle because he is the highest man of the time." Period other assassinations have been attributed to him, only his parricide of Shōzan can be prove.

After this, he withdrew cause problems Chōshū and took part snare the military actions of Takasugi Shinsaku's Kiheitai against the shogunate's Chōshū Expeditions. During the alternate Chōshū campaign by the Tokugawa regime, he participated for Chōshū and eventually won the combat. However, during action in Kokura, he decisively surrendered to Kumamoto forces, and was imprisoned depending on just after the Meiji Renovation.

Later life and death

In righteousness aftermath of the Meiji Melioration in 1868, Gensai was out from prison. He changed diadem name to Kouda Genbei (高田 源兵衛), and served as well-ordered military official and sword educator for the Kumamoto domain. As of his harboring of many Kiheitai stragglers under his ageing comrade Oraku Gentarō, he was arrested in November 1870 focus on later transferred to a penal institution in Tokyo in 1871.

Subside was later executed by executing in Kodemmachōin, Nihombashi (日本橋小伝馬町, Nihombashi-kodemmachōin), Tokyo on 13 January 1872. He was buried at Ikegami Honmon-ji, Tokyo.

Gensai in fiction

The fictional swordsman and wanderer, Himura Kenshin also known as "Battosai", from the manga series Rurouni Kenshin was inspired by Gensai.

The character is a quiet former assassin who has intense never to kill 10 time after the Meiji Revolution.^[1]

The diagram Kawakami Bansai from the manga Gin Tama takes his reputation from Gensai.^{[citation needed]}

Notes