up front

Friday, 5 October 2012

kiheitai

"As a matter of fact、if we open a battle to drive out the barbarians (夷狄/i-teki/in this case、a Westerner visiting Japan)、our current troop strength will not be enough."

That might be the first idea in the first place.

"Our clan should recruit people outside the samurai class as soldiers as well."

Takasugi Shinsaku、from the upper class of the Choshu clan、proposed so and was approved by the Choshu clan government.

At the time、this was a remarkable event.

Because "armed force" was a symbol of the samurai class.

※I have a feeling that it was simply because there weren't enough soldiers、but this is an event before the battle in Kyoto.

And now、when I look it up in the electronic dictionary、it seems that they、the newly created units、did not participate in the Battle of Kyoto、but they did participate in the battle against foreign ships

In terms of "year"、these units were created the year before the Battle of Kyoto (the same year as the first artillery bombardment against foreign ships).

Of course、I think that there was still a sense of feudalism there、and I don't know if this expression is appropriate、but the mainstream faction in Choshu at that time may have been trying to create a reserve force as a rearguard.

This was because "at least a part of the mainstream faction of the Choshu clan" had already planned to recapture Kyoto by force (of course、the execution of this plan would be a declaration of war against the Tokugawa Shogunate).

And they were already effectively at war with the West.

Nonetheless、at the time、none of them might have considered the possibility that Choshu itself could turn into a battlefield just by skirmishing with foreign ships passing through Shimonoseki.

"as history" (lol). *

※About 15 years later、the Satsuma army、the strongest samurai corps、was defeated by the government army、which consisted mainly of conscripted commoners (overwhelming number of soldiers). 2023072716:08(japan time).

Even in the organization that became the parent body of the Shinsengumi、the recruiting target was a swordsman.

Most of the members were ronin.

And after the agitator's sudden rebellion failed、many of the organization's members returned from Kyoto to Edo.

The Shinsengumi was formed by those who remained.

(There were also several swordsmen who were farmers.)

※I wrote about this in the past.

However、in the case of this Choshu clan、the target of recruitment was not only swordsmen but all Choshu people other than samurai.

This unit was established as a modern (western-style) military organization.

This first unit was called the Kiheitai.

The modernization of the samurai corps was difficult because it was bound by a class order.

But Kiheitai made it possible because they were not bound by it.

However、they were initially thought to be mere auxiliaries to the samurai corps.

They were not yet at the forefront of their time.

※Google translation of "Kiheitai" is Odd soldier.

I think that the word feeling of "Ki-hei/strange soldier" in the first place that is "guerilla"、"partisan".

But it seems this "Odd soldier" was really "Odd soldier" at that time. ※

・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・

By the way、at the same time when the Choshu clan was actively bombarding Western ships、( it really odd things、but) a student from the Choshu clan was in England. 

(At that time、Japanese people were prohibited freely going abroad by national law、so as stowaways led by the Choshu clan.)

And Kiheitai was established as a modern Western military organization.

The Choshu clan、representatives of the "Burning Out of Barbarians"、was actually like that.

In other words、the possibility of Japan was already not one.

※"Fighting is、first of all、to calmly ascertain the power of the enemy and our side.

Of course、there are such words in Chinese classics.※

Well、these international students learned about the bombardment of ships by the Choshu clan from a London newspaper.

"We should return to Japan immediately.

The Choshu clan's bombardment of their ships must be stopped now."

There was a proposal like this from one international student to another international student.

"It is nonsense for us to go back to Japan now.

More than that、we have to fulfill our obligations as international students selected by our country (Choshu)."

But such objections prevailed.

In the end、only two of the students returned to Japan to stop the bombardment by the Choshu clan.

Decades later、the two became Japan's first Prime Minister and Minister of Finance.

An international student who remained in England at this time.

It's difficult at the moment (lol)、but I ought to keep track of their achievements. 

モーニング娘。加入前のあさ美は、家の手伝いのレジ打ち終りの確認で何時も小銭が合わないヘコむ、な、感じの女の子(メール)。

で、当然、ナンバーズ含めゴミは処刑。