Shogitai
- Established: 1868/2
- Destroyed: 1868/5/15
- Japanese: 彰義隊 (Shougitai)
The Shôgitai was a pro-shogunate military unit formed in 1868 to combat anti-shogunate forces.
The group was originally formed in 1868/2, by Hitotsubashi Tokugawa clan retainer Shibusawa Seiichirô, Hatamoto Amano Hachirô and 67 pro-Bakufu comrades who gathered at that time in Zôshigaya. They were first stationed at a temple in Asakusa, then moved to Kan'ei-ji in Ueno to serve as the guards of Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu.
The Shôgitai was destroyed by imperial troops in the 5/15 Battle of Ueno. Some members then joined other pro-Bakufu troops in the North, while other members demobilized and returned to Edo.
A tomb for the Shôgitai can be found today in Ueno Park. The smaller of the two main tombstones was erected in 1869 by a priest of Kan'ei-ji, while the larger was erected in 1874 by Ogawa Okisato, a surviving member of the group. The site was cared for by the Ogawa family for around 120 years, before it was named an important cultural asset of Tokyo's Taitô-ku (Taitô Ward) in 1990. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government took over responsibility for the site in 2003.
Shôgitai in Fiction
Movies
- Tsukigami (憑神) 2007 Furuhata Yasuo
Books
- Shôgitai (彰義隊)Yoshimura Akira
- Aizushikon 6 (会津士魂6) Saotome Mitsugu
- Uetaru Shôgitai (飢えたる彰義隊) Yoshikawa Eiji
- Shôgitai Shimatsu (彰義隊始末) Shimozawa Kan
- Ame no oto (雨の音) Shimozawa Kan
Links
References
- Boshin Senso (戊辰戦争) Sasaki Suguru
- Plaques on-site at Ueno Park.
