Shogitai

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Shôgitai
Grave of the Shôgitai, in Ueno Park.
  • 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

Links

References

  • Boshin Senso (戊辰戦争) Sasaki Suguru
  • Plaques on-site at Ueno Park.