Hijikata Toshizō's Beloved Sword "Izumi no Kami Kanesada" and the Sword Culture of the Shinsengumi

Hijikata Toshizō and His Role as Shinsengumi Vice-Commander

Hijikata Toshizō (1835–1869) was born in Ishida Village, Tama District, Musashi Province (present-day Hino, Tokyo), and served as vice-commander of the Shinsengumi, which operated in Kyoto during the Bakumatsu period. He assisted commander Kondō Isami and bore practical responsibility for running the organization, strictly enforcing discipline within the unit. He studied the Tennen Rishinryū school of swordsmanship together with Kondō and others, and in later years led former shogunate forces through campaigns in the Boshin War, ultimately dying in battle at Hakodate (present-day Hakodate) — a death for which he is widely remembered.

Most Shinsengumi members shared a sword-carrying culture premised on actual combat. In Hijikata's case, the symbol of that culture is considered to be a single sword bearing the mei Izumi no Kami Kanesada.

What Is "Izumi no Kami Kanesada"? — The Kanesada Lineage and Aizu Kanesada

"Kanesada" is a tōkō name originating in Seki, Mino Province (present-day Seki, Gifu Prefecture), and is one of the representative hereditary names of the Seki kaji tradition, which has continued since the Muromachi period. The Seki Kanesada line passed through successive generations, and upon entering the Edo period some branches relocated to Aizu Domain (present-day Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture), where they continued working as domain-employed tōkō.

Seki in Mino Province was blessed with high-quality iron resources and water supply, and from the Muromachi period onward produced large quantities of practical swords known as kazuuchimono. The fact that the Seki kaji lineage, which inherited this technical foundation, was invited to various domains and relocated there even after the turbulence of war had subsided in the Edo period — continuing to meet regional demand for swords — is a compelling case when considering the history of sword-producing region formation in Japan. The Kanesada family that moved to Aizu was one such example, continuing to produce swords in response to the domain's needs for military equipment.

The sword that Hijikata is said to have carried is attributed to a tōkō of the branch of the Kanesada family that relocated to Aizu, and is also referred to as "Aizu Kanesada." A defining characteristic is the court title "Izumi no Kami" preceding the mei; it is a sword that conveys the style of the Aizu Kanesada family from the late Edo period through the Bakumatsu era.

The style of Aizu Kanesada is known for the following features.

• Form: Dimensions suited to practical uchigatana koshirae characteristic of the Bakumatsu period
• Jigane: A close-grained itame texture tracing the Mino-den lineage
• Hamon: Primarily gunome, retaining techniques derived from the Seki tradition
• Demand context: Sought as practical swords by Aizu domain warriors and unit members engaged in maintaining public order in Kyoto

From the Ikedaya Incident to Toba-Fushimi and the Hakodate War

In the Ikedaya Incident (1864), which brought the Shinsengumi to wide prominence, records surviving in multiple historical sources and later testimonies note that the members' swords were subjected to hard use in actual combat, resulting in nicks and damage. Hijikata himself continued campaigning from security operations in Kyoto through the Battle of Toba-Fushimi (1868), the fighting in Aizu, and on to the Hakodate War (1869).

In the final stages of the Hakodate War, Hijikata left behind a photograph of himself in Western dress wearing a Japanese sword at his side. This image, frequently cited as a sword-historical document, conveys to us today the actual reality of armament in the Bakumatsu era, when Japanese and Western elements intermingled. Hijikata is said to have ultimately died in combat near the Ippongi checkpoint in Hakodate after being struck by a bullet; he was 35 years old.

The Surviving Sword and the Hijikata Toshizō Museum

The Izumi no Kami Kanesada said to have been carried by Hijikata is currently preserved and exhibited at the Hijikata Toshizō Museum in Hino, Tokyo. Hino is Hijikata's birthplace, and the museum is known for its ongoing public display of historical documents and personal effects associated with the Shinsengumi. In addition to the sword itself, letters written by Hijikata, photographs, and documents relating to his former residence have been preserved together, making it a rare case in which one can trace the footsteps of a single Bakumatsu figure alongside his sword.

The Sword Culture of the Shinsengumi Members

It is known that individual Shinsengumi members each had a school they excelled in and a favored sword they carried. Commander Kondō Isami is said to have favored a sword attributed to Kotetsu, while Okita Sōji is said to have used a sword attributed to Kashū Kiyomitsu. All of these reflect the historical background of an era in which swords capable of withstanding actual combat were demanded in the tense environment of Bakumatsu Kyoto.

• Kondō Isami: Widely known for the anecdote that he favored a sword attributed to Kotetsu
• Okita Sōji: Said to have used a sword attributed to Kashū Kiyomitsu
• Hijikata Toshizō: Said to have carried the Izumi no Kami Kanesada (Aizu Kanesada)

The very fact that swords from different regions and lineages gathered around individual unit members tells us of the actual state of sword distribution flowing into Bakumatsu Kyoto from across the country. As a related article on a Kyoto incident of the same Bakumatsu era, see the Akebonotei Incident (1864). Kyoto at that time drew warriors and rōnin from many domains, each carrying swords they had obtained through their home region or personal connections. The fact that swords of diverse lineages — Seki-derived, Mino-derived, Osaka-derived, and others — gathered within a single organization like the Shinsengumi confirms that Bakumatsu Kyoto was a major hub of sword distribution.

Conclusion — A Bakumatsu History Conveyed by a Single Sword

Hijikata Toshizō's Izumi no Kami Kanesada transcends the frame of a mere favored sword; it is a document that conveys to us today the lineage of tōkō extending from the Seki kaji tradition to Aizu, and the upheaval of the Bakumatsu era borne by the organization known as the Shinsengumi. The fact that the surviving sword and historical documents continue to be preserved and displayed in the same place demonstrates anew that the Japanese sword is not only a weapon but also a medium that records history itself.

The Bakumatsu era was also a transitional period in which swords in Japanese dress and weapons of Western style intersected on the same battlefield. The record of Hijikata at Hakodate carrying a Japanese sword in Western dress is a symbolic scene of that moment. The attempt to interpret the martial culture of the time through swords associated with the Shinsengumi offers clues not only to the individual styles of each tōkō, but to understanding the Bakumatsu era itself.