* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Inoue Genzaburo
井上源三郎
6th Unit Captain of the Shinsengumi — Veteran from the Shieikan days who anchored the organization, killed in action at the Battle of Toba-Fushimi
Description
Veteran Swordsman of the Shieikan
Inoue Genzaburo, born in Bunsei 12 (1829), was one of the long-serving disciples of the Shieikan, the Tennen Rishin-ryu dojo led by Kondo Isami and Hijikata Toshizo. Around Kōka 4 (1847), he entered the school of Kondo Shusai (third headmaster), the adoptive father of Kondo Isami, and honed his swordsmanship through the Kaei and Ansei eras. Among the Shieikan group, he was one of the senior members and was esteemed as an experienced and capable man.
Sixth Unit Commander of the Shinsengumi
He took part in the Rōshigumi's journey to Kyoto in Bunkyū 3 (1863), and after the Shinsengumi was formed, he was appointed commander of the Sixth Unit. Genzaburo left few flashy anecdotes, but he served as a practical executive who was indispensable to the organization's stability. Unlike the distinctive leadership of Kondo Isami or Hijikata Toshizo, he is said to have earned his comrades' trust through his sincere character, quietly carrying out his duties.
Tennen Rishin-ryu and His Favorite Sword
As a swordsman of Tennen Rishin-ryu, Genzaburo carried out numerous duties, relying on the practical combat techniques he had forged at the Shieikan. Concrete documentary evidence about his favorite sword is scarce, but as a Tennen Rishin-ryu swordsman, he is thought to have preferred blades suited to actual combat, as Kondo Isami did with his "Nagasone Kotetsu" and Hijikata Toshizo with his "Izumi-no-Kami Kanesada."
Death in the Battle of Toba-Fushimi
In the Battle of Toba-Fushimi in the first month of Keiō 4 (1868), Genzaburo fought on the front lines and was killed in action. He was forty years old. As a veteran dating back to the Shieikan, Genzaburo had consistently supported the organization from the founding of the Shinsengumi through the opening of the Boshin War, and his death was a blow to the Bakufu side. Though he has no dramatic anecdotes, he remains an important figure in Shinsengumi history as a steadfast warrior who supported the foundations of the organization.
Notable Swords
- Katana (details undocumented; as a Tennen Rishin-ryu practitioner he would have carried a practical fighting sword; no specific attribution is reliably recorded)