Katsura Kogorō

Katsura Kogorō (1833–1877) was a samurai of the Chōshū Domain who later changed his name to Kido Takayoshi. Together with Saigō Takamori and Ōkubo Toshimichi, he is counted among the "Three Heroes of the Meiji Restoration." He was a statesman and military leader of the late Edo and Meiji periods. He was also a swordsman who studied Shintō Munen-ryū, and he survived the turbulent era from Perry's arrival to the Meiji Restoration.

Kogorō was born in 1833 into the family of a physician of the Chōshū Domain. He went to Edo and trained in Shintō Munen-ryū at Saitō Yakurō's Renpeikan dojo. He earned a full license (menkyo kaiden) and developed enough skill to serve as head of the students. Earlier, in 1849, he had studied Yamaga-ryū military science under Yoshida Shōin at the domain school, Meirinkan. He later became a leader of the domain's Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians faction.

In the Kinmon Incident (Hamaguri Gate Incident) of 1864, the Chōshū forces were defeated in Kyōto, and the Chōshū Domain was branded as an enemy of the throne. Katsura escaped from Kyōto and lived a hardship-filled life as a fugitive, hiding in places such as Izushi in Tajima Province, and he was called "Nige no Kogorō" ("Kogorō the Escaper"). But during this period of endurance, he envisioned the rebuilding of the Chōshū Domain, and he worked to bring about the Satchō Alliance (1866), which was arranged through the mediation of Sakamoto Ryōma. The Satchō Alliance became a decisive turning point in the anti-shogunate movement.

In terms of his connection to swords, the swordsmanship he honed to the level of head of the students at Renpeikan became the foundation that carried him through many dangers as a patriot of the late Edo period. After the Meiji Restoration, as Kido Takayoshi, he became a leading senior figure in the new government. He helped lay the foundations of modern Japan, including by taking part in the drafting of the Charter Oath.