Harada Sanosuke

Harada Sanosuke (原田 左之助, 1840 – July 6, 1868) was a Japanese warrior who lived in the late Edo period. He was the 10th unit captain of the Shinsengumi, and died during the Boshin War.
As shown in the Hakuōki franchise, Harada was a loyal trustworthy comrade respected by the members of the Shinsengumi, and a friend of Nagakura Shinpachi.
==Background==
Harada Sanosuke was born into a family of chūgen, who were considered low-ranking quasi-samurai. They served the retainers of the Iyo-Matsuyama Domain, which is now known as the city of Matsuyama.Ōishi, p. 29; Nakami, p. 51. His father's name was Choji, and his mother's name is unknown.
As he grew up, Sanosuke became a middleman, and during the Ansei era, he went to Edo and served as a messenger in the home of Naitō Fusanosuke, a samurai of Matsuyama Domain. Being a messenger required some level of literacy, and Sanosuke, later known for his wisdom, seemed to have had a decent education.
Of course, being a messenger did not mean he had official duties all day long. He often spent his free time playing with children, making them happy. One of those children who enjoyed playing with him was later known as Haiku poet Naitō Sokō, also known as Naitō Meisetsu. Naitō Sokō recalled these memories of Sanosuke during a meeting of the Historical Society on June 15, 1907.
Around the age of ten, Naitō Sokō witnessed an incident involving Sanosuke. There was a commotion in one of the larger middle-class tenement houses at the residence, known as "Ikari" and "Dainoji" respectively. When Naitō Sokō went to see what was happening, he found someone bound and naked, sitting on the ground with a wooden gag in their mouth, while water was poured all over them. However, the middleman who noticed Naitō Sokō peering at the scene chased him away. Even though Naitō Sokō could not clearly identify the person, he was quite certain that it was Sanosuke. He asked the other children, and they confirmed that it was indeed Sanosuke. He then returned home and reported what he had seen, but as there were only women in the house, they could not do anything about it.
That night, someone in a higher position than the middleman who visited the Naitō family, happened to come to visit. When informed about what happened to Sanosuke, this person promised to investigate. A few days later, they visited again and explained that there were rules for the middle-class quarters, and what happened to Sanosuke was a punishment for breaking those rules.
Apparently, Sanosuke had returned home while drunk, causing some disturbance. Even though the superiors restrained him, he responded defiantly, leading to the punishment he received.
Shortly after being replaced, Sanosuke returned to Matsuyama and began serving as a young retainer to Nakajima Shunta, an assistant instructor at Meikyo-kan, the domain's school. Nakajima Shunta's wife was Shinsuke's mother's older sister. Due to certain circumstances, the Naitō family, including Sanosuke, was ordered to return to Matsuyama.『史談会速記録』。
During this time, Naitō Sokō again had the chance to see Sanosuke at his aunt's house, Nakano-ya. It had been about two to three years since they played together in Edo. Sanosuke seemed to pretend not to recognize him, and this attitude appeared arrogant to Naitō Sokō. Afterward, Naitō Sokō witnessed more incidents involving Sanosuke in the castle town of Matsuyama.
For example, Naitō Sokō saw Sanosuke walking around outside with only a calf diaper, cheek guard, and a Western-style drum used for the gun squad, banging it loudly while carrying it over his shoulder with a leather belt across his left armpit. This was quite an unusual and indulgent behavior for someone who was serving as a young retainer with two swords. Naitō Sokō described this incident during a meeting of the Historical Society as "a wild and eccentric act."
Sanosuke specialized in the spear technique of the Hōzōin-ryū style and preferred to use it in battles instead of a sword. While in Matsuyama, he faced ridicule from a retainer who belittled him for his lack of knowledge in performing seppuku, the ritual suicide. Determined to prove his worth, Sanosuke promptly drew his sword and attempted to commit seppuku, but the wound he inflicted was not severe, and he managed to survive.Nakami, p. 51. Sanosuke later proudly shared his scar with his comrades in the Shinsengumi, and it is said that this near-disembowelment incident inspired him to adopt a family crest depicting a horizontal line within a circle, known as "maru ni ichimonji" (丸に一文字).Nakami, p. 51; Ōishi, p. 30. However, these stories are considered fake due to being found in Shinsengumi Monogatari, a work by Kan Shimozawa, and also due to the assumption that Sanosuke's wife Masa gave incorrect data that she might have misremembered or been told wrong.
Eventually, Sanosuke left his service in the Matsuyama domain and traveled to Edo, where he trained at Kondō Isami's Shieikan dōjō (training school).
==Shinsengumi==
In 1863, Harada, along with Kondō and other members of the Shieikan, joined Kiyokawa Hachirō's Rōshigumi and traveled to Kyoto. However, the Rōshigumi was disbanded shortly after their arrival, and most of the members returned to Edo. Harada, Kondō, Serizawa Kamo, and a few others decided to stay in Kyoto and formed the core of a new group called Mibu Rōshigumi, which later evolved into the Shinsengumi.
Subsequently, Harada rose to the position of Captain of the Shinsengumi's 10th Unit. He received brief training at a dojo led by Tani Sanjūrō, whom he introduced to the Shinsengumi. Tani later became the 7th Unit Captain. While in Kyoto, Harada married a local woman named Sugawara Masa and had a temporary residence near the Shinsengumi headquarters at Nishi-Honganji. The couple had a son named Shigeru, taking inspiration from the name of the shōgun Iemochi.
Harada earned the trust of vice-commander Hijikata and was actively involved in numerous critical missions undertaken by the group. He likely played a role in the assassination of Serizawa Kamo, the original commander of the Shinsengumi. Harada participated in significant events such as the Uchiyama Hikojirō's assassination, the Ikedaya incident, and the Sanjo Seisatsu incident.
In June 1867, Harada, along with the rest of the Shinsengumi, became a hatamoto (a high ranking samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa Bakufu).Ōishi, p. 160. However, he faced accusations from former Shinsengumi member Itō Kashitarō as one of the assassins involved in the murder of Sakamoto Ryōma and Nakaoka Shintarō on December 10, 1867.Nakami, p. 186. The truth surrounding this incident remains unclear, but according to the confession of Tokugawa retainer Imai Nobuo in 1870, the assassins belonged to the Mimawarigumi, another Tokugawa-affiliated unit led by hatamoto Sasaki Tadasaburō.Kusunoki, p. 92.
On December 13, 1867, Harada, Nagakura Shinpachi, and several other Shinsengumi members were part of the ambush against Itō Kashitarō's Goryō Eji Kōdai-ji (Guardians of the Imperial Tomb) faction during the Aburanokōji incident.
In January 1868, Harada fought alongside the Shinsengumi in the Battle of Toba–Fushimi against the Imperial forces. Subsequently, he and his family left the Kyoto region and returned to Edo. The Shinsengumi was renamed Kōyō Chinbutai (Pacification Corps) in March and advanced into Kai Province. They fought in the Battle of Kōshū-Katsunuma but suffered defeat and were compelled to retreat to Edo. Following this defeat, Harada and Nagakura Shinpachi disagreed with Kondō and Hijikata, leading to their departure from the Kōyō Chinbutai.Nakami, p. 52.
According to Nagakura's account, Kondō wanted the surviving men to become his retainers, but Nagakura, Harada, and a few others vehemently refused.Ōishi, p. 200 Consequently, Nagakura, Harada, and some other Shinsengumi members joined forces with a group of former Tokugawa retainers to establish a new unit known as the Seiheitai.Kikuchi, p. 228. The Seiheitai left Edo shortly after the surrender of Edo Castle and headed north, aiming to participate in the ongoing conflicts that were moving toward Aizu.
==Death==
Following Seiheitai's departure from Edo, Harada desired to reunite with his wife and child and returned to the city. However, circumstances prevented him from leaving, leading him to join the Shōgitai, a faction aligned with the Tokugawa regime. Harada participated in the Battle of Ueno, where he sustained severe gunshot wounds.Kikuchi, p. 229. Sadly, two days later, on July 6, 1868, he succumbed to his injuries while staying at the residence of Jinbo Yamashiro-no-kami, a hatamoto.Kikuchi, p. 230.
==Notes==
==References==
* --- (1978). Shinsengumi Encyclopedia. Tokyo: Shin Jinbutsu Oraisha.
* Kikuchi, Akira (2000). Shinsengumi 101 no nazo. Tokyo: Shin Jinbutsu Oraisha.
* Kusunoki, Sei'ichirō (1992). Nihonshi omoshiro suiri: nazo no satsujin jiken wo oe. Tokyo: Futami Bunko.
* Nakami, Toshio (2003). Shinsengumi no koto ga omoshiroi hodo wakaru hon. Tokyo: Chūkeishuppan.
* Ōishi, Manabu. (2004). Shinsengumi: saigo no bushi no jitsuzō. Tokyo: Chūōkōron-shinsha.
* Yamamura, Tatsuya (1998). Shinsengumi Kenkyaku-Den. Tokyo: PHP Interface. ISBN 4-569-60176-6
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Category:Historical counterparts