Otojiro Kusunoki - Otojiro Kusunoki

Japanese: 楠音次郎 - くすのき・おとじろう

Year of death: 17th January 1864 (24th February 1864)
Year of birth: 1826
A sonno joi (revere the Emperor and expel the barbarians) patriot in the late Edo period. Leader of the Shinchu-gumi (Shinchu-gumi). His given name was Masamitsu, also known as Kurobe Taminosuke and Hiyama Tamibu. Otojiro was his nickname. Son of Kusunoki Masayuki, who escaped from the Kumamoto Domain. Born in Takimura, Nukata County, Mikawa Province (Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture), under the control of the Owari Domain. He served the Owari Domain, then escaped and wandered from place to place. In 1853 (Kaei 6), he was adopted into the prestigious Hiyama family of Mukouda Village, Nasunohara, Shimotsuke Province (Nasu County, Tochigi Prefecture), and served the Karasuyama Domain. He was chased out of the domain for preaching sonno joi (revere the Emperor and expel the barbarians), and hid in Edo under the alias Nakagawa Ryosuke, after which he moved to Kazusa Province and opened a temple school. He became the leader of the Shinchu-gumi and raised an army in November 1863 (Bunkyu 3) in Ozeki Village, Yamabe County. He also established bases in Mobara and Yokaichiba and worked under the banner of expulsion of foreigners and relief for the poor, but was attacked by Fukushima clan soldiers and killed on January 17, 1864 (Genji 1).

(Takagi Shunsuke)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

没年：元治1.1.17(1864.2.24)
生年：文政9(1826)
幕末の尊攘派志士。真忠組首領。名は正光,別名黒部民之輔,樋山民部。音次郎は通称。熊本藩を脱藩した楠主馬正之の子。尾張藩領三河国額田郡滝村(愛知県岡崎市)に生まれる。尾張藩に仕え,のち脱藩して各地を流浪。嘉永6(1853)年,下野国那須野ケ原向田村(栃木県那須郡)の名望家樋山家に養子入りし,烏山藩に仕えた。尊王攘夷を唱えて同藩を追われ,中川良助と変名して江戸に隠れたのち,上総国に移って寺子屋を開く。真忠組隊長となり文久3(1863)年11月,山辺郡小関村で挙兵。茂原,八日市場などにも拠点を置いて攘夷と貧民救済を旗印に活動するが,翌元治1(1864)年1月17日,福島藩兵らに襲われて討死した。<参考文献>『東金市史』

(高木俊輔)

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