Rikuentai - Rikuentai

At the end of the Edo period, Nakaoka Shintaro organized a reserve army for the Tosa clan to overthrow the shogunate. In 1867 (Keio 3), the Tosa clan pardoned Sakamoto Ryoma and Nakaoka Shintaro for deserting the clan while they were working to overthrow the shogunate, and in April, Fukuoka Toji (Takachika) and Goto Shojiro informed them in Nagasaki that they would be appointed as commanders of the clan's reserve army, the Kaientai and Rikuentai. Ryoma's Kaientai actually had an entity called the Kameyama Shachu, but the Rikuentai was formed later in July by Shintaro, who organized rōshi, mainly from Tosa, with the Tosa clan residence in Shirakawa, Kyoto as its base. They also added Totsukawa Goshi, and received Western-style rifle training from the Satsuma clan in preparation for the war to overthrow the shogunate. Shintaro died violently on November 17th after the Meiji Restoration, but the unit was succeeded by Tanaka Kensuke (Mitsuaki) and other senior officers, and on December 8th, they supported the chamberlain Washio Takatsumu, who had submitted an imperial decree to overthrow the shogunate, and based themselves in Mt. Koya. They gathered a total of over 1,000 soldiers, pacified the various areas of Kii and Yamato, and checked the pro-shogunate forces. In January of the following year, 68 (Keio 4), after the Battle of Toba-Fushimi, they descended the mountains, returned to Kyoto, and disbanded, but the Rikuen-tai soldiers were incorporated into the Imperial Army and participated in the war to overthrow the shogunate.

[Eri Sekita]

"The Story of the Rikuentai by Michio Hirao (Chuko Bunko)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

幕末、中岡慎太郎(しんたろう)が組織した討幕のための土佐藩の遊軍。1867年（慶応3）土佐藩は倒幕のため活動中の坂本龍馬(りょうま)と中岡慎太郎の脱藩の罪を赦(ゆる)し、4月、長崎で福岡藤次(とうじ)（孝弟(たかちか)）、後藤象二郎(しょうじろう)から両人に藩の遊軍としての海援隊・陸援隊の隊長任命を伝えた。龍馬の海援隊には亀山(かめやま)社中という実体があったが、陸援隊は遅れて7月、慎太郎が京都白川の土佐藩屋敷を本拠に、土佐を中心とする浪士を組織して発足。十津川郷士(とつかわごうし)も加え、薩摩(さつま)藩から洋式銃隊訓練を受けるなど、討幕戦に備えた。慎太郎は大政奉還後の11月17日横死したが、隊は田中顕助(けんすけ)（光顕(みつあき)）ら幹部が引き継ぎ、12月8日討幕の内勅を奉じた侍従鷲尾隆聚(わしのおたかつむ)を擁して高野山(こうやさん)に拠(よ)り、延べ1000余の兵を集めて、紀伊・大和(やまと)の諸方を鎮撫(ちんぶ)し、佐幕勢力を牽制(けんせい)。翌68年（慶応4）1月、鳥羽(とば)・伏見(ふしみ)の戦いののち、下山して帰洛(きらく)、解隊したが、陸援隊士は親兵に編入され、討幕戦争に加わった。

［関田英里］

『平尾道雄著『陸援隊始末記』（中公文庫）』

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