Kijima Matabei — The Charge Takasugi Shinsaku Could Not Stop
Takasugi Shinsaku is said to have prostrated himself to stop one attack. The man he failed to stop was Kijima Matabei.
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Who Was Kijima Matabei?
Kijima was a Choshu samurai and commander of the Yugekitai, a domain assault unit.
His place in history comes down to a single episode: the Kinmon Incident of 1864, when he led the vanguard of Choshu's march on Kyoto and was killed.
He is highly regarded as a fighting man, and blamed for a decision that pushed his domain to the edge of destruction. "Fierce commander" happens to name both his strength and his defect.
He was born in 1817 and died in 1864.
Why Kijima Matabei Relearned the Sword Past Forty
Kijima was an accomplished spearman.
One story told about him is that he went back to studying swordsmanship in middle age — judging that the times had changed and the spear alone was no longer enough.
Going back to basics past forty explains the whole man. Once he had decided, he did not withdraw, and he would not plead age or dignity as a reason.
The same temperament killed him.
Kijima Matabei and the Coup of 1863
In September 1863 a coup in Kyoto changed everything.
Aizu and Satsuma combined and expelled Choshu from the capital. The expulsionist court nobles Choshu had been backing lost their positions and left.
Choshu lost its footing at court entirely. From this point it drifted toward being branded an enemy of the throne.
Opinion inside the domain split: march on Kyoto and state the domain's case, or wait, because moving now means being labelled a rebel.
Kijima led the first party.
Kijima Matabei Against Takasugi Shinsaku
The strongest opponent of Kijima's plan was Takasugi Shinsaku.
Takasugi's reading was cold. Choshu could not take on Aizu and Satsuma. Fighting at Kyoto meant losing, and losing meant the label stuck. The shogunate would then use it as grounds for a punitive expedition.
Takasugi went to Kijima to stop him. The argument became emotional, and he is said to have gone down on the floor to beg.
Kijima would not yield. He is reported to have called Takasugi a coward.
Every part of Takasugi's prediction came true.
How Kijima Matabei Died at the Kinmon Incident
On 20 August 1864 the Choshu force went into Kyoto — the Kinmon Incident, the fighting at the Hamaguri Gate.
Kijima led the Yugekitai toward the imperial palace, aiming for the Hamaguri Gate.
The fighting was heavy and short. The defenders had Aizu, Satsuma and Kuwana together, with the advantage in both numbers and equipment.
Near the gate, Kijima was shot by Satsuma troops.
Wounded on horseback and unable to fight on, he killed himself. He was forty-seven.
The same day, elsewhere in the city, Kusaka Genzui also died by his own hand. One of the two star students of Shoin's school and the commander of the Yugekitai died within hours of each other.
What Kijima Matabei's Day Cost Choshu
The price was not only Kijima's life.
Choshu became an enemy of the throne. The fact of having fired on the imperial palace stood on the record.
The shogunate used it to launch the first punitive expedition against Choshu. The domain accepted apology and the punishment of those responsible, and conservatives took over its government. Takasugi Shinsaku and Inoue Kaoru were driven out, and Inoue was ambushed and nearly killed.
Choshu's recovery began with Takasugi's uprising afterwards.
Kijima's charge destroyed Choshu once. The Choshu that was rebuilt out of that wreck brought the shogunate down four years later.
Kijima Matabei's Reputation
In Yamaguchi, Kijima has been honoured as a man of loyal courage — someone who died without hesitation for his domain's honour, and by the values of his time unquestionably admirable.
The verdict that his military judgment was wrong is equally settled.
The two are not in conflict. Courage and judgment are different faculties. Kijima Matabei can be explained entirely by courage, and that was also his limit.
Kijima Matabei Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1817 | Born into a Choshu samurai family |
| early 1860s | Becomes commander of the Yugekitai |
| Sep 1863 | Choshu is expelled from Kyoto in the coup |
| 1864 | Argues for marching on Kyoto over Takasugi Shinsaku's objections |
| 20 Aug 1864 | Shot near the Hamaguri Gate in the Kinmon Incident and kills himself, aged 47 |
| after 1864 | Choshu is branded an enemy of the throne and faces the first punitive expedition |
For the man who died the same day see Kusaka Genzui; for the man who tried to stop him, Takasugi Shinsaku.
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