Ikeda-ya: Marker & Signs
The Ikeda-ya was the site of the most famous incident of the Shinsengumi era. It is now nothing more than a stone marker in front of a pachinko parlor.
The Ikeda-ya Jiken (June 5, 1864) took place at the ryokan of the same name along Sanjo-dori in Kyoto. It was used by Choshu loyalists while planning an attack on Aizu daimyo, Matsudaira Katamori. One of the Choshu men, a ronin from Omi by the name of Shuntaro Furutaka (see previous photos for more info on him), was captured and interrogated by Shinsengumi after his shop was raided. In the raid, they found weapons and incriminating documents.
One the eve of the Gion Festival, a group of nine Shinsengumi including Kondo Isami and three of his best swordsmen, raided the Ikeda-ya. They immediately found weapons and disposed of them while five members surrounded the entrance to prevent escape. The memoirs of Shinsengumi member Nagakura Shinpachi states that everyone inside the Ikeda-ya "trembled with fear." One man stepped forward and was promptly killed by Okita Soji who was suffering from severe tuberculosis. According to Kondo Isami's letters, the fighting around the Ikeda-ya raged for hours. Seven rebels were dead, four fatally wounded, and 23 arrested--several more committed seppuku. The proprietor was imprisoned and tortured to death.
While the Shinsengumi had not suffered major losses, the damage done at the Ikeda-ya was great, further adding to their legacy. Nagakura's memoir tells of the carnage:
Not one of the paper screen doors was left intact, all having been smashed to pieces. The wooden boards of the ceiling were also torn apart when men who had been hiding above the boards were stabbed with spears from below. The tatami mats in a number of rooms were spotted with blood. Particularly pitiful were the arms and feet, and pieces of facial skin with the hair still attached scattered about (Hillsborough 81).
Ikeda-ya: Marker & Signs
The Ikeda-ya was the site of the most famous incident of the Shinsengumi era. It is now nothing more than a stone marker in front of a pachinko parlor.
The Ikeda-ya Jiken (June 5, 1864) took place at the ryokan of the same name along Sanjo-dori in Kyoto. It was used by Choshu loyalists while planning an attack on Aizu daimyo, Matsudaira Katamori. One of the Choshu men, a ronin from Omi by the name of Shuntaro Furutaka (see previous photos for more info on him), was captured and interrogated by Shinsengumi after his shop was raided. In the raid, they found weapons and incriminating documents.
One the eve of the Gion Festival, a group of nine Shinsengumi including Kondo Isami and three of his best swordsmen, raided the Ikeda-ya. They immediately found weapons and disposed of them while five members surrounded the entrance to prevent escape. The memoirs of Shinsengumi member Nagakura Shinpachi states that everyone inside the Ikeda-ya "trembled with fear." One man stepped forward and was promptly killed by Okita Soji who was suffering from severe tuberculosis. According to Kondo Isami's letters, the fighting around the Ikeda-ya raged for hours. Seven rebels were dead, four fatally wounded, and 23 arrested--several more committed seppuku. The proprietor was imprisoned and tortured to death.
While the Shinsengumi had not suffered major losses, the damage done at the Ikeda-ya was great, further adding to their legacy. Nagakura's memoir tells of the carnage:
Not one of the paper screen doors was left intact, all having been smashed to pieces. The wooden boards of the ceiling were also torn apart when men who had been hiding above the boards were stabbed with spears from below. The tatami mats in a number of rooms were spotted with blood. Particularly pitiful were the arms and feet, and pieces of facial skin with the hair still attached scattered about (Hillsborough 81).