Taisuke Itagaki · Tosa
Original
戊辰作
Taisuke Itagaki's Chinese-style poem, "戊辰作出師未曾汚天兵一死只期竹帛名彈". Read the original Japanese, translation, meaning, and historical background. The poem has the immediacy of the Boshin War battlefield.
Person
A Tosa samurai who led troops in the Boshin War and later became central to the Freedom and People's Rights Movement. Before the language of rights, there was the battlefield; Itagaki's life crosses from armed restoration into public politics.
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Translation
I have not stained the imperial army; I seek only a name in history, watching soldiers climb the walls as bullets fly like rain.
Poetic Shape Kanshi draws on a classical Chinese poetic tradition, where restraint, allusion, and moral tension carry much of the weight. The poem sounds formal, but the pressure beneath it is personal.
Reading
The poem has the immediacy of the Boshin War battlefield. Apart from the later advocate of popular rights, it can show Itagaki as a commander in battle.
Background
A Chinese poem from the period when Itagaki Taisuke led troops in the Boshin War. It carries the presence of Tosa soldiers advancing toward Koshu and Aizu. A Tosa samurai who led troops in the Boshin War and later became central to the Freedom and People's Rights Movement.
Source / Transmission Wording and readings may differ by transmission; this page treats the text as one circulated form.
Further Reading
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