Battle of Kōshū-Katsunuma
{{Short description|Engagement of the Boshin War}}
{{No footnotes|date=April 2008}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict = Battle of Kōshū-Katsunuma
| image = KoshuKatsunuma.jpg
| image_size = 300px
| caption = Kondō Isami at the Battle of Kōshū-Katsunuma.
| partof = Boshin War
| date = 29 March 1868
| place = Katsunuma, Yamanashi
| result = Imperial victory
| combatant1 = Satsuma, Chōshū, Tosa
| combatant2 = Bakufu, Shinsengumi
| commander1 = Ruler: Meiji Emperor
Army: Itagaki Taisuke
Ijichi Masaharu
{{ill|Kawata Kagetomo|ja|河田景与}}
| commander2 = Shōgun: Tokugawa Yoshinobu
Army: Kondō Isami, Hijikata Toshizō
| strength1 = 3,000 Imperial combatants & members of the Jinshōtai
| strength2 = 300 Shogunate combatants
| casualties1 = 103
| casualties2 = 179
| campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Boshin War}}
}}
The {{nihongo|Battle of Kōshū-Katsunuma |甲州勝沼の戦い| Kōshū-Katsunuma no tatakai}} took place between pro-Imperial and Tokugawa shogunate forces during the Boshin War in Japan. The battle followed the Battle of Toba–Fushimi on 29 March 1868 (Gregorian calendar).
Prelude
File:Jinshotai.jpg {{illm|Jinshōtai|ja|迅衝隊}} (From the left in the bottom row: Ban Gondayu, Itagaki Taisuke, Tani Otoi (young boy), Yamachi Motoharu. From the left in the middle row: Tani Shigeki (Shinbei), Tani Tateki (Moribe), Yamada Kiyokado (Heizaemon), Yoshimoto Sukekatsu( Heinosuke). From the left in the top row: Kataoka Masumitsu (Kenkichi), Manabe Masayoshi (Kaisaku), Nishiyama Sakae, Kitamura Shigeyori (Chōbei), Beppu Hikokuro)]]
After defeating the forces of the Tokugawa shogunate at the Battle of Toba–Fushimi, the Imperial forces (consisting of the feudal armies of Chōshū, Satsuma and Tosa domains) split into three columns, which progressed northeast towards the Tokugawa capital of Edo up each of the three main highways: Tōkaidō (road), Nakasendō and Hokurikudō.
Meanwhile, Kondō Isami, leader of the Shinsengumi, withdrew to Edo after the Battle of Toba–Fushimi. Once back in Edo, he met with Shogunal military commander Katsu Kaishū. Kondō created a new unit based on the surviving remnants of the Shinsengumi, called the {{nihongo|Kōyō Chinbutai|甲陽鎮撫隊|Pacification Corps}}, and they departed Edo on 24 March.
The battle
The Imperial army reached the Tokugawa stronghold of Kōfu first, and occupied it with a struggle. The Imperial army then met the Shogunal forces in battle at Katsunuma (now a part of Kōshū, Yamanashi) on 29 March. Outnumbered 10:1, the Shogunal forces were defeated with 179 casualties. The survivors, including Kondō, attempted to flee to Aizu via Sagami Province, which was still controlled by Tokugawa hatamoto loyalists.
Consequences
Kondō Isami narrowly escaped from this battle, but was captured soon after at Nagareyama, Chiba. He was beheaded by the new government at Itabashi a short time later. The Battle of Kōshū-Katsunuma was the last significant military action in central Honshū during the Boshin War, and the death of Kondō Isami further demoralized Tokugawa supporters, contributing to the surrender of Edo Castle without bloodshed later that year.
Further reading
- Aikawa Tsukasa and Kikuchi Akira. Shinsengumi Jitsuroku. Tōkyō: Chikuma-Shōbō, 1996.
- Kikuchi Akira. Shinsengumi Hyakuichi no Nazo. Tōkyō: Shin Jinbutsu Ōraisha, 2000.
- Nagakura Shinpachi. Shinsengumi Tenmatsu-ki. Tōkyō: Shin Jinbutsu Ōraisha, 2003
- Shinsengumi Saitō Hajime no Nazo. Tōkyō: Shin Jinbutsu Ōraisha, 2003.
- Yamakawa Kenjirō. Aizu Boshin Senshi. Tōkyō: Tōkyō Daigaku Shuppankai, 1931.
File:Kondo-Isami decapitated.jpg
{{coord missing|Yamanashi Prefecture}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koshu-Katsunuma 1868}}
Category:Battles of the Boshin War