Kawaji
Toshiyoshi, AKA Samurai Police Chief died upon his return to Japan, in Tokyo,
on 13 October 1879. I will post information about this Japanese Police Chief
from Wikipedia and other links.
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Kawaji Toshiyoshi
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1st Chief
of Police
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In
office
1874–1879 |
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Monarch
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Preceded by
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Post created
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Succeeded by
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Mishima Toshitsune
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Personal details
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Born
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17 June 1834
Kagoshima, Tokugawa shogunate |
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Died
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13 October 1879 (aged 45)
Tokyo, Empire of Japan |
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Military service
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Allegiance
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Satsuma Domain (until 1871)
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Branch/service
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Rank
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Commands
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Third Brigade (IJA)
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Battles/wars
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Kawaji Toshiyoshi
(川路 利良, 17 June 1834 – 13
October 1879), also known as Kawaji Toshikane, was a Japanese statesman
and chief of police during the Meiji
period.[2]
A Satsuma
Domain samurai initially tasked to study foreign systems for application in
the Japanese military, Kawaji fought against forces loyal to the Tokugawa shogunate during the Boshin War.
Later, his work on setting up the Japanese police at the aftermath of the Meiji
Restoration, first as rasotsu, and then as keisatsu, earned
him the recognition as the founder of Japan's modern police system (日本警察の父, lit. Father of Japanese Police).
Besides his police and military work, he was also noted for his contributions
to the development of Kendo, a Japanese martial
art.
INTERNET SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kawaji_Toshiyoshi
Early
life and career
Born
on 17 June 1834 (OS: 11 May 1834) in Kagoshima,
Kawaji Toshiyoshi was the eldest son of Kawaji Toshiaki (also known as Kawaji Toshiakira,
1801–1868) with his wife Etsuko. While his generally accepted birth year is
1834, other sources mention it as either 1829 or 1836. His father was a
progressive Kanjō-bugyō who negotiated the Treaty
of Shimoda, and campaigned for opening Japan
with Tsutsui Masanori (1778–1859), a Gaikoku
bugyō. Toshiyoshi himself, while serving under Shimazu
Hisamitsu, the last Satsuma Domain daimyō, was
tasked to study foreign techniques to apply on the Japanese military. On 20
August 1864, he was involved in the Kinmon
incident (Forbidden Gate Incident), wherein he fought against rōnin from the Chōshū Domain. Both being samurai of the Satsuma
Domain, Toshiyoshi and Toshiaki played significant roles in the Boshin War and
the Meiji Restoration. Toshiyoshi participated in the
Battle of Toba–Fushimi (27–31 January 1868),
and the Battle of Aizu (6 October – 6 November 1868). Even
though wounded at the Battle of Nihonmatsu (29 July 1868), he recovered
so that he could participate in the Aizu campaign. After the war he was
promoted to Bugyō
(奉行, lit. governor or commissioner).
 |
The Special Assault Teams
(特殊急襲部隊 Tokushu Kyūshū Butai) are police tactical units of the Japanese Police. They are established in
major Prefectural Police Departments supervised
by the National Police Agency.
The SAT is
national-level counter-terrorism asset cooperating with territorial-level
Anti-Firearms Squads and Counter-NBC Terrorism Squads.
Most information on the unit has been confidential, its existence officially
revealed only in 1996. SAT is officially known in Japanese as simply Special
Unit (特殊部隊 Tokushu Butai) and individual teams officially take
the name of the Metropolitan or Prefectural police departments to which they
are assigned; an example would be Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department
Special Unit (警視庁特殊部隊 Keishicho Tokushu Butai, Metropolitan Police
Department Special Unit) for the SAT unit assigned to the Tokyo Metropolitan Area.
[PHOTO
SOURCE: https://stateofguns.com/the-modern-samurai-2290/]
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Police
reform
Before
the 1871 abolition of the han system, which
effectively removed the daimyōs and bugyōs from their official positions, the
new Japanese capital of Tokyo was patrolled by mixed troops of samurai. On 29 August
1871, a special force, modeled after Western-style National Gendarmerie, was organized. The
influence of the French system was highlighted by Fukuzawa
Yukichi, who visited France in 1869. Known as rasotsu, Kawaji and Saigō
Takamori (a senior samurai also hailing from the Satsuma
Domain) were tasked with the recruitment of patrolmen. A total of 2,000
patrolmen initially formed the rasotsu due to Kawaji and Saigo's
efforts, and an additional patrolman was recruited for every 3,000 city
inhabitants in every prefecture outside Tokyo. As of 1872, the estimated total
Japanese population was 34.8 million, around 900,000 of which were in Tokyo.
This was followed by the voluntary surrendering of traditional samurai wear and
weaponry.
To
further study foreign police systems, Kawaji joined the Iwakura
Mission, a formal diplomatic trip to the United
States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, the
Netherlands, Russia,
Prussia, Denmark,
Sweden,
Bavaria, Austria,
Italy, and Switzerland.
While the primary objective of the mission to renegotiate the unequal
treaties was not achieved, Kawaji gathered enough information for him to
formulate proposals in reforming the Japanese police, primarily focusing on
financing and control structure. He particularly benefited from the
professional services of the French lawyer Prosper Gambet-Gross (1801–1868). In
1873, Kawaji's recommendations, which were influenced by the centralized French
system, combined with the Confucian model of hierarchy, were approved. In the
same year, a police bureau (警保局,
Keiho-kyoku) was organized, with Kawaji as its head, and working under
the jurisdiction of the Home Ministry, headed by Minister Ōkubo Toshimichi.
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Kawaji Toshiyoshi in
uniform.
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Chief
of police
On
9 January 1874, the Keishichō (警視庁, present Tokyo Metropolitan Police
Department) was formed, with Kawaji as Daikeishi (Chief of Police,
Superintendent-General), having an equivalent rank of major
general. Meanwhile, the policemen were re-branded as keisatsu (けいさつ), a name which has been retained to
this day. By 1876, the total number of Tokyo policemen increased to 6,000.
Kawaji was also careful in recruiting former enemies during the Boshin War,
including elements of the Shinsengumi (新選組, lit. New
Selected Group), the special
police force organized by the Tokugawa shogunate in 1863. One of the better
known former Shinsengumi members in the police force was Third Unit Captain Saitō
Hajime, who became a police inspector
under the name of Fujita Gorō. He is believed to have been recruited by Kawaji
himself. Kawaji also recruited Gambet-Gross as his formal adviser, who would
later assist in numerous court cases, especially those involving foreigners and
extraterritoriality. While Kawaji himself did not
possess any mastery of the French language, he acquired the services of the
interpreter Numa Morikazu, who accompanied him during the Iwakura
Mission.
Philosophy
While
Kawaji was not known as an administrator, despite having a reputation
comparable with the Three Great Nobles of the
Restoration (維新の三傑, Ishin no
Sanketsu), some regard him as the one who "established the Meiji
political system" and "the great benefactor of the imperial police."
In his work entitled Keisatsu Shugan (警察手眼,
Hands and Eyes of the Police), he emphasized that the police exists as a preventive
force tasked to complement the military. He treated the societal structure as
similar to a family, wherein the government serves as a parent, and the people
as its children. According to Kawaji the role of the police is that of a nanny
or nursemaid, who understands the proper use of their vested powers. Further
using the analogy of family, Kawaji posits that the people ought to become
independent and self-reliant, and that their rights must not be violated. He
also believed in a police bound by duty, yet affectionate with the public, and
a chief of police in command, rather than directly involved. He aimed to
instill strict discipline among policemen. He himself slept only around four
hours a day when on duty. One motto of his for police officers was this:
"no sleep, no rest." While the Japanese police was later incorporated
with German influences, his ideals emphasizing their role in promoting national
peace was carried over, and to an extent, contributed to the development of thought
control as a state policy in the years leading to the Second
World War.
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Japanese police carrying
swords in October 1877
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Contribution to kendo
In
1876, five years after a voluntary surrender of swords, the government banned
the use of swords by the surviving samurai and initiated sword hunts.
Meanwhile, in an attempt to standardize the sword styles (kenjutsu) used
by policemen, Kawaji recruited swordsmen from various schools to come up with a
unified swordsmanship style. This led to the rise of the Battotai (抜刀隊, lit. Drawn Sword Corps), which
mainly featured sword-bearing policemen. However, it proved difficult to
integrate all sword arts, which led to a compromise of ten practice moves (kata)
for police training. Difficulties of integration notwithstanding, this
integration effort led to the development of kendo, which remains
in use to date. In 1878, Kawaji wrote a book on swordsmanship, entitled Gekiken
Saikō-ron (Revitalizing Swordsmanship), wherein he stressed that sword
styles should not disappear with modernization, considering that other
countries have been fascinated with them, but should be integrated as necessary
skills for the police. He draws a particular example from his experience with
the Satsuma Rebellion. The Junsa Kyōshūjo
(Patrolman's Training Institute), founded in 1879, provided a curriculum which
allowed policemen to study the sword arts during their off-hours (gekiken).
In the same year, Kawaji wrote another book on swordsmanship, entitled Kendo
Saikō-ron (Revitalizing Kendo), wherein he defended the significance of
such sword art training for the police. While the institute remained active
only until 1881, the police continued to support such practice.
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Woodblock Print by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi of Japan's famous soldiers (日本 武名 伝図), published by Fukuda Kumajiro in May 1878.
Left panel: Arisugawa Taruhito (center top), Kabayama Sukenori (upper
left), Tani Tateki (upper right), Kawamura Sumiyoshi (lower left), Nozu Shizuo
(lower right)
Center panel: Saigo Takamori (seated center), Kawaji Toshiyoshi (upper
left), Torio Koyata (upper right), Yamagata Aritomo (lower left), Miyoshi
Shigeomi (lower right)
Right panel: Higashifushimi Yoshiaki (center), Kazukatsu Fukuhara (upper
left), Yamakawa Hiroshi (upper right), Saigō Tsugumichi (lower left), Kuroda
Kiyotaka (lower right)
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Satsuma
Rebellion
Further
information: Satsuma Rebellion
In
February 1877, British diplomat Ernest Mason Satow noted allegations, which
linked Kawaji and other high-ranking government officials, including Minister
Ōkubo, with a planned assassination of Saigō Takamori, who, by this time, had
already resigned from the government. What bolstered the credibility of this allegation
was the leave of absence Kawaji had granted to a number of policemen, who
proceeded to Kagoshima. Satow later spoke with Navy Minister Katsu
Kaishū, who cleared Ōkubo of connection to the assassination attempt, which
was never carried out, but affirmed Kawaji's intention to assassinate Saigō to
prevent a civil war. A further confirmation of this intention was the
confession of Nakahara Hisao, a sho-keibu (corporal), who was supposedly
the assassin assigned to eliminate Saigō. However, the Satsuma Rebellion had
already begun in response to the rumored assassination, much to Saigō's dismay,
especially since he and Kawaji had been friends.
On
19 February 1877, the Kumamoto Castle was attacked by around
20,000 samurai from the Satsuma Domain. True to his principles of the police
working together with the military, Kawaji in his capacity as a major general
led the Third Brigade, accompanying Major General Ōyama
Iwao of the Imperial Japanese Army, who led the Fifth
Brigade. Similar to Kawaji, Ōyama had also visited France to study. By 23 June,
Kawaji, this time promoted as lieutenant general, and his division, had
already entered Kagoshima, Saigō's headquarters (around 170 kilometers south of
Kumamoto),
reinforcing the beleaguered Admiral Kawamura Sumiyoshi and breaking the rebel
strength. Saigō and his remaining forces, numbering around 500, were ultimately
vanquished at the Battle of Shiroyama on 24 September 1877.
Security
issues
On
14 May 1878, less than a year after the death of Kido
Takayoshi (who was also part of the Iwakura Mission) and the Satsuma
Rebellion, Minister Ōkubo Toshimichi was assassinated by Shimada
Ichirō and six other samurai from the Kaga
Domain (or Kanazawa Domain). The assassination of a high-level government
official such as Ōkubo, the last of the Three Great Nobles of the Restoration
(the other two being Saigō and Kido), raised concerns with the internal
security being provided both by the police and the military. Nine days after
the assassination, Emperor Meiji announced his intentions to tour the
country, particularly the Hokurikudō
and the Tōkaidō regions. The Hokurikudō tour would also
mean visiting Kanazawa.
As a precautionary measure, Kawaji detained 18 Kanazawa samurai who were
suspected of holding extremist views, and replaced some of the soldiers
stationed in Kanazawa. Considering that Kawaji was also included on the alleged
hit list of Ōkubo's assassins, measures were also required to ensure his own
safety as the head of Emperor Meiji's security detail. The emperor safely
arrived in Kanazawa on 2 October, and departed on 5 October.
Death
In 1879, Kawaji travelled to France once
more for a study mission, which was supposed to last until 1880. However, his
mission was cut short, and he died upon his return to Japan, in Tokyo, on 13
October 1879. His death was publicly announced five days later, and he was
buried in Aoyama Cemetery in Tokyo.
OTHER
LINKS:
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