Takahashi Deishū
Bakumatsu-Meiji era (19th century)
Donated by Watanabe Riemon
Takahashi Deishū (1835-1903) was a Shōgunal vassal of the Bakumatsu era, the final years of the Tokugawa Shōgunate, and was one of the so-called “Three Shūs”, the others being Katsu Kaishū and Yamaoka Tesshū, with the latter being the husband of Deishū’s younger sister, who led the way to the bloodless surrender of Edo Castle during the Boshin War. He excelled at spearmanship, and was an instructor at the Kōbusho, a military training center that taught both Western and Japanese tactics. In 1868, he served as guard in a command unit serving Tokugawa Yoshinobu, the last shōgun. Following the disastrous battle of Toba-Fushimi, Deishū advocated submission to the victorious rebel army, endorsing his in-law Yamaoka Tesshū as envoy to the opposing forces. After the Meiji Restoration that followed the war, he did not enter into the new government, and instead moved to Shizuoka. He would eventually live out his life in seclusion in Tōkyō.