Okita Sōji
| Okita Sōji (沖田 総司?) | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1842/1844 Edo, Japan |
| Died | 19 July 1868 (aged 23-26) Edo, Japan |
| Allegiance | Okita Family Shinsengumi Kondō Isami |
| Years of service | 1863-1868 |
| Rank | Assistant to the vice commander of the Shinsengumi, Captain |
| Commands held | Shinsengumi |
| Battles/wars | Boshin War (Battle of Toba-Fushimi) |
| Other work | Kenjutsu Instructor |
Okita Sōji (沖田 総司?, 1842 or 1844 – July 19, 1868) was the captain of the first unit of the Shinsengumi, a special police force in Kyoto during the late shogunate period. He was one of the best swordsmen of the Shinsengumi.
He was born Okita Sōjirō Fujiwara no Harumasa (沖田宗次郎藤原春政?) in 1842 or 1844 from a samurai family in the Shirakawa Domain's Edo mansion. His great-grandfather was Okita Kan'emon (d. 1819) and his grandfather was Okita Sanshiro (d. 1833.) His father, Okita Katsujiro, died in 1845; he had two older sisters, Okita Mitsu (1833–1907) and Okita Kin (1836–1908.) In 1846, in order to marry the adopted son of the Okita family, Okita Rintarō (1826–1883), his oldest sister Okita Mitsu became an adopted daughter of Kondo Shusuke in name. Kondo Shusuke was the third master of the Tennen Rishin Ryu and Okita started training at the Shieikan with him around the age of nine. By that time, Kondo Shusuke had already adopted Shimazaki Katsuta (the later Kondo Isami), but Hijikata Toshizo had not yet enrolled at the Tennen Rishin-ryu school. Okita proved to be a prodigy; he mastered all the techniques and attained the Menkyo Kaiden scroll (license of total transmission) in the ryu at the age of eighteen or so.
...
Wikipedia