Takenaka Shigekata

Who was Takenaka Shigekata?

Takenaka Shigekata was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period, later a figure in efforts to colonize Hokkaido. He is also known by his court title, Tango no kami.

Takenaka Shigekata was born in 1828 in the town of Iwate, in Mino Province, the son of Tokugawa retainer Takenaka Motoyuki. Motoyuki, though the head of a branch house, was a descendant of the great Sengoku-era strategist Takenaka Hanbei Shigeharu. Following his father's death, Shigekata was adopted by Takenaka Shigeakira, the 5000 koku hatamoto who was head of the main Takenaka house. Though a senior hatamoto due to his rank, he entered the ranks of the Greater Guardsmen in 1864. He later became an Army Magistrate, and took part in the campaign that put down the Tengu Party. He also concurrently held the rank of wakadoshiyori.

In 1868, Takenaka was part of the force headed for the Fushimi bugyōsho, but was beaten back by the new Imperial Army. Returning to Edo as part of the Tokugawa withdrawal, he was singled out as a scapegoat for the defeat, and was stripped of his court rank and title, and prohibited from entering Edo Castle. Though he briefly entered the priesthood, he still wanted to fight the Imperial army, and so he formed the Junchūtai. He initially had tactical coordination with the Shogitai, but following the defeat at the Battle of Ueno, he led the unit northward, engaging in guerilla warfare as he moved farther into Mutsu Province. Joining Enomoto Takeaki's fleet in Sendai, he traveled to Hokkaido, where he became a Judge Advocate General officer in the new Ezo Republic.