just want to pick all of your brains guys
Does anyone know the alias that Hijikata Toshizou used when writing his poetry? And is there any of it online OTHER than his ‘death’ poem?
Also, can anyone tell me or link me to information on Cursive brush calligraphy?
It’s been hard for me to find let alone attempt to write someones poem out…
Haikais, and Shodo, Perfect examples of traditional Japanese arts
thanks for the search terms, i knew someone would help!
Amanda, you can learn about Hijikata Toshizo at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hijikata_Toshizo
I am afraid. Toshizo’s. O after Z needs ー line on top. My iPad just could not do, sorry.
thank you senga-san i went there first, luckily a friend of mine also has a great book on the Shinsengumi that she will lend me.
I’m actually making her a gift of a notebook with pages of his poems in ink, but i wanted his own work and to see how the writing style was.
Any help i get on this is welcome, it is so mostly unknown outside of japan. (both shinsengumi and calligraphy etc)
Wow, it is amazing Hijikata is gaining interest outside of Japan!
Only what I knew was he played a very important role in Shinsen gumi, at changing phase in Japanese history when Japan is opening the country.
I never knew he wrote poems in ink! I also got interested(^o^)
quite a few people i know are very interested in them all and have all the books and dramas.
I am curious Senga-san, are the Shinsengumi seen as ‘bad guys’ in Japan? Or Heroes?
Bad guys?
I don’t think so,well,only nowadays.
In Meiji and Bakumatsu era,they were known by Mibu no
Inu,or dogs of Mibu.
Their first leader,Serizawa kamo wasn’t really friendly,and then Kondo got rid of him.
This happened in Roushigumi.
Now the shinsengumi starts,with Kondo being the leader and Hijikata Toshizo vice leader.
They did a lot of trouble to save people to even more trouble,but the people were ungrateful,and said that they caused much trouble.
Nowadays they are considered great heroes that defended the idiot Tokugawa Yoshinobu,who ended with the magnificent rule of Tokugawa Shogunate.
If he opened Japan to a new era,continuing Tokugawa Shogunate,and making Japan modern and better,with no civil war.
it is SO NICE to get opinions from people who know. I always saw them as men who stood up for what they believed in, with dignity.
I HAD been told they were seen as bad guys because they opposed the opening up of japan and were violent and bloodthirsty. This is WHY i asked.
Thank you
Amanda,
I’m no expert, but some brief googling uncovered this gem:
http://www.toshizo.com/takara/toshi020.html
You’ll find what are apparently his own originals, along with transcriptions of all of them. His pen name appears to be 豊玉 (Toyotama, I’m assuming).
Enjoy.
—rolls around happy—
i KNEW that people on here would be so helpful.
THANK YOU EVERYONE
I had a quick view on the site Arron presented and I was so impressed. Hijikata wrote wonderful Haiku poems which still let us into deep thought and they are so beautiful.
He could never be a bad guy. It was just his thought how to protect the country’s independence and keep peaceful life of the people.
Some history expert said that there is no such person good or bad in history, and just there are success and failure.
I wish I could have enough time to enjoy translating some of those Haiku into English!
Some history expert said that there is no such person good or bad in history, and just there are success and failure.
something I sort of agree with . . .
I wish I could have enough time to enjoy translating some of those Haiku into English!
I wish I had enough time to get into learning japanese (okay maybe also a motivational issue . . . so far 
That would be very interesting! Though, I heard that he wan’t very good at poetry, even though he loved writing it.
It’s hard labeling the Shinsengumi the ‘bad guys’ in that era, because it was a war going on. So, they all were fighting for what they thought was right.
I personally love reading about Sakamoto Ryoma!
ahh poor Ryoma, he was another one with a sad ending
Yep, poor Ryoma, I’m glad the book I got is 3’’ thick…It gives me time to brace myself for the ending. I know what’s going to happen I just really like the story.
Oh yeah, you just reminded me visiting Shimoda, in Izu peninsula, and the whole Black ship story around it,so cool and interesting, the place is great ,wouldnt mind going there again in near feature and soak into local onsen again…