As the blade was drawn from its scabbard, more signs of damage emerged before Liang En and his companions. Clearly, the sword's owner had once engaged in a fierce battle.
When the entire blade was fully extracted, Liang En realized that his previous assumptions were wrong—the sword now seemed beyond repair.
The tip of the blade had completely broken off, likely having struck a hard object during a slash, causing the front half of the blade to snap off.
The scars on the blade suggested that it had been destroyed in a violent fight, a common fate for any blade wielded in actual combat.
In theory, those wielding such blades in battle should aim to strike at unprotected parts of their enemies, thus ensuring the sword's durability on the battlefield.
However, that was only the ideal scenario. In the heat of battle, many actions are performed instinctively, making it nearly impossible to avoid hard clashes.
Using the blade to strike against an opponent's weapon or armor, both made of hard materials, often leads to the blade breaking directly on the battlefield. This is why warriors always carried multiple weapons whenever possible.
Now, this particular blade was clearly one of the countless weapons damaged in battle. Yet, Liang En was unsure why Mr. Kimura would collect such a visibly damaged, useless sword.
Upon closer inspection, Liang En discovered that the sword was a Japanese katana, longer than traditional ones. If the tip hadn't broken off, it would be approximately two shaku and four sun in traditional Japanese measurement.
After removing the wooden part of the handle, Liang En noticed the characters for "Kiyomitsu" engraved on it, which, combined with the size and condition of the sword, led him to an immediate realization.
In the next moment, the acquisition of five new cards confirmed his suspicion—the broken sword was indeed the Kiyomitsu from the Ikedaya Incident.
To be honest, this sword, which had made its mark in history, was of mediocre quality at best, certainly not living up to its reputation. Moreover, its excessive length made it cumbersome to use.
However, because it was wielded by Toshizō Hijikata, a highly popular figure from the late Shogunate and the historically famous battle, the sword was preserved from oblivion.
Toshizō Hijikata, the leader of the first squad of the Shinsengumi, a rōnin armed group loyal to the Shogunate in the final years of the Edo period, was recognized as the top swordsman in the group.
The final years of Japan's Shogunate were incredibly chaotic. In 1862, the second year of Bunkyū, Hachirō Kiyokawa proposed the formation of a ronin squad to protect the Shogun, which was adopted by the Shogunate. This policy aimed to control the ronin through conciliation and led to the formation of the ronin squad.
In March of the following year, Isami Kondō, Keisuke Serizawa, and others established the precursor to the Shinsengumi, known as the "Mibu Rōshi" (also called "Rōshi of Loyalty"), starting with a group of 36 members.
This group was later appointed by Matsudaira Katamori, the Kyoto Shugo, to maintain public order in Kyoto. They thwarted the anti-Shogunate ronin during the coup on August 18 of that year, earning imperial recognition and the name "Shinsengumi."
Over the following years, this organization participated in a series of events marking the end of the Shogunate, including the Ikedaya Incident, the Kōbu Gattai movement, the Kinmon Incident, the assassination of Sakamoto Ryōma, and the Aburakoji Incident.
By 1868, the Battle of Toba-Fushimi erupted, leading to the Shogunate's crushing defeat. Subsequent battles saw continued losses for the Shogunate. In September of that year, Japan's Emperor announced the Meiji era, marking the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate.
With the surrender of the last Shinsengumi leader, Sōma Kazue, and other members, this pivotal organization of the late Shogunate era also came to an end. Nearly a year earlier, Toshizō Hijikata had already passed away from tuberculosis.
The sword now in Liang En's hands was the very katana used by Toshizō Hijikata during the Ikedaya Incident, though it was unclear how Mr. Kimura had come into possession of it.
Historical records indicated that there were about twenty to thirty men in the Ikedaya at the time, mainly samurai from Chōshū Domain, attempting to kidnap the Emperor, assassinate Prince Nakagawa, and set fires throughout the city under Matsudaira Katamori's protection.
Considering the
last point, the Shinsengumi effectively prevented a terrorist attack, as a fire in densely built Kyoto, with its traditional Japanese structures, would have been disastrous.
In this battle, Isami Kondō and Toshizō Hijikata led a team of ten into the Ikedaya, where they faced twenty to thirty ronin. The outcome was overwhelmingly in favor of the Shinsengumi.
This result was due not only to the sword skills of the Shinsengumi members who entered the Ikedaya but also to the chainmail they wore, which provided a significant advantage.
Unlike the armor depicted in movies or most games, which seems almost as fragile as paper, real armor, even when made of hardened leather, could significantly benefit its wearer in combat.
Thus, in the fight at Ikedaya, the Shinsengumi had both a level of combat expertise and an equipment advantage, allowing them to prevail against an enemy force two to three times their size.
Toshizō Hijikata demonstrated his formidable combat skills in this battle, leading the charge with Isami Kondō, breaking through the ronin's defenses on the first floor and then rushing to the second.
Following the battle, Isami Kondō pursued the fleeing enemies while Toshizō Hijikata single-handedly held off and killed several men upstairs but collapsed after killing the last opponent.
Although it is commonly said that Toshizō Hijikata collapsed due to a tuberculosis attack, causing him to cough up blood, historians believe this to be a fabrication by later generations.
Indeed, Toshizō Hijikata did eventually die of tuberculosis, but his condition wasn't severe until several years later; at least during the year of the Ikedaya Incident, his health wasn't that poor.
Moreover, subsequent records show that he participated in many more battles afterward, which doesn't seem feasible for someone in the late stages of tuberculosis.
A more reasonable explanation might be that Toshizō Hijikata was naturally frail, and the Ikedaya Incident occurred in early summer. Wearing armor all afternoon and then running 400 meters with a load, followed by slashing people on the first floor and rushing to the second...
Even today, if you asked a physically unfit college student or coder to perform these actions, they might just collapse on the spot... especially since Toshizō Hijikata was already ill with lung issues.
The broken tip of the sword also indicated a considerable amount of activity, as breaking a sword tip on a hard object requires significant force, which also speaks to Toshizō Hijikata's physical exertion at the time.
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