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Kido Takayoshi/Katsura
Kogoro was born August 11, 1833 (died May 26, 1877) in Hagi
castletown in the Choshu province.
He was
born to Wada Musakage – a han physician with a 20 koku
stipend. He was not the natural heir to his father, and was
adopted at age 7 (1840) by the Katsura family), a family of
higher ranking. (Kido-san had at least one elder brother, one
elder half-sister and a younger sister.) This adoption entitled
him to be considered a real samurai and enter the domain school,
the Meirinkan, for an education in literature and the military
arts.
In 1852
he left Choshu for the first time to study swordsmanship in
Edo with Saito Yakuro – one of the three great swordsmasters
of the capital. As headstudent, he made contacts with loyalists
from all across Japan – like Sakamoto Ryoma – who
was a student at the nearby Chiba Academy at the same time.
At this
time, he served also with the Choshu forces assigned to coastal
defense against the American fleet of Commodore Perry
In 1853-1854
he was moved to study coastal fortification and artillery with
Bakfu military reformer Egawa Tarozeamon; observed Russians
building a schooner at Shimoda, and arranged for Choshu to construct
its western-style vessel in 1856, using some of the same workmen
for the project.
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