His Family and Early Life
Takasugi Shinsaku
was born in 1839 to Takasugi Kochûta, a conservative samurai of
150 koku, who held high posts in the Choshu administrator*. As the only
son and heir, Takasugi was aware of his duty to family and han. Takasugi
was also noted to be brash and stubborn from an early age. Huber relates
an anecdote (page 144- as stated in Togyo Takasugi Shinsaku) where young
Takasugi's kite was overrun by a guest; the young boy took a handful
of mud and threatened to throw it on the guest's crested kimono unless
he received an apology
Takasugi was educated
at the grammar school of Yoshimatsu Junzo, the same school that Kusaka
Genzui attended. Takasugi was stated to have excelled in fencing, while
Kusaka, the more popular of the two,distinguished himself in reading.
Takasugi's entrance into the Meirinkan (the han school) occurred in
1853 at the age of 14. He was selected to board (an honor reserved for
more promising students) in his 4th year (unlike Genzui, who was selected
earlier).
He was critical of
the Meirinkan for its socializing and in 1857, his name began to appear
instead on the rolls for the Shoka Sonjuku. While his father reportedly
did not approve of his son attending the institution, he did not actively
prevent him from attending.
Here again, he was
described to be stubborn to the point that he alienated the others.
Of the Sonjuku, perhaps it was the instructor, Yoshida Shoin who was
the only one who understood Takasugi.
"Because
he was rough and rude, Takasugi had little popularity, while Kusaka
had much."
In 1858, Takasugi,
like many other students of Choshu, left for the great cities. Takasugi
arrived in Edo for further studies in August 1858, at the school of
Ohashi Totsuan, but was dissatisfied, switching in the 11th month to
Shoheiko, a Bakufu institution but disliked the curriculum. While in
Edo, he lived in the Sakurada.
His roommate was Nakatani
Masasuke, also from the Sonjuku. Often the Edo contingent of the Sonjuku
group (Kusaka Genzui, Kido Takayoshi, Ito Hirubumi, Yamagata Aritomo,
Irie Sugizo, Sugiyama Matsunuke) gathered to talk there. The talks apparently
annoyed Takasugi.
As many of the Edo
contingent were involved in street politics, many were sent home. Takasugi
was not -- as what he was doing in Edo was not viewed as political.
He was present then when Shoin was extradited and sentenced.
**Takasugi Kochuta (1814-1891)held
numerous offices under Lord Mori Takachika, and negotiated in Kyoto in
1862 for the Lord. After the Restoration Kochuta held several important
offices in the domain -- Inspector-General, or Daikensatsu, and Assistant
Senior Domain Councilor, or Gondaisanji. He was also an aide to the Mori
family, and, when the han was abolished in 1871, he retired from government
service to edit the papers of the Mori family. (This info was provided
by Brown's work on Kido Takayoshi)
