Miura Keinosuke (三浦啓之助)

Keinosuke MIURA (1848 - February 26, 1877) was a Japanese samurai and a member of Shinsengumi (a group who guarded Kyoto during the end of Tokugawa Shogunate).

He was a child of Shozan SAKUMA, an scholar of Western studies in the end of Edo period, and his concubine Ocho, and his real name was Kakujiro SAKUMA. 'Miura' was the family name of his mother-in-law Jun (younger sister of Kaishu KATSU).

Although he entered into Kyoto attending his father Shozan in 1864, the father was assassinated on August 12 of the same year. At this time, he joined Shinsengumi because his father's disciple Kakuma YAMAMOTO suggested revenge.

After joining Shinsengumi, he became a close retainer of Isami KONOD, Head of Shinsengumi, and was treated more respectfully than other ordinary members, but the arrogance that he inherited from his father gradually showed up and he started behaving rudely with Noboru ASHIYA etc. (therefore, Toshizo HIJIKATA and Soji OKITA always kept an eye on him).

Then, he ran away with Ashiya around 1866 - 1867 (Hijikata recommended him to return to Matsushiro domain, but Miura himself refused it).

After the Meiji restoration, he changed his first name to Isoshi and entered Ministry of Justice utilizing the fact that he was 'the son of Shozan,' but he had a fight against police officers and was dismissed. After that, he served as a judge in the Iyo-Matsuyama Domain court, but died suddenly of food intoxication on February 26, 1877.

[Original Japanese]