Sano Shimenosuke (佐野七五三之助)
Shimenosuke SANO (1836-July 15, 1867) was a Hira Taishi (Regimental Soldier), belonging to Kashitaro ITO's faction of the Shinsengumi. His posthumous name was Shigeyuki. He was from the Nagoya Domain. Takaaki KATO, a nephew of his (a child of his younger sister's), later became a prime minister of Japan.
Shimenosuke was born as a legitimate child of Iyo no Kami (Governor of Iyo Province), Ienori TERANISHI, who was a Shinto priest in Sunari Village, Ama County, Owari Province (currently Aichi Prefecture). His previous name was Kuranojo TERANISHI. After his father died at the age of 55 in 1850, he, who aspired to the thought of Sonno Joi (antiforeigner faction), changed his name to Shimenosuke SANO and left for Edo. Given no chance to participate in the Sonno Joi movement, he took on a role of guarding the residential area for foreigners in Yokohama City around 1863 and then became acquainted with Kashitaro ITO and Tainoshin SHINOHARA. He became a member of the Shinsengumi in November 1864 to belong to Yonbangumi group (fourth group). After the goryo-eji members such as ITO walked out of the Shinsengumi in April 1867, he remained in the Shinsengumi on a secret mission from the seceders. When promotion of the Shinsengumi members to Shogun's retainers was decided on July 11, 1867, SANO, together with Tsukasa IBARAKI, Juro Tomikawa and Goro NAKAMURA, protested it and tried to depart from the Shinsengumi to join the goryo-eji group, but the rule agreed upon between theShinsengumi and the goryo-eji group did not allow them to do so. Consequently, SANO killed himself by disembowelment, together with the others, inside of the residence of the Aizu Domain in Kyoto City (It is also said that they were barbarously murdered by Kuwajiro OISHI and other members of the Shinsengumi).
It is said that at the moment when OISHI came to confirm death of SANO, SANO was revived to slash at OISHI (In the theory that he was barbarously killed by OISHI, it is said that SANO, at the moment when his belly was pierced with a spear by OISHI, rallied his last bit of strength and drew his sword to slash at OISHI and injured him). The theory is considered as a dressed-up version of what is described in an old document.
SANO, fully prepared for death, secretly carried his death poem with him. His death poem is "I, as samurai, was determined not to live a double-hearted life but to dedicate my life toward my only destination." In a collection of death poems published in 1868 was found another death poem of SANO having a meaning different from the above poem.
His body, which had once been buried in Koen-ji Temple by the Shinsengumi, was reburied in Kaiko-ji Temple by Mikisaburo SUZUKI and others.