Ishii Yujiro (石井勇次郎)
Yujiro ISHII (January 31, 1846-August 9, 1903) was a feudal retainer of the Kuwana Domain in the last days of the Tokugawa shogunate and later a member of the Shinsengumi. He called himself as another name, Genjiro. He learned martial art in the Jikishikage ryu school.
After he left the Kuwana Domain where he had served as Oumamawari (horse guard) on July 15, 1867, he learned swordplay in Edo.
During the Boshin War that broke out in January 1868, Jingoro joined the forces of the Tokugawa shogunate headed by Keisuke OTORI and took part in the battles in Imaichi City and the Aizu Domain. In Kashiwazaki City, he belonged to the Chijin-tai (resistance group composed of the Kuwana Domain's retainers) led by Hidehachi MATSUURA and when they were forced to fight from the besieged castle in the Aizu War, he left there to escort Sadaaki MATSUDAIRA, the lord of the Kuwana domain to the Sendai Domain, with Shirobe TANIGUCHI who was also a feudal retainer of the Kuwana Domain. In the Sendai Domain, ISHII joined Takeaki ENOMOTO's fleet and decided to sail to Ezo. Then he became a member of the Shinsengumi then-headed by Toshizo HIJIKATA.
Although he was once successful as a commander of a Shinsengumi squad, he surrendered in Benten Daiba on June 24, 1869. After suspendeded for a while, he was released to go back to his hometown on December 25, 1869.
He died in 1903. He died at the age of 58.