I`m here again with a cool story about a female Bakumatsu beauty swordslady called Nakazawa Koto (中沢琴).
Extremely sorry for my bad and sleepy english. I start to forget it as I use japanese language more often now. T_T
She was born in 1839 in Tone gun, which is now a part of Gunma prefecture. Koto was a daughter to Nakazawa Magoemon ( 中澤孫右衛門) and a sister to Nakazawa Sadamasa, also known as Yonosuke. (中沢貞祇)
As Magoemon was a dojo owner, Koto was educated there since early years. She was trained on the same basis as her brother. Koto was told to yield naginata much better than her own father.
Nakazawa family was practicing a fencing style called Tengu kenpou ( 天狗剣法), officially known as Houshin ryuu ( 法神流 ). The style is peculiar, as people trained at this style are able to fight using kusarigama as well as the simple katana.
In 1863 Tokugawa Iemochi (the shogun) headed to Kyoto, and Kiyokawa Hachiro with his squad had followed him as well. I hope you all know, that it was the start of Shinsengumi history. :3
So, Koto`s brother, Sadamasa, had joined the squad. That`s where the most interesting part starts. There is a version that Koto also joined Roshigumi. Yet her name never was listed in any of the existing member lists. So, some historians suppose, that Koto might have followed the squad without joining officially. She also might have been disguised as man.
But there`s a doubt, as Koto was known for her great height (170 cm namely). Moreover, she was said to be really beautyful. So she could got too much attention.
Following to another version Koto could join Roshigumi when Kondo and Hijikata were recruiting new Mibu-Roshigumi members. But more possibly, Koto could have returned to Edo when Kiyokawa made a call to banish the “western barbarians“, as her brother was extremely into Sonnou Joi doctrine.
Anyway, it is widely concerned that Koto joined the Shinchougumi ( 新徴組) following the Kiyokawa assassination, because Nakazawa Sadamasa was listed as a member of this squad.
Though, Shinchougumi was ill-financed, so many squad members were messing with Edo merchants extorting money and goods. So there was a great scandal in 1864, and the Tsuruoka han leader, Sakai Tadazumi ( 酒井忠篤), was taken under arrest. Moreover, the Shinchougumi members were involved into arson incident which happened on the 25 of December 1868. Some squad members set the Satsuma han residence in Shinagawa on fire. They were also accused of attack on the Sadowara han residence.
So the squad members were quite clever to run away form all accusations by throwing themselves into the Boshin war.
By the way, Koto was involved in the arson and brawl incident, as there is and existing evidence that she was injured at that very time. She had a part of her left foot heel cut off.
When the Shinchougumi members learnt that the former Bakufu troops had been defeated at the battle of Toba-Fushimi, they joined the Tsuruoka han troops and entered fights on this han territory. During those battles Koto was surrounded by a dozen of loyalists and could made it away safely after cuting some of them.
After the war, the Tsuruoka han was punished severely according to Saigo Takamori`s order. Koto could return to her hometown in 1875.
She was thirty-something at that time, and she still was getting some marriage proposals. There`s a legend that Koto declined to marry any man if he doesn`t beat hed in fencing sparring. So she remained single.
Koto died on 12 of October 1927. She was 88 years at that time.
As she became older, Koto became addicted to alcohol and sometimes made money by dancing with her sword.
If you`re interested, there`s a movie about Koto callen “A flower gale swordsman ~Bakumatsu female fencing master, Nakazawa Koto~“ ( 花嵐の剣士 ～幕末を生きた女剣士・中澤琴～ )
