#pmk meta

[pmk-love]

Reminder that Tetsunosuke took the blame of Yoshida's death on himself to spare Souji of Suzu's revenge. Never forget he put that weight on his shoulders, to the point it brought him suffering, to protect his teacher.

[pmk-love]

Continuing with the Peacemaker Kurogane re-read...and getting in a potentially heated topic.

The more I read into Hijikata and Okita’s relationship, the more complex it becomes to me. They deeply care about each other and know each other pretty well, but their relationship is also colored by need of validation from Okita’s part and regrets and guilt from Hijikata’s. In some aspects, their relationship is heartbreaking and heartwarming, and in another...sorta fucked up.

We know from the Hino extras that Souji had an inferiority complex ever since he was a child due that he was born later instead of being the first child of his family, he was still so little when his father died and thus couldn’t carry his family status. This fueled lots of insecurities and feelings of worthlessness in young Souji, and Hijikata gave him a purpose by giving him a sword - which ended in Souji’s first kill at the tender age of 9, a traumatic experience without doubt - and telling him he’ll need his strength and to be at his side. Souji finally earned the validation he so seeked, but it came to the price of tarnishing his hands at a very young age, which made him feel “dirty”, however, he kept killing to be a support for both Kondou and Hijikata, the two people he loved the most and to whom he became most devoted. And when he contracted TB and started to get weak, his insecurities appeared again - if he wasn’t strong, then he’ll be useless and be discarded. That’s why his plea in chapter 46 is so heartbreaking: beneath his smile, Souji was suffering a lot.

Hijikata was a headstrong teenager - only 17 - when those events between him and Souji transpired, so it wasn’t until he grew older that he realized how badly he fucked up and so he came to feel lots of guilt and regrets when it came to Souji. That’s the reason why he was so hesitant to give Tetsunosuke a sword despite being 15, because he didn’t wanted Tetsu to go through the same path as Souji did. Later when Souji contracted TB it was a hard slap in the face given that both his mother and older sister died because the disease when he was a little boy, and his regrets increased. That’s why chapter 46 in a way, was the necessary catharsis for both of them: Hijikata finally could tell Souji how much he meant to him, that only by being alive it was enough for him, and Souji felt safe and assured that Hijikata truly cared for him, not because his skills as a warrior, but as him, as Souji, Soujirou. And that was enough for him as well. Later, Souji wrote a letter to Hijikata that was delivered after his death where he told him to live, thus coming to full circle.

I think they have one of the most complex relationships in the series. It’s a relationship where there’s mutual caring and love but also a bit clouded by regrets, guilt and need of validation that at the end it was resolved by a heartwarming embrace where they finally could vent their actual feelings to each other, and how they wanted each other to live. Thanks to it, it helped Souji to partly resignate himself to his death - even if sadly we saw in his last moments that he DIDN’T wanted to die - and it helped Hijikata to finally be at peace with himself when it came to Souji, giving him another reason to stand up on his feet, knowing that both Kondou and Souji would be watching over him as well.

[pmk-love]

I had been re-reading Shinsengumi Imon Peacemaker, a.k.a the prequel to Peacemaker Kurogane, and it really fascinates me how Tetsunosuke’s arc was laid out from the beginning.

At the start of the manga, Tetsunosuke wants to become “strong”, but his definition of strength is physical strength, he wants to be strong to take revenge for the murder of his parents - but then he finds out that killing people it’s not in his nature at all. Everyone in the Shinsengumi - from Hijikata, Okita and Yamazaki - tells him that in order to be part of them he has to throw out his humanity and become a “demon” (oni). And that fuels his conflict through the story. His late father’s words, “I want you to become a big man”, echoes in his mind and he takes it as proof he needs to become physically strong and have the courage to kill the murderer of his parents. At the end, as we know, Tetsunosuke confronts the murderer, Yoshida, but doesn’t kills him, and from that he makes a vow of never kill - a vow that he keeps even in the middle of a war. All because he always had empathy for all people, including his enemies - this is shown in that chapter where he confronts Okita for killing a rounin from the Choshuu. Despite his own personal grudge against Yoshida, he doesn’t generalizes all the other side as “evil” either, and this is reinforced pretty much in the current arc in Aizu.

But a thing that’s also fascinating to talk about is how Tetsunosuke isn’t the only one who changes, his actions and words impact other Shinsengumi members in a way that doesn’t feels preachy nor forced. The biggest example is Yamazaki Susumu, who was raised as a shinobi and such believed he shouldn’t express emotions at all, and when confronted with the brutal murder of his older sister, couldn’t process his grief until Tetsunosuke helped him and told him that it was okay to feel sad and cry, that he didn’t need to throw out his emotions in order to be a warrior, and that if he could help someone or do something about it, he needed to act. The same lesson was later passed onto Saitou, who upon that could only helplessly wait for his companions to face their fate while knowing their futures due to his premonitory abilities. However, we see that his actions and words affect even Okita, and I think that’s something that hasn’t been talked enough: Okita, the same one who told him that if he wanted to be strong he had to kill, at the end is the first person who aknowledges Tetsunosuke’s vow of not killing before he even makes it and kills Yoshida in his stead so Tetsunosuke wouldn’t had to get his hands dirty. He’s the first person who respects Tetsunosuke’s choice, even if at the beginning he told him that if he really wanted to be in the Shinsengumi, he had to be a demon.

You can say the Shinsengumi warned Tetsunosuke about their job as ruthless killers, and Tetsunosuke accepted that, but in turn, he also sparked humanity in some of their members that needed it the most. I think that is the point where we can say that Tetsunosuke’s actual strength, wasn’t his physical prowess - even if he becomes a quite skilled swordman in his own way - but his great empathy and it’s once he comes to embrace that he finally shows his actual skill as a warrior. Notice how it wasn’t revenge what at the end triggered Tetsunosuke to attack Yoshida, but seeing Okita badly injured at his hands:

At the end, Tetsunosuke recognizes that, more than drive for revenge, what he hated the most was his own helplessness for not being able to do anything to save his parents, so he’ll now fight to protect those he cares about. Eventually, his big empathy would be a key component in his later development, as he stays at Hijikata’s side when the man is at his lowest not only out of loyalty towards him, but because he saw how much he was suffering after the loss of Kondou and couldn’t abandon him just like that. Let’s not forget that this is the first time that Tetsunosuke saw Hijikata, who’s usually stern and serious, completely vulnerable:

So he becomes Hijikata’s emotional support during his recovery, which indeed deepens their bond more than what already was. In fact, in chapter 89 Hijikata aknowledges that separating himself from Tetsunosuke is similar to re open a wound, even if he has to do it for the boy’s own good.

People may wonder (and Sakamoto Ryoma even asked it inside the manga at some point) why Tetsunosuke, such an empathetic soul, would chose to be with a squad of ruthless warriors? And it’s a good question with a simple answer: Tetsunosuke’s loyalty is one who is deeply personal. He’s not loyal to ideals, but rather to people. He sticks with the Shinsengumi not because his shares the same ideals as them, or because he agrees with their actions, but because they are his found family who helped him to grow up into the man he is now - and in turn, he left an impact on them with his actions and his kindness.

As I once talked to a friend, Tetsunosuke’s main drive for his actions, I’ll dare to say more than duty, always has been love. Love for his parents, whom he wanted to protect. Love for his companions who became a second family to him. Love for his girlfriend that he wants to protect, as we have seen in the recent chapters where he chose to remain in Aizu to protect Saya and the rest of his allies until they are safe so he later can rejoin Hijikata in the North. More than honor or revenge, for me that always has been his biggest motivation.

[pmk-love]

There's an elephant in the room...

With my re-read of Peacemaker Kurogane, I started to lurk in some old forums and communities in LiveJournal that were created back when the series was climbing on it's popularity, and there's a topic in particular that called my attention due that it was also speculated here on tumblr. A topic that may had been hinted in the manga, and that lead to a shocking theory.

Who killed the Ichimura family?

The simple answer would be Yoshida, however, because one particular line before he almost killed Tetsunosuke, many people have speculated that he wasn't the killer, and instead, shift the blame on Hijikata given their similar physical appearances.

There's a lot to unpack here.

Where the doubt started?

It all started in chapter 27 of Shinsenfumi Imon Peacemaker, when Tetsunosuke confronts Yoshida for not killing him two years ago:

Yoshida replies this:

And then in chapter 16 of Peacemaker Kurogane, when Sakamoto Ryoma informs Katsu Kaishuu that the Ichimura brothers made it to the Shinsengumi, Katsu says this:

....which indeed creates a big question: did Yoshida really kill the Ichimura?

The reason why some people place the blame on Hijikata is that he physically resembles Yoshida and because he does seem to recognize the Ichimura surname in the very first chapter of Shinsengumi Imon Peacemaker and knows that Tetsunosuke is here for revenge:

This indeed looks so suspicious.

Later on Peacemaker Kurogane we do have some "hints" that Hijikata had to do something in order to help Kondou to become a samurai, we see this in chapter 56, the same one where Hijikata goes to Katsu Kaishuu to asks him to help him save Kondou's life:

1862 was the same year Tetsunosuke's parents were killed, Hijikata says he'll do "anything" to make Kondou a samurai, and Kondou later reflects that "he doesn't has to do regrettable things for his sake, as he did back then". What thing Hijikata had to do in order to make Kondou a samurai? Why there's so much mystery surrounding it? Part of me, is fearing the worst.

However, on the other hand, while the theory does has it's substance, there's a lot that wouldn't make sense of it, both from a historical perspective AND a storytelling perspective, in my humble opinion.

Historical perspective:

The Shinsengumi didn't started to be active until 1863, when they were called the Roshigumi.

In the manga, is said that the Ichimura family was murdered "two years" prior the beginning of the series. The story starts in March 1864, which means the Ichimura parents were killed in 1862, when they lived in Ōgaki (for all the liberties Chrono took with Tetsunosuke's background, he did kept the fact he was born in the Ōgaki domain). In 1862, if my memory isn't mistaken, it was when the Shinsengumi started to be recruited only for them to travel to Kyoto and start working the next year. Hijikata was still a medicine peddler living in Edo - wouldn't make much sense he would travel to Ōgaki to assassinate ONE person, unless Chrono really wants to take a bigger liberty in the story - though for what we see in chapter 56, it all points out that Hijikata was in some sort of activity by the Shogunate at the beginning of 1862, but even so, something doesn't makes sense.

Another thing is that, just because there were people who wanted the Shogunate to go out, that doesn't means they all aligned with the same methods or ideas. Now I admit that this part isn't my strenght because I'm not too knowing in Japanese history, but there's a reason why the Choshuu and the Satsuma needed Sakamoto Ryoma's mediation in order to become an alliance, didn't they? (If someone knows more about this please comment!). That Katsu Kaishuu and Sakamoto Ryoma in the manga knew it was time for the Shogunate to end didn't meant they actually would had approved of the attacks against foreigners by radicals (though as a fun fact, the historical Ryoma actually TRIED to assasinate Katsu Kaishuu before they became allies, but I'm sticking here to the manga characterizations because comparing the historical vs manga portrayals would be a topic for another post).

There's also the fact it's said in the manga that Tetsunosuke's father actually had the support of the Shogunate, he was a translator who went with the first embassy from Japan to the USA, so it doesn't makes any sense that they would had ordered to kill an officer of their own who as far as we know, didn't had any anti-shogun ideas, specially when lots of discontent against the Shogunate started by how it dealt with the opening of the country and the entrance of foreigners.

This is when Katsu Kaishuu recalls meeting Tetsunosuke's father, who worked as a translator. Sakamoto later confirms this to Tetsunosuke in chapter 20.

However, this does fits much better with the official narrative presented in the manga that Tetsunosuke's father was killed by a Choshuu radical who hated foreigners, specially when those incidents did happened in real life (not to Tetsu's father, but to other collaborating Japanese):

" From 1859, the ports of Nagasaki, Hakodate and Yokohama became open to foreign traders as a consequence of the Treaties.[19] Foreigners arrived in Yokohama and Kanagawa in great numbers, giving rise to trouble with the samurai.[18] Violence increased against the foreigners and those who dealt with them. Murders of foreigners and collaborating Japanese soon followed. On 26 August 1859, a Russian sailor was cut to pieces in the streets of Yokohama.[18] In early 1860, two Dutch captains were slaughtered, also in Yokohama.[18] Chinese and native servants of foreigners were also killed.[18]" (source)

(Not a fan of quoting Wikipedia, but I don't own any book of Japanese history that I can use as a source. Again if any of you do please please comment and add your thoughts so you can enlighten me and the rest of us!!!)

Okay, so that's the historical perspective, now what about the storytelling perspective?

Storytelling perspective:

It's very well established in the manga that Yoshida hated foreigners, loved to set things on fire and even planned to participate in the great Kyoto fire to the point that Katsura Katsugoro, the leader of the Choshuu, told him to just stop. (chapter 13 of Shinsengumi Imon Peacemaker)

Hijikata even recalls this about him chapters earlier:

On the other hand, we know from the first chapter that even if Tetsunosuke doesn't knows Yoshida's face, he does recall his eyes! If Hijikata was the actual murderer....wouldn't had he recognized him by looking at his eyes?

Instead, Tetsunosuke seems immediately recognize Yoshida BEFORE he even knows he's a Choshuu rounin, and Yoshida seems to recognize him as well upon hearing the surname Ichimura and seeing the strong physical resemblance between Tatsunosuke and his father. Otherwise, why the heck would had Yoshida wanted to kill Tetsunosuke? And by the same method that his parents died?

So yeah, I actually believe it was really Yoshida who did it, and the reason why he didn't knew what Tetsunosuke was talking about was because he didn't knew he was hiding, otherwise he would had killed him on spot.

Personally, if Chrono ever pulls out that it was Hijikata and not Yoshida, it would feel more like a plot twist just for shock value, because as pointed in the arguments above, it doesn't makes sense both from historical and storytelling reasons. Futhermore, it would tarnish Hijikata's image (yeah, we know he was ruthless, but to let an innocent child burn to death would be crossing the line) and it would made Suzu's tragedy even more unfair than it actually is. Suzu went through a lot: he starved and sold himself to survive after his master died, to the point he became mentally ill as a result, so if Yoshida at the end wasn't the one who killed the Ichimuras and Tetsunosuke seeked revenge on the wrong guy, then it would made his story the double of unfair than it actually is. Suzu's story is meant to shown Tetsunosuke that with revenge there are always innocent people who by association end paying the sins of those who commited it, and to not have Yoshida being the murderer it would be...well...pretty bad.

As for why Hijikata heard about the Ichimuras...maybe they were informed? Or he found out when researching about Yoshida? I feel like if he was the actual killer it would had pop up often in his mind. After all, we know his actual desire to protect Tetsunosuke is rooted on his own guilt for what he did to Souji in the past, that's why he feels responsible about him. The foreshadowing in my opinion would had been stronger, like the foreshadowing that Tatsunosuke was the Shinigami - which was a given way before it was revealed in recent manga chapters.

So...here are my thoughts on the matter.