Ando Hayataro (安藤早太郎)
Hayataro ANDO (1821? - August 23, 1864) was Fukucho-jokin (third rank of Shinsengumi) of Shinsengumi.
He was from Koromo Domain in Mikawa Province (present-day Aichi prefecture). He acquired the skill of Heki school, Chikurin line of Oshin Kyudo (Japanese art of archery). The school of sword is unknown.
He had the best record of Toshiya (long-range archery) in Japan.
In 1842, he achieved a record; 8,685 out of 11,500 arrows shot through, in Tosiya at the west cloister of the Great Buddha Hall, Todai-ji Temple.
Monk-turned-Samurai
In 1850, he left Koromo Domain, and entered Isshin-ji Temple of Chion-in Temple as a priest. After that, he entered Mibu-Roshigumi (Mibu masterless warriors group), the predecessor of Shinsengumumi, before June 1863. He signed his name on the official document which was submitted to bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun) on July 10, 1863. He was a member of Shinsengumi when it was established in July as Fukucho-jokin. He joined the Coup on September 30, 1863.
Death of ANDO
July 8, 1864. He joined the Ikedaya Incident which made Shinsengumi famous, a member of Isami KONDO platoon.
He defended the backyard with Eisuke OKUZAWA and Kakuzaemon NITTA from the same platoon. Ando and others fought bravely against a fierce attack by Sonno Joi (slogan advocating reverence for the Emperor and the expulsion of foreigners) extreme royalists who struggled to run away, but were defeated. Okuzawa died immediately. Ando and Nitta were seriously injured. After all, he died from his wound one month after the incident on August 23, 1864.
20 ryo (unit of currency) was respectively sent to ANDO, OKUZAWA, and NITTA as reward money from Aizu. His tombs were in Mibu-dera Temple and in Monmyo-ji Temple. His sword was Nankaitaro Ason Tomotaka, and its length was 78.8cm. The inscription was stated in October, 1826. The top part of his sword was chipped during the Ikedaya Incident.
Episode
There is an episode where he assisted Kenji NOGUCHI, a member from Serizawa faction, in his Seppuku (suicide by disembowelment), and then directly went to Yagi's house to help them in rice-making on the day of his entry to the Shinsengumi in January, 1864.
Yuki KASAI played his role in NHK historic drama, 'Shinsengumu!' in 2004.