Ikeda Kosaburo (池田小三郎)
Kosaburo IKEDA (1842 - early 1868) was a member of Shinsengumi (a group who guarded Kyoto during the end of Tokugawa Shogunate). During the heyday of his time, he served as a grand master of Gekken martial art, and later he was assigned to a corporal.
It is said that he was from Edo and he was an expert of swordplay in Ittoryu style. Some documents describes his name was Kotaro.
Shinsengumi
He joined Shinsengumi responding to recruitment of members in Edo in November, 1864. According to the record of march in December of the year, he belonged to the group number 5 led by Shuntaro OGATA. He became a grand master of Gekken in the organization in summer of the following year (1865).
He fought in the Sanjo-ohashi Bridge Noticeboard Incident in October 1866. He is thought to have belonged to the group of Kuwajiro OISHI and received 1000 hiki as incentive award money. In promotion to Shogun's retainer in July 1867, he was assigned the Mimawarigumi Oyatoi rank.
He remained to be a member after that, and plunged into the Boshin War that had broken out in the following year 1868, to be killed on the field.. He died at 26.
Three times of death on the field
There are various theories about Ikeda's death. He fought in the Battle of Toba-Fushimi that had broken out on January 27, 1868.
It is said that he was killed on the field on 29th, but according to the name list of war deaths in the Eastern Camp, he 'was killed in Fushimi on January 27.'
According to Jingoro YOKOKURA, however, he survived the battle and returned to Edo, but was injured while he was fighting in the Battle of Koshu-Katsunuma on March 29 of the year and died in Itado, Koshu. It is certain that he was killed on the field, but the place of his death is unknown.