Oishi Mikizo (大石造酒蔵)
Mikizo OOISHI (date of birth is unknown - March 21, 1866) was a vassal of the Hitotsubashi family, a branch of the Tokugawa Clan, who lived during the last days of the Tokugawa Shogunate. He was a younger brother of Kuwajiro OISHI, a member of the Shinsengumi. He was the son of Sutejiro OISHI and his real name was Morinaka MINAMOTO (pronunciation is uncertain).
In August 1862, he bacame head of the family when his father, Sutejiro, retired.
Since Mikizo succeeded his father, he is often considered to be 'an elder brother of Kuwajiro'; however, according to the register of deaths and Hikogoro SATO's diary (published by Hino City), he was actually a younger brother of Kuwajiro.
His gravestone stands between a joint gravestone for twelve people, including Chuji MATSUBARA, and a joint gravestone for five people, including Keisuke YAMANAMI, in Koen-ji Temple in Mibu. It was paid for by his elder brother, Kuwajiro.
Although there is a story that Mikizo OISHI was killed in a sword fight with a Shinsengumi member Yujiro IMAI,, according to the correspondence of Isami KONDO and Toshizo HIJIKATA., he died of illness. The April, 1866 entry in Hikogoro SATO's diary, however, reads "he was killed".
KONDO and others seem to have tried, without success, to make Kuwajiro the head of the family and, in January 1867, his younger sister's husband, Shonosuke, succeeded to the headship.
His Death according to several Materials
Mikizo OISHI was killed in a sword fight with Yuzaburo (Yujiro) IMAI at Gion Ishidan-shita in March 1866. Kuwajiro held a grudge against IMAI for killing his elder brother. HIJIKATA, sensing this, reminded him of the ordinance forbidding 'private wars', but Kuwajiro, intent on vengeance, nevertheless went after IMAI. At KONDO's suggestion, HIJIKATA told Kuwajiro that KONDO had entrusted to him something so important but also so terrible that he wanted Kuwajiro to share responsibility for it, that thing being IMAI's life; and if anything happened to IMAI, both HIJIKATA and Kuwajiro would have to commit seppuku. Hearing these words, Kuwajiro finally abandonned his vendetta. Having heard that story from others, IMAI felt strongly indebted to KONDO and HIJIKATA, and he fought to the death in the Battle of Toba-Fushimi.
This story appears in "Mibu Roshi Shimatsuki" (Kanefumi NISHIMURA) and "Shinsengumi Shimatsuki" (Kan SHIMOZAWA). However, it is nowadays believed to be untrue because Mikizo is described as Kuwajiro's elder brother when he was actually his younger brother. Incidentally, the story has a dramatic touch as shown in the anecdote that while Mikizo was crossing swords with IMAI, Kuwajiro was fighting to the death with a certain ANZAI, a samurai from Ise Province and, later, the two brothers encountered each other in front of their quarters.