Cho Tsurahide (長連豪)
Tsurahide CHO (1856 - July 27, 1878) was a fuhei shizoku (former samurai with gripes) in the early Meiji period. His original name was Kojiro KUNOGI.
He was born as a son of a Lord Kaga Domain Tsurakiyo KUNOGI (CHO) in Anamizu, Noto Province (present Anamizu-machi, Hosu County Ishikawa Prefecture). During his childhood, he studied under a Chinese classical literary scholar Tosai TOYOSHIMA. Then he studied at Meirindo School, the Hanko (domain school) of Kaga Domain.
With respect to Takamori SAIGO, he visited Kagoshima twice, for a total of 14 months between 1873 and 1875; and he formed a relationship with Toshiaki KIRINO and Shinsuke BEPPU.
He planned an assassination of Toshimichi OKUBO along with five others including Ichiro SHIMADA and moved to Tokyo in November 1877. On May 14, 1878, they assassinated Okubo at Kinoizaka in Tokyo (Kinoizaka Incident).
Straight after surrendering himself to justice, he was executed with the other five members at Ichigaya Prison on July 27 of the same year. He died at the age of 23.
Episode
On the day of Okubo's assassination, Cho was wearing a black Haori (formal Kimono robe) with Itsutsumon (five Family Crests) (May 15, 1878, Tokyo Nichinichi Newspaper).