Who was this person?
A Satsuma samurai of the late Edo period and a Meiji-era police official who built Japan's modern police and is called the "father of the Japanese police." Born into a low-ranking family, he distinguished himself in the Kinmon Incident and the Boshin War. After studying police systems in Europe, he founded the Tokyo Metropolitan Police as its first Superintendent-General, but fell ill on a second inspection tour and died soon after returning home.
| Name | Kawaji Toshiyoshi (川路利良) |
|---|---|
| Born–died | 1834 – 1879 |
| Period | Late Edo–Meiji |
| Birthplace | Satsuma Province |
| Main achievements |
|
He was born the eldest son of a low-ranking Satsuma retainer of yoriki status in Hishijima village, now part of Kagoshima City. His family was treated very differently from upper samurai, but he steadily built his abilities, studying Chinese learning under Shigeno Yasutsugu and swordsmanship in the Shinkage school.
In the Kinmon Incident, when Chōshū forces attacked the imperial palace in Kyoto, he fought as a Satsuma soldier and distinguished himself, bringing down the Chōshū commander Kijima Matabei among other feats. This earned him high regard from Saigō Takamori and Ōkubo Toshimichi.
He was appointed a platoon commander of the domain and learned how to lead a Western-style army. Being promoted on merit from a low rank gave him a strong sense of duty and a desire to serve the nation. He prepared himself for the great battles that would begin the following year.
When the Boshin War began, he went to the Battle of Toba-Fushimi as commander of a Satsuma unit and also distinguished himself in the fighting at Ueno in Edo. Moving north, he was wounded by an enemy bullet in Iwaki, but once healed he joined the fighting in Aizu.
Invited by Saigō Takamori, he went to Tokyo and became an official of the Tokyo prefectural government. The following year he was appointed chief of the rasotsu patrolmen who kept the city safe. With the samurai age over, keeping order in the new capital had become a major challenge.
As a member of a Ministry of Justice mission he travelled to Europe and studied the police systems of various countries. He paid special attention to the French police system and came to believe that the police work of preventing crime should be separated from the judicial work of trials.
After returning he proposed police reforms to the government. That year Saigō Takamori left the government in the political crisis of 1873, followed by many from Satsuma. Kawaji, however, declared that the nation's work could not stop for a single day, set aside personal feelings and chose to devote himself to the police.
He became the first Superintendent-General, today's Commissioner, of the newly created Tokyo Metropolitan Police. It is said that after work he toured police stations and police boxes across Tokyo almost every day, sleeping less than four hours a night. He laid the foundations of Japan's modern police.
Trusted by Ōkubo Toshimichi, he sent police officers from Satsuma back to Kagoshima, ostensibly to visit home, to watch discontented former samurai. But they were seized by students of Saigō's private schools, a confession was extracted claiming they had plotted against Saigō's life, and tensions rose sharply.
When the Satsuma Rebellion began he also became an army major general and led a brigade of police officers in Kyushu. At the fierce fighting at Tabaruzaka, a sword unit chosen from the police distinguished itself. It was a painful position, fighting against Saigō, who had once promoted him.
His patron Ōkubo Toshimichi was attacked and killed by discontented former samurai at Kioizaka in Tokyo. Kawaji is said to have received warning of the plot in advance but not taken it seriously. Failing to protect the man who had trusted him most was a heavy blow to him as head of the police.
He set out for Europe again to inspect police systems, but fell ill on the voyage. On the day he reached Paris he walked about the city, but afterwards he took to his bed, and despite treatment by local doctors and a change of air, his condition did not improve.
Soon after returning home he died of illness in Tokyo. His sayings were collected in a book, Keisatsu Shugen, which is still read today as a guide for police officers. In his homeland he was long viewed with mixed feelings, but in recent years his achievements have been reassessed and statues erected.
A. A Satsuma samurai of the late Edo period and a Meiji-era police official who built Japan's modern police and is called the "father of the Japanese police." Born into a low-ranking family, he distinguished himself in the Kinmon Incident and the Boshin War. After studying police systems in Europe, he founded the Tokyo Metropolitan Police as its first Superintendent-General, but fell ill on a second inspection tour and died soon after returning home.
A. Period: Late Edo–Meiji. Born in 1834, died in 1879.
A. Kawaji Toshiyoshi was born in Satsuma Province.
A. In 1872 he went to Europe, studied police systems, especially that of France, and on his return proposed reforms of the police. On the basis of his ideas the Tokyo Metropolitan Police was created in 1874, and Kawaji organised it as its first Superintendent-General.
See also: Wikipedia (ja) / Wikipedia (en) / Wikipedia (fr) / Wikipedia (zh) / Wikidata
Follow this life (autoplay)Saigō TakamoriŌkubo Toshimichi
Furukawa IchibeiKido TakayoshiŌtori KeisukeEtō ShinpeiFukuzawa YukichiIwasaki YatarōMaejima HisokaMatsukata Masayoshi
People of the Meiji period ・ People by period
Based on facts found in textbooks and biographies. Uncertain points are marked as such.