Born in Hagi, Chōshū domain (Yamaguchi), eldest son of a samurai.
He entered Yoshida Shōin's Shōka Sonjuku and became one of its finest pupils alongside Kusaka Genzui.
Sailing to Shanghai on a shogunate ship, he saw Qing China under foreign domination and was deeply alarmed.
He formed the Kiheitai, a militia open to samurai, farmers and townspeople regardless of rank.
After a four-nation fleet led by Britain bombarded Shimonoseki, he negotiated the peace for Chōshū.
Having risen with a small force at the end of the previous year, he overthrew the domain's pro-shogunate leadership and turned Chōshū toward toppling the shogunate.
When the shogunate attacked Chōshū, he fought on sea and land and defeated its forces.
He died young of tuberculosis, reportedly leaving the verse "To make interesting a world that is not interesting."
Yoshida ShōinSanjō SanetomiYamagata AritomoKusaka Genzui
Atsuhime (Tenshō-in)Matsudaira KatamoriYamaoka TesshūTokugawa YoshinobuNakaoka ShintarōKusaka GenzuiOkita SōjiPrincess Kazu
People of the Edo period ・ People by period
Based on facts found in textbooks and biographies. Uncertain points are marked as such.