Ikedaya incident

The Ikedaya Jiken (池田屋事件), also known as the Ikedaya Affair or Ikedaya Incident, was a famous armed encounter between the Ishin Shishi, the anti-shogunate forces from Choshu-han (now Yamaguchi) and the Shinsengumi, the bakufu's special police force on July 8, 1864 at the Ikedaya ryokan in Kyoto, Japan.

The Ishin Shishi were using the Ikedaya as a staging point for their forces, with a plan to set fire in Kyoto and capture Matsudaira Katamori, the daimyo of the Aizu clan whose duties included policing Kyoto at the time. However, the Shinsengumi arrested one of the Ishin Shishi, Shuntaro Furutaka, who under interrogation revealed the plans. The method of interrogation, carried out by Shinsengumi vice-commander Hijikata Toshizo was said to be particularly brutal. With the prisoner unresponsive, Hijikata suspended the man by his ankles, restraining his wrists, and drove five-inch spikes into the heels of the man's feet. Placing lit candles upon the holes, hot wax dripped deep into his calves, eventually revealing the Ishin Shishi meeting location at the Ikedaya inn. The urgency of the situation thus revealed, Kondo Isami led a group of Shinsengumi troops to the inn to attack the Ishin Shishi before they could carry out their plan; a second group, led by Hijikata arrived shortly thereafter.

Whether or not Hijikata actually employed such a cruel method though, is still in some doubt, as conflicting reports from those in attendance (such as Nagakura Shinpachi) exist. Some popular fiction, like the account of Moeyoken (by Shiba Ryotaro) seem to ignore Hijikata's potential participation.

A total of eight ronin were killed and twenty-three arrested; the Shinsengumi lost only one member in the battle, though two more members would later die of injuries. Amongst those injured in the battle were Nagakura Shinpachi and Todo Heisuke. It was rumored that the later captain of the first Shinsengumi unit Okita Soji coughed up blood and collapsed due to his tuberculosis during the incident.

This incident made it clear in Kyoto that the Shinsengumi were a powerful force to be feared by the sonno joi forces. The battle has also been credited with delaying the eventual Meiji victory by a year or two. As for the Ikedaya itself, it was destroyed in the battle. Today, a pachinko parlor sits on the grounds of the Ikedaya, with the only remnant being a memorial tablet relating the events that occurred on the site.

The battle at the Ikedaya Inn is the central point of the manga series Shinsengumi Imon Peacemaker and its anime version, Peacemaker Kurogane.

The Rurouni Kenshin OVA Samurai X: Trust/Betrayal, set in the time of the Meiji Revolution, has a brief depiction of the Ikedaya Incident.