12 Facts About Kawaji Toshiyoshi

Kawaji Toshiyoshi, known as Kawaji Toshikane, was a Japanese military general, politician, and samurai.

Kawaji Toshiyoshi's father was a progressive Kanjo-bugyo who negotiated the Treaty of Shimoda, and campaigned for opening Japan with Tsutsui Masanori, a Gaikoku bugyo.

Kawaji Toshiyoshi particularly benefited from the professional services of the French lawyer Prosper Gambet-Gross.

Kawaji Toshiyoshi is believed to have been recruited by Kawaji himself.

Kawaji Toshiyoshi recruited Gambet-Gross as his formal adviser, who would later assist in numerous court cases, especially those involving foreigners and extraterritoriality.

Kawaji Toshiyoshi treated the societal structure as similar to a family, wherein the government serves as a parent, and the people as its children.

Kawaji Toshiyoshi believed in a police bound by duty, yet affectionate with the public, and a chief of police in command, rather than directly involved.

Kawaji Toshiyoshi himself slept only around four hours a day when on duty.

Meanwhile, in an attempt to standardize the sword styles used by policemen, Kawaji Toshiyoshi recruited swordsmen from various schools to come up with a unified swordsmanship style.

In 1878, Kawaji Toshiyoshi wrote a book on swordsmanship, entitled Gekiken Saiko-ron, wherein he stressed that sword styles should not disappear with modernization, considering that other countries have been fascinated with them, but should be integrated as necessary skills for the police.

In 1879, Kawaji Toshiyoshi travelled to France once more for a study mission, which was supposed to last until 1880.

Kawaji Toshiyoshi's death was publicly announced five days later, and he was buried in Aoyama Cemetery in Tokyo.