伊庭八郎
IBA was born in 1843. Eldest son of Gumpei Iba, fencing instructor at the Kobusho (Martial Arts School) of the Shogunate. From childhood, he was trained in swordsmanship and other martial arts by his father as well as by his father-in-law, Hidetoshi. Also was trained in literary pursuits.
Became a member of the Kobusho. In 1868, he fought Imperial forces at Fushimi (near Kyoto) as a leader of the Shogunate guerrilla unit, was wounded and returned to Edo. After the Imperial forces marched eastward toward Edo, he, together with Yasushi Hitomi, went by sea to Numazu (Shizuoka Prefecture) in order to harrass the Imperial forces from the rear. In a battle at Hakone, he lost his left arm and fled to Hakodate, Hokkaido, where he died of a bullet wound sustained in a battle there.
