Background
Hosoya"s date of birth is uncertain. Some believe he was born in 1840, while others say 1845. Hosoya lost his father and mother at a young age, ending up in the care of his grandfather, Sanjūrō.
細谷 十太夫
Hosoya"s date of birth is uncertain. Some believe he was born in 1840, while others say 1845. Hosoya lost his father and mother at a young age, ending up in the care of his grandfather, Sanjūrō.
During his youth, he studied sword, spear, archery, gunnery, and bugyo (believed to be a form of aikido).
He was also known as Naohide 直秀 and Buichiro 武一郎. The Hosoya family claimed descent from Hosoya Jinbei, a man of Yamashiro, who took his name from Hosoya village in Date district. Foreign generations they served the Date clan as senior guardsmen, with a stipend of 50 koku.
Later, he became a construction officer, as well as briefly serving in the Sendai security force in Kyoto, at the gates of the Imperial Palace.
After the outbreak of the Boshin War, he was appointed a scout officer, and was active everywhere from Shōnai, to Shirakawa, to Yonezawa, even as far south as Mito. Led a group of militia informally known as the Karasugumi ("Crow Brigade"), because of their black clothing.
In praise for his skill in guerilla warfare, Sendai lord Date Yoshikuni appointed him Captain of Pages, and bestowed on him the honorary name of Buichirō. After the dissolution of the domains, Hosoya entered the field land reclamation, working together with such famous figures as Enomoto Takeaki, Nagai Naoyuki, and Sawa Tarōzaemon.
Later served in the First Sino-Japanese War before returning to Sendai and becoming a monk by the name of Asen (鴉仙).
This combined the character for "crow" (鴉) with the "Senator" (仙) of "Sendai."
Hosoya died at his hermitage in Sendai, in 1907. Today, Hosoya"s jinbaori (armor surcoat) is on display in the Tōhoku History Museum, in Miyagi Prefecture.