Jules Brunet, a soldier who fought alongside the Samurai, is a Samurai! The Last Samurai
今回紹介するのは、ラストサムライのモデルになっているジュール・ブリュネです。主人公トムクルーズのモデルです。彼は武士道に満ちあふれた熱い男で、日本のために戦った軍人でした。(English) This article describes Jules Brunet, the model for The Last Samurai. He was the model for the main character Tom Cruise. He was a hot man full of bushido. He was a soldier who fought for Japan.
Jules Brunet, a soldier who fought alongside the Samurai, is a Samurai! The Last Samurai
1)
This time I would like to introduce you to Jules Brunet, the model for The Last Samurai.
He is the model for the film's main character, Tom Cruise.
He is a hot man full of Bushido(way of the warrior) and a soldier who fought for Japan.
2)
How did he get to Japan?
First of all, let me explain the situation in Japan.
At that time, Japan was in the late Edo period (1750 - 1850).
After the arrival of the Black Ships, the civil war was repeated, and it was divided into two factions.
One is the "Anti-Shogunate'', which tries to overthrow the Shogunate and create a strong Japan.
The "Sabaku faction'' tries to build a strong Japan while protecting the Shogunate.
3)
Two foreign countries lent a hand to the two factions.
England lends its power to the Anti-Shogunate faction.
France lends its power to the Sabaku faction.
By the way, there is a photo of Yoshinobu wearing a military uniform.
It was a gift from Napoleon III, the leader of France.
4)
The anti-shogunate had a western-style army called cavalry, but the Shogunate lacked such a force.
Therefore, the Shogunate decided to create a French-style army.
In 1867, the French military advisory group came to Japan.
In this group was Jules Brunet.
5)
I will explain what kind of person this Jules Brunet is.
He first graduated from the School of Science and Technology, then from the Saint-Cyr Military Academy, which is said to have been organised by Napoleon.
You couldn't get into this school without a bachelor's degree.
He then became an artillery lieutenant in the army and won the Legion of Honour at the Battle of Mexico.
This is said to be the highest medal.
At 28, he was also deputy captain of this military advisory group.
He was a great elite.
6)
The western-style army they created was called the Denshutai.
Initially, they gathered strong people like yakuza, firefighters and vagrants.
Their army shout was French.
They used the latest Chassepot rifle (some say it wasn't used).
The cavalry troops used fast horses called Arabian horses.
They made them the strongest army.
They thought they could be strong too.
They worshipped Brunet, and Brunet worshipped them.
7)
But here, a civil war breaks out.
This is the Boshin War.
The first battle was the battle of Toba-Fushimi.
This Denshutai was formed and decided to participate in only one year.
The situation favoured the new government forces, and the Denshutai was still in its first year.
So they lose a lot.
While the vassals are desperately fighting, General Yoshinobu escapes from Osaka Castle.
8)
Jules Brunet, who witnessed such a battle, though.
"I want to fight with his pupil too".
Brunet then joined forces with Takeaki Enomoto to collect the surviving Samurai, weapons, food and money and went to Edo.
This is to persuade Yoshinobu to "let us fight again".
9)
But Yoshinobu doesn't want to fight anymore.
And it becomes "Edo Bloodless Surrender".
However, the new government army did not give up fighting.
Next, they tried to punish the Shonai and Aizu clans, who were enemies.
10)
To protect the two clans, the northern clans allied.
This is the Ouetsu Reppan Alliance.
They beg for forgiveness, but their wishes are not granted, and war breaks out.
This is the "Aizu War".
The Shogunate forces try to join the battle and head north.
Brunet also decides: "Next time, I will fight with my students and friends".
But he is stopped by France.
11)
Many foreign countries had signed a treaty of "neutrality".
It was a contract that other countries would not actively interfere in Japan's civil war (lending weapons and soldiers).
And the military advisory group is ordered to return home from France.
They are sent to the foreign consulate in Yokohama before they leave.
So a farewell party was held.
He couldn't forget his disciples and fellow shogunate retainers, even at such a merry party.
12)
Amidst all this, my disciples continue to fight and bleed for their beliefs even after the Tokugawa have disappeared.
Of course, Japan's war had nothing to do with France.
"But is that enough?" he asks.
13)
Brunet then sent a letter to Charles Chanoine, commander of the military advisory group, and to Napoleon III to escape from the legation.
The content of the letter is as follows.
"Your Excellency. The Japanese revolution forced the military advisory group to return to France.
However, I am determined to remain in Japan and demonstrate the achievements of my advisory group to the northern feudal lords who favour France."
"Captain Chanoine, the head of the advisory group, was in charge of bringing the entire advisory group back to France.
I should leave Yokohama with my resignation letter to not involve Prince Utrei, who was supposedly incapable of cooperating with the Shogunate's army.
Never before had the Japanese placed such trust in a European.
I believe that to justify their trust is to serve His Excellency.
Please forgive me for unintentionally breaking military rules. "
14)
So as not to cause trouble for France, Brunet decided to give up his job as a future soldier and fight for the Japanese and his students as human beings.
However, some may doubt he decided to give up everything and fight for this reason alone.
Brunet liked to draw.
He drew a lot of landscapes, people and scenes from Japan.
I think Brunet fell in love with Japan in just one year.
15)
Four of the 18 advisory group members were moved by his decision and agreed.
Cazeneuve, Fortin, Marlin and Bouffier will fight alongside him.
There were 19 members of the consultative group, including Brunet.
He fights with Takeaki Enomoto, Denshutai captain Keisuke Oshima, Shinsengumi vice-commander Toshizo Hijikata and his pupil Denshutai.
16)
However, the situation was dire.
The former shogunate army had been routed and destroyed, the Yonezawa domain, which had been decisive in the Ouetsu Reppan alliance, withdrew from the coalition, and the Date family also surrendered.
So Enomoto Takeaki made a decision.
"Let's go to Ezochi and occupy Goryokaku."
This is the later Hakodate War.
It was the only way they could survive.
17)
So why did you want to occupy Ezochi?
One of the reasons is that the former shogunate army had a stronger navy than the new government army.
They had the most powerful warship, the Kaiyo Maru.
I wanted to take control of the Tsugaru Strait by destroying Goryokaku.
18)
The second reason was that the Tokugawa shogunate had disappeared, and the vassals, who had fallen into a state of unemployment, were guaranteed a living.
* It was said that the new government army would confiscate 4 million kokus of Tokugawa. Instead, it was Shizuoka's 700,000 koku. The vassals could no longer live. The Boshin War also affected this background.
19)
The final reason was that he wanted to control Ezochi and create a government of former vassals.
Until now, neutrality had been maintained because it was a civil war between the clans.
The Tokugawa Shogunate is gone, and the Ouetsu Reppan Alliance is gone.
In that case, it will be treated as a subjugation of the new government army and the remnants.
* Tomomi Iwakura used this to abolish the neutrality policy, saying, "They are like pirates".
20)
He thought that if foreign countries abandoned their neutrality and helped the new government forces, the former supporters of the Shogun would soon lose.
And there was a ship full of iron plates called "Stonewall Jackson", owned by the United States.
The new government army wanted to buy the "armoured ship".
21)
However, due to their neutrality, they remained unbought.
Therefore, the former shogunate army had to create a nation as soon as possible (maintaining neutrality) to prevent it from handing over the command of the sea.
That's why I wanted to take this Goryokaku.
22)
To survive, Enomoto and Brunet landed in Ezochi.
They landed at Washinoki, continued their rapid advance and occupied Goryokaku.
The Matsumae castle of the Matsumae clan that ruled Ezochi was taken, and Esashi was captured.
23)
Finally, the former shogunate army, called the Hakodate government, formed the Ezo Republic.
Enomoto became president of the country, and Brunet trained the Denshutai as Keisuke Oshima's assistant and created a new army, "Rejiman".
24)
But then something happened.
America abandoned its neutrality and sold Stonewall Jackson to the new government forces.
The sale was because other countries did not recognise Enomoto and others as a country and were not recognised as warring groups.
*Later, because Enomoto and his friends were in Hakodate, they took a lot of taxes, which hindered trade and commerce.
25)
Conversely, the new government army was internationally recognised as a government.
The Kaiyo Maru was also destroyed in the Battle of Esashi.
*Incidentally, it was original to be purchased by the Tokugawa Shogunate.
"We paid this deposit, but I didn't get it because I was neutral." (The new government paid the rest and bought it).
"That ship was the cornerstone of the game." (The Boshin War was also a scramble for this ship.
26)
There is no Kaiyo Maru; what should we do?
Then take it!
Thus began the Battle of Miyako Bay.
But it was unsuccessful.
Three ships lost two.
And the new government army immediately attacked Ezochi.
Battles were fought at Matsumae, Kikonai and Futamataguchi.
Brunet also commanded desperately, fighting for his life as bullets and cannons flew.
27)
Finally, ten days before the all-out attack on Hakodate, Takeaki Enomoto appears before Brunet.
He convinced Brunet to resign.
"Enough, Mr Brunet. You don't have to fight and die in my country.
You have a future. I want you to go home now. I want you to live".
28)
Brunet escapes on board the French warship Coetrogon.
He was sent back to France.
There he was to stand trial.
Whatever the reason, France did not forgive Brunet for his disobedience to his country and military rules.
29)
He could be sentenced to death.
At that time, he wrote a letter before he fought against the new government army, right?
It was published in the newspaper, and the public read it and protected him.
He was hardly punished for not killing such a wonderful man.
30)
And Brunet returned to life as a soldier in the Franco-Prussian War, thinking about what had happened to the former shogunate army.
This is how Emperor Meiji of Japan was awarded a particular medal.
31)
It is the "Second Order of the Rising Sun".
This medal is called the highest medal and is given to foreigners.
It's the kind of medal given to kings and generals.
"Why should I get such a medal?"
There was a story behind it.
32)
A person recommended Emperor Meiji give him this medal.
It was Enomoto Takeaki, who later became the vice admiral of the Meiji government.
"Jules Brunet fought with us for his life.
He is a true samurai.
That's why he recommended that this medal be awarded to him."
Brunet ended his life on 12 August 1911 near Paris, but he and Chanoine took care of the army that came to France from Japan until his last days.
This is the story of Jules Brunet, the model for Tom Cruise, the protagonist of The Last Samurai.
Jules Brunet, a soldier who fought alongside the Samurai, is a Samurai! The Last Samurai
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMlvMGsj6gI
When you think of the Last Samurai, do you think of Tom Cruise? No, Mr Brunet is the true Samurai!
https://intojapanwaraku.com/culture/90614/
Jules Brunet - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_Brunet
Edward Zwick's long-held dream comes true, and the Japanese cast responds in kind in The Last Samurai.
https://www.thecinema.jp/article/1009
Add info)
The Last Samurai - IMDb
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0325710/
The 1870s. Nathan was once hailed as a hero of the Civil War, but the emotional scars of his complicity in the massacre of Native Americans have not healed, and he spends his days drinking.
Then he is offered a large sum of money to attend Japan as a military instructor. His employer is Omura (played by film director Masato Harada), a key figure in the new, fledgling Meiji government.
Before the recruits are thoroughly trained, they are ordered into action to put down a rebellion against the government. Nathan's insistence that he is not ready to fight is rejected, and he is forced to go along.
The rebellion was led by Katsumoto Moritsugu (played by Watanabe Ken), one of the leading figures of the Meiji Restoration. He had gone into the field to fight against the trend of neglecting the samurai of the past as the policy of modernisation was promoted with Omura and others at the helm.
As Nathan feared, the troops he assembled could not withstand the onslaught of the samurais. Nathan fights alone but is mortally wounded and taken prisoner.
Taken to a farming village in the mountains, Nathan is cared for by Katsumoto's sister Taka (played by Koyuki) and gradually recovers. He is healed by the simple life of the villagers and soon becomes fascinated by the spiritual world of the samurai.
Nathan begins to train in swordsmanship and meets Ujio (played by Hiroyuki Sanada), the leader of the samurai. At first, he cannot compete with Ujio, but eventually, he improves his skills to the point where they draw.
Nathan also forms a strong bond with Katsumoto. He decides to work with Katsumoto and the others who dare to martyr themselves for their beliefs until the very end...