The Kiheitai (奇兵隊, "Irregular Regiment") was an elite volunteer militia founded and trained by Takasugi Shinsaku of Chōshū Domain. They participated in the two Chōshū Expeditions, proving extremely effective against Shogunate forces and subsequently providing a crucial role during the Boshin War.
History[]
The Kiheitai in 1868
Chōshū Domain had always held resentment for the Tokugawa Shogunate due to the native Mōri clan being designated as tozama ("outside") daimyō. As a result of being barred from prominent positions in the Bakufu, they looked elsewhere for income and this included the west. Following the end of Sakoku and the opening of ports to Western Powers, Chōshū Domain began buying large quantities of modern weapons. In 1863, Takasugi Shinsaku founded the Kiheitai from a group of 300 men, coming from all social stratas: samurai, farmers, Rōnin, merchants, etc. This followed a new trend of selecting soldiers from ability rather than wealth or status, a trend popularised by the founding of the Shinsengumi earlier that year.
The Kiheitai participated in the Bombardment of Shimonoseki in 1864, where Chōshū Domain was defeated by a coalition of Western Powers. However, in the subsequent Shogunate Expedition, the Kiheitai managed to hold off the Shogunal forces despite being enormously outnumbered thanks to their modern tactics and weaponry. They had also assisted during the Chōshū Civil War, overthrowing the pro-Bakufu faction. Another Kiheitai was founded in Suō Province around the same time.
Takasugi would die of tuberculosis on 17 May, 1867 and his protégé Yamagata Aritomo would assume command of the unit. The Kiheitai would play a pivotal role in the early stages of the Boshin War, being perhaps the most highly-trained and best equipped Imperial unit. Eventually, it would be disbanded in late 1868, however, it had proved highly influential on the Japanese military. The tactics and training the Kiheitai employed would be fundamental for the formation of the Imperial Japanese Army.