General Yamagata Aritomo was a former Chōshū clansleader, and the current commander-in-chief of the Imperial Meiji Army and Ministry of War.
Appearance[]
Yamagata is a tall man with light brown hair that is brushed back, thin eyebrows, a handlebar mustache, and wrinkles around his face. Yamagata wears a brown military uniform, and a brown cloak.
Personality[]
Yamagata is a crafty man, since he was able to survive the turmoil at the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate and even rose to the top during the power struggle of the new era.
Relationships[]
- Himura Kenshin: Yamagata is a former comrade of Kenshin's, so when they met, Yamagata wished for Kenshin to join the government to honor him for all his efforts during the war.
- Takasugi Shinsaku - Takasugi was another former samurai from the Chōshū Domain and comrade who contributed significantly to the Meiji Restoration. He died during the war.
- Hashizume - Hashizume was a friend of Yamagata, although deep down he wanted to kill Yamagata in order to advance his own political position.
Abilities[]
As a politician, Yamagata must be skilled in the way of affairs since he rose to a position of high power and control in the government.
History[]
During the Batsumatu War, Yamagata met with an imprisoned Shinsaku and informed him about Kenshin getting married. Suddenly Shinsaku coughs up blood and Yamagata starts to worry, but Shinsaku tells him not to worry since he is not going to die yet.
Tokyo Arc[]
In the 10th Year of Meiji, he makes his way to Tokyo after hearing that Hitokiri Battōsai has gone off on a killing spree in the city and has been arrested. After learning the truth that the murders were committed by Hiruma Gohei, he meets Himura Kenshin to join the army, an offer which Kenshin bluntly refuses, saying that he wishes simply to protect the people around him and seeks no reward for having shed the blood of countless people.
Hokkaido Arc[]
Five years later, Yamagata would travel to Hokkaido in secret. Yamagata also had the Northern Expeditionary Strike Force, to deal with the Kenkaku Heiki and sent them to Sapporo.
Real-Life Background[]
Yamagata was an important Meiji statesman and the first Prime Minister under the Meiji constitution of 1889. With his modern army, he defeated the samurai uprising led by Saigō Takamori till his death in 1922.
Development and Reception[]
Watsuki stated that he could not draw his version of Yamagata Aritomo to look like the real person seen in surviving photographs.
In Live Action film[]
- Yamagata Aritomo was portrayed by Eiji Okuda in the 2012 film Rurouni Kenshin: Origins
Gallery[]
