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Special Investigation: Bunkyuu Tosahan
Hizen's canon point is "Special Investigation: Bunkyuu Tosahan" which means, "Special Investigation: Bunkyuu Era Tosa Domain."
A summary of the main event in-game can be found here and all scenes have been translated here. Bunkyuu Tosahan has one of the distinctions of being adapted into a stage performance that provides more detail into the event. It's also referenced in a musical in a way that matches some of the details of the stage play.
The purpose of this page is to provide general context for the mission using information from the game, stageplay, and musical. The stageplay has a specified squad but for the sake of this summary, I'll keep it general! However, since the event was designed to focus on the other Tosan sword boy, Mutsunokami Yoshiyuki, I'll be running with the idea that he was captain.
JAPANESE TEASER:
ENGLISH TEASER:
STAGEPLAY SUMMARY:
The citadel receives a special request from a masked government agent. The agent explains that he's calling on every citadel to send a team of five of their strongest swords to Tosa Domain in Bunkyuu Era 1863. The team of five will meet up with their special investigator on-site and complete the investigation with him. While participation is voluntary, help is appreciated. The masked agent tells the swords to meet him at Hariyama Bridge in Kochi.
A citadel answers the call and arranges for a team to go. Mutsunokami Yoshiyuki is chosen as the leader due to his strong affinity with the time period and location. He's the sword of the revolutionary hero of Japan and local hero of Tosa, Sakamoto Ryouma.
The team leaves for Kochi City (1863) and they notice something is wrong with the city. Mutsunokami explains that Tosa is a rural and traditional domain where social class is strictly enforced. Those born in the lowest rank are fated to die in the same rank and those in the highest rank look down on the poor. This is why Ryouma left Tosa with a dream to reform Japan and create a nation where people aren't defined by their social class. Still, something is wrong and they can't quite explain what.
As they make their way to Hariyama Bridge, they fight off the Historical Retrograde Army. Enemy reinforcements arrive and a mysterious swordsman arrives to help. The touken danshi realize it's the special inspector they were supposed to meet. After defeating the enemy, the inspector pulls down his mask and introduces himself: Hizen Tadahiro, a sword put in charge by the government.
Mutsunokami recognizes him right away because the two of them originally came from the Sakamoto family. Hizen pushes Mutsunokami away and insults him. Hizen then explains the mission in greater detail: They are currently in an altered timeline where the Tosa Imperial Party is ruling the domain through fear and violence instead of negotiations. Instead of appealing to the people and winning them over to their side, the Imperial Party has been brutally murdering anyone that goes against their views. Hizen explains that there is a key figure at the center of the anomaly and they need to find them to correct things.
Hizen then leads them to meet his partner, Nankaitaro Chouson, the sword of Takechi Hanpeita. In the stageplay, the squad repeatedly notes that the air in Kochi is stagnated and foul and that the streets of the city seem unnatural. They also remark that the humans that they are fighting are unnaturally strong and that something doesn't seem to be right with them but they can't figure it out.
In the stageplay, they meet Sakamoto Ryouma who has suddenly returned to Tosa. They also meet Takechi Hanpeita and Okada Izou, the former masters of Nankaitaro and Hizen. Ryouma is the anomaly in the era so the squad decides to keep a close eye on him because historically, he should not be in Tosa at the time. They wonder what brought Ryouma to Tosa.
Hizen and Nankaitarou work together with the touken danshi to try and find the source of the historical disruption. Nankaitarou sets up traps around the city to react to the enemy's boss if they ever appear. Nankaitarou theorizes that the boss is likely to be Yoshido Toyo who is lying low because of Nankaitarou's and Hizen's presence in the era. Nankaitarou's master, Takechi Hanpeita and Hizens' master, Okada Izou, were responsible for assassinating him in 1865. He theorizes that the distortion in Tosa is a result of Takechi trying to keep himself alive.
Throughout the mission, they encounter Takechi and Izou who are currently leading the Imperial Party. Takechi orders Izou to kill Ryouma but Izou is conflicted because the two are childhood friends. Izou tries to get Ryouma to apologize to Takechi for deserting Tosa and while Ryouma refuses, he still tries to get along with the three of them, appealing to them as a friend.
Hizen crosses paths with his former master, Izou, and reflects on his own history/story. Hizen had originally been a Sakamoto family sword but Ryouma gifted Hizen to his friend, Izou. Ryouma went on to become a pacifist hero and Izou became one of Japan's most famous assassins-- a murderer who died pitifully. The other touken danshi muse that a single moment changed Hizen into what he is today and ask him if he wishes things had turned out differently. Hizen snaps that it isn't their job to think about "what if" situations.
To their further surprise, the touken danshi learn that Toyo is the true leader of the Imperial Party and Takechi and Izou are actually working under him instead of plotting against him. Ryouma continues to appeal to his old friends, insisting he "can't let them die."
A series of events happen and Nankaitarou uncovers that the Imperial Army soldiers they're fighting aren't really human. They are phantom spirits that have manifested for some reason and are trying to carry out a role in a version of history they don't understand. Originally suspecting Toyo as the one who manifested these phantoms, they soon learn he is also a phantom.
Eventually, they realize Ryouma is the source of the distortion and is also a fake. In another timeline, Ryouma learned of the deaths of his friends and in his grief, wished he could have done things differently to save them from their fates. The Historical Retrograde Army granted that wish and sent Ryouma back in time to do exactly that. However, in doing so, they created the current version of Tosa which has now splintered off completely from the "canon" timeline and made its own stream.
Hizen and Nankaitarou realize that because the timeline is becoming unstable and the phantoms are becoming more confused now that they know they aren't real. The touken danshi, led by Mutsunokami and overseen by Hizen go to Kochi Castle. They defeat all of the phantoms, including Izou and Ryouma. The alternate timeline resolves itself and sets back on course toward a history where Takechi, Izou, and Ryouma will all live and die as they're supposed to.
With the mission complete, Hizen returns to the government to deliver his report. Due to the success of the touken danshi, Hizen is assigned to the citadel to join their ranks and observe them.
MUSICAL REFERENCES:
While the musical focuses on a different citadel and Tosahan is not the focus of any of the stories, it's still referred to in one of the shows.
In this show, Hizen is an established but still new member of the citadel following the success of the Tosa mission. He's paired up with a senior touken danshi and they have a short conversation about past events that have happened offstage:
At first it's suspected Hizen is chosen for the mission because he's familiar with the events of the time period but it's later revealed that he was chosen because the mission in the musical is another abandoned timeline and Hizen is one of the only ones with experience dealing with the situation. Hizen and the senior swords realize that the timeline has been manually cut off by the Time Government. Hizen suspects it's because they don't want a repeat of the mess that was Tosahan. He realizes that unlike Tosahan which could still be salvaged, the current mission is a total failure.
At the same time, the humans of the era become twisted and violent. Hizen recognizes the phenomenon which strongly implies that his version of Tosahan went similar to the stageplay version (but it's never specified exactly). Hizen continues to make repeated references and the same analogies that happened in the Tosahan stageplay and uses this handwaved information to go and find an escape route for his squad. It is, however, important to note, that these are different citadels/canon timelines and both Hizens, while the same character essentially, have some different experiences. The Hizen in the musical is noted to not have experienced a certain thing that the Hizen in the stageplay had.
A summary of the main event in-game can be found here and all scenes have been translated here. Bunkyuu Tosahan has one of the distinctions of being adapted into a stage performance that provides more detail into the event. It's also referenced in a musical in a way that matches some of the details of the stage play.
The purpose of this page is to provide general context for the mission using information from the game, stageplay, and musical. The stageplay has a specified squad but for the sake of this summary, I'll keep it general! However, since the event was designed to focus on the other Tosan sword boy, Mutsunokami Yoshiyuki, I'll be running with the idea that he was captain.
JAPANESE TEASER:
入電──肥前忠広より突然の出陣要請。
本丸は陸奥守吉行、和泉守兼定、堀川国広、鶴丸国永、小烏丸の5振りの出陣を決めた。
行き先は1863年の文久土佐藩、土佐勤王党が恐怖政治を敷く“放棄された世界”である。
出陣先で肥前忠広、そして南海太郎朝尊と合流した刀剣男士たちはこの歴史改変を正すべく
その中心人物の捜索を開始。
任務中に出会った坂本龍馬と共に行動を起こすことを決めるが……
ENGLISH TEASER:
Incoming call— A sudden request from Hizen Tadahiro.
The citadel must dispatch five swords: Mutsunokami Yoshiyuki, Izuminokami Kanesada, Horikawa Kunihiro, Tsurumaru Kuninaga, and Kogarasumaru.
The destination is an "abandoned world" of 1863 where the Tosa's Imperial Party rules with fear. The swordsmen join Hizen Tadahiro and Nankaitarou Chouson to correct this alternate version of history. They must search for the source of the distortion.
Along the way, they team up with Sakamoto Ryouma…
STAGEPLAY SUMMARY:
The citadel receives a special request from a masked government agent. The agent explains that he's calling on every citadel to send a team of five of their strongest swords to Tosa Domain in Bunkyuu Era 1863. The team of five will meet up with their special investigator on-site and complete the investigation with him. While participation is voluntary, help is appreciated. The masked agent tells the swords to meet him at Hariyama Bridge in Kochi.
A citadel answers the call and arranges for a team to go. Mutsunokami Yoshiyuki is chosen as the leader due to his strong affinity with the time period and location. He's the sword of the revolutionary hero of Japan and local hero of Tosa, Sakamoto Ryouma.
The team leaves for Kochi City (1863) and they notice something is wrong with the city. Mutsunokami explains that Tosa is a rural and traditional domain where social class is strictly enforced. Those born in the lowest rank are fated to die in the same rank and those in the highest rank look down on the poor. This is why Ryouma left Tosa with a dream to reform Japan and create a nation where people aren't defined by their social class. Still, something is wrong and they can't quite explain what.
As they make their way to Hariyama Bridge, they fight off the Historical Retrograde Army. Enemy reinforcements arrive and a mysterious swordsman arrives to help. The touken danshi realize it's the special inspector they were supposed to meet. After defeating the enemy, the inspector pulls down his mask and introduces himself: Hizen Tadahiro, a sword put in charge by the government.
Mutsunokami recognizes him right away because the two of them originally came from the Sakamoto family. Hizen pushes Mutsunokami away and insults him. Hizen then explains the mission in greater detail: They are currently in an altered timeline where the Tosa Imperial Party is ruling the domain through fear and violence instead of negotiations. Instead of appealing to the people and winning them over to their side, the Imperial Party has been brutally murdering anyone that goes against their views. Hizen explains that there is a key figure at the center of the anomaly and they need to find them to correct things.
Hizen then leads them to meet his partner, Nankaitaro Chouson, the sword of Takechi Hanpeita. In the stageplay, the squad repeatedly notes that the air in Kochi is stagnated and foul and that the streets of the city seem unnatural. They also remark that the humans that they are fighting are unnaturally strong and that something doesn't seem to be right with them but they can't figure it out.
In the stageplay, they meet Sakamoto Ryouma who has suddenly returned to Tosa. They also meet Takechi Hanpeita and Okada Izou, the former masters of Nankaitaro and Hizen. Ryouma is the anomaly in the era so the squad decides to keep a close eye on him because historically, he should not be in Tosa at the time. They wonder what brought Ryouma to Tosa.
Hizen and Nankaitarou work together with the touken danshi to try and find the source of the historical disruption. Nankaitarou sets up traps around the city to react to the enemy's boss if they ever appear. Nankaitarou theorizes that the boss is likely to be Yoshido Toyo who is lying low because of Nankaitarou's and Hizen's presence in the era. Nankaitarou's master, Takechi Hanpeita and Hizens' master, Okada Izou, were responsible for assassinating him in 1865. He theorizes that the distortion in Tosa is a result of Takechi trying to keep himself alive.
Throughout the mission, they encounter Takechi and Izou who are currently leading the Imperial Party. Takechi orders Izou to kill Ryouma but Izou is conflicted because the two are childhood friends. Izou tries to get Ryouma to apologize to Takechi for deserting Tosa and while Ryouma refuses, he still tries to get along with the three of them, appealing to them as a friend.
Hizen crosses paths with his former master, Izou, and reflects on his own history/story. Hizen had originally been a Sakamoto family sword but Ryouma gifted Hizen to his friend, Izou. Ryouma went on to become a pacifist hero and Izou became one of Japan's most famous assassins-- a murderer who died pitifully. The other touken danshi muse that a single moment changed Hizen into what he is today and ask him if he wishes things had turned out differently. Hizen snaps that it isn't their job to think about "what if" situations.
To their further surprise, the touken danshi learn that Toyo is the true leader of the Imperial Party and Takechi and Izou are actually working under him instead of plotting against him. Ryouma continues to appeal to his old friends, insisting he "can't let them die."
A series of events happen and Nankaitarou uncovers that the Imperial Army soldiers they're fighting aren't really human. They are phantom spirits that have manifested for some reason and are trying to carry out a role in a version of history they don't understand. Originally suspecting Toyo as the one who manifested these phantoms, they soon learn he is also a phantom.
Eventually, they realize Ryouma is the source of the distortion and is also a fake. In another timeline, Ryouma learned of the deaths of his friends and in his grief, wished he could have done things differently to save them from their fates. The Historical Retrograde Army granted that wish and sent Ryouma back in time to do exactly that. However, in doing so, they created the current version of Tosa which has now splintered off completely from the "canon" timeline and made its own stream.
Hizen and Nankaitarou realize that because the timeline is becoming unstable and the phantoms are becoming more confused now that they know they aren't real. The touken danshi, led by Mutsunokami and overseen by Hizen go to Kochi Castle. They defeat all of the phantoms, including Izou and Ryouma. The alternate timeline resolves itself and sets back on course toward a history where Takechi, Izou, and Ryouma will all live and die as they're supposed to.
With the mission complete, Hizen returns to the government to deliver his report. Due to the success of the touken danshi, Hizen is assigned to the citadel to join their ranks and observe them.
MUSICAL REFERENCES:
While the musical focuses on a different citadel and Tosahan is not the focus of any of the stories, it's still referred to in one of the shows.
In this show, Hizen is an established but still new member of the citadel following the success of the Tosa mission. He's paired up with a senior touken danshi and they have a short conversation about past events that have happened offstage:
Yamanbagiri: What was that world to you?
Hizen: ...I don't even wanna talk about it. It was my mission. That's all.
At first it's suspected Hizen is chosen for the mission because he's familiar with the events of the time period but it's later revealed that he was chosen because the mission in the musical is another abandoned timeline and Hizen is one of the only ones with experience dealing with the situation. Hizen and the senior swords realize that the timeline has been manually cut off by the Time Government. Hizen suspects it's because they don't want a repeat of the mess that was Tosahan. He realizes that unlike Tosahan which could still be salvaged, the current mission is a total failure.
At the same time, the humans of the era become twisted and violent. Hizen recognizes the phenomenon which strongly implies that his version of Tosahan went similar to the stageplay version (but it's never specified exactly). Hizen continues to make repeated references and the same analogies that happened in the Tosahan stageplay and uses this handwaved information to go and find an escape route for his squad. It is, however, important to note, that these are different citadels/canon timelines and both Hizens, while the same character essentially, have some different experiences. The Hizen in the musical is noted to not have experienced a certain thing that the Hizen in the stageplay had.