Hijikata Toshizo was a distinguished samurai and military officer during the late Edo period and the early Meiji period in Japan. A close associate of Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu, he played a pivotal role in the Boshin War, which resulted in the collapse of the Tokugawa shogunate and the rise of the Meiji government. Renowned for his unwavering loyalty and military expertise, Hijikata Toshizo was instrumental in the formation of the new Imperial Japanese Army.