Imai Nobuo


Imai Noburo – June 25, 1918 ) was a samurai from the end of the Edo period into the early Meiji period, a pro-shogunate activist, police officer, educator, agricultural instructor, Christian activist, and politician.

Biography

Raised in Edo, Imai entered the Jikishinkage-ryū swordsmanship dojo of Sakakibara Kenkichi in 1858 at age 18. After receiving his license, he served as an assistant instructor at the Kōbusho military academy. In May 1867, he was ordered to join the Kyoto Mimawarigumi, and was involved in the Ōmiya incident that occurred on November 15 of that same year. During the Boshin War, he fought in various places as the vice-captain of the Shōhōtai, fighting through to the Battle of Hakodate. In February 1870, he was suspected in connection with the Ōmiya incident, transferred to the Denmachō prison of the Ministry of Justice, and interrogated. Imai testified in detail about the assassination of Sakamoto Ryōma, stating he participated as a lookout but did not strike the fatal blows. In September of that year, he was sentenced to two months of confinement. After serving his sentence in Shizuoka's Denmachō, he was pardoned in January 1872.
Imai made Shizuoka his home base, acquired land on the former site of Sunpu Castle, and began managing a school. He taught a wide range of subjects, from agricultural practice to military drills. However, his past history was viewed with suspicion by the new government, and the school was later handed over free of charge for use as barracks. In 1875, he entered the service of Shizuoka Prefecture, and the following year, was assigned to Hachijōjima under the prefecture's jurisdiction. On Hachijōjima, he imparted his ideals and philosophy to the teaching staff. His tenure on the island lasted just over a year and two months, during which time Ōgagō Elementary School and Kashitate Elementary School were established. The "Island Educational History" section of the Hachijōjima History praises Imai's achievements, stating, "Shizuoka Prefecture official Imai Noburo came to the island, reformed the school system, enlightened the teachers, and advanced school education".
In 1878, he settled in the reclaimed area of the former Haibara District village of Hatsukuramura in the Makinohara region south of the Ōi River, transitioning to an agricultural life and converting to Christianity. Christianity is said to have arrived in Shimada in 1887, when Canadian missionary F.A. Cassidy, welcomed by the Shimada town mayor and others, visited the homes of believers living in Shimada from Shizuoka Church, marking its beginning. The timing of Imai's baptism is unclear, but he was baptized by Hiraiwa Yoshiyasu, a superintendent of the Japan Methodist Church.
In 1881, while living a life of faith, he became chairman of the Haibara District Agricultural Association to promote agricultural improvement. Renamed the Haibara District Agricultural Society in 1895, he served as chairman for 20 years until 1901. In 1901, he became a school board member and was involved in the education at Hatsukura Jinjō Elementary School in his settlement area. From 1889, he was elected village council member three times, and served as village head of Hatsukuramura for three years from 1906.

Life

Early years

Imai Noburo Tamechika's ancestors were hereditary hatamoto who moved with the Tokugawa clan from Mikawa Province. The main family was located in Hongō Harukichō. In his grandfather Bizaemon's generation, the family branched off and established a household, living near the Maeda residence in Hongō and teaching military science. Bizaemon died young, and a son-in-law was adopted to succeed him. Imai Noburo was born on October 2, Tenpō 12 in Yushima Tenjin-shita, Edo Hongō as the eldest son of Imai Moritane, a bakushin.
In 1850, at age 10, he underwent genpuku and took the name Tamechika. From that year, he served at the Seidō in Yushima, studying Japanese and Chinese classics, painting, and more. As society grew turbulent during the Kaei and Ansei eras, he abandoned literary pursuits and dedicated himself to martial arts. In 1858, at age 18, he entered the dojo of Jikishinkage-ryū master Sakakibara Kenkichi in Shitaya Kurumasaka. Sakakibara also served as an instructor at the Kōbusho and was recorded in contemporary sources as having exceptional skill, "the foremost master of technique at the Kōbusho." Under Sakakibara's guidance, Imai's skill flourished, and after only three years of training he attained the level of license-holder and served as an assistant instructor at the Kōbusho.
"Noburo started martial arts and learned not just swordsmanship, but also spear, archery, horsemanship, jujutsu, swimming—20 or 30 different kinds of martial arts. He seems to have been very good at martial arts." – Imai Noburo's elder sister, Mori Kei. "Before my father passed away, I thought he had gotten very thin. Comparing my own arm to his, which was just skin and bones, his was still about twice the size of mine. At the Sensō-ji temple, there was a plaque donated by Shinmon Tatsugorō with my father's shinai displayed on it. That plaque listed my father's name as the second-ranked student under Sakakibara." – Imai Noburo's second son, Imai Nobuo. "My father was about 5 shaku 6 or 7 sun tall. He had a large-boned, very sturdy build. When he was practicing jujutsu, he would go around to various dojo, practicing while sipping rice gruel. At that time, there was a spearmanship instructor named Komai Tajima no Kami in Banchō. When I met his widow, she told me, 'One New Year, your father came over quite drunk and said he'd give the students a lesson, and beat them all to a pulp. It was really troublesome.'" – Imai Noburo's third son, Imai Takehiko.
What Imai excelled at most was a "one-handed strike" he devised through his own training; it was ferocious. When he sparred with a certain swordsman from the Mito Domain, this single blow split the opponent's head, and thereafter his master Sakakibara forbade him from using the one-handed strike. In 1864, at age 24, Takeda Kōunsai raised an army. Due to his associations with Mito samurai, Imai came under suspicion and left the Kōbusho, transferring to the service of Kubota Shigeaki, the magistrate of the Kanagawa Magistrate's Office. There he received instruction in Kappō Shin-ryū jujutsu, and while serving as a customs officer in Yokohama, he also worked as a kendō instructor. His senior Furuya Sakuzōemon was also there, actively conducting drills modeled on the British Redcoats as an infantry commander. Here, Imai formed a close friendship with Furuya. His marriage to Iwa from the Amano family of Kai Province was also arranged by Furuya.

Pro-Shogunate Activities

In the spring of 1866, he was recruited by the Iwahana Deputy Official's Office and went on a one-year contract, serving as a kendō instructor. In May of the following year, 1867, while in Edo, he was ordered to join the Kyoto Mimawarigumi and arrived in Kyoto in October. Selected to be a yoriki captain of the Mimawarigumi, he set up lodgings near Imadegawa. His skill quickly became known throughout the group, and he came to be spoken of alongside Hattori Takeo of the Shinsengumi and Imai Noburo of the Mimawarigumi. In the course of diligently performing his duties in Kyoto, Imai soon became involved in the assassination of Sakamoto Ryōma.
On the morning of November 15, 1867, Watanabe Kichitarō, a samurai of the Kuwana Domain and member of the Mimawarigumi, visited Imai's residence. The two whispered about something, and soon Imai, wearing a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat, with a long sword in a red scabbard dragging on the ground, said to his wife Iwa, "I'm going out for a bit," and left with Watanabe. The day was overcast since morning, with occasional chilly showers. Seeing his attire, his wife Iwa thought he was surely going on a raid and waited anxiously, but he did not return that night. He did not appear the next day either. She steeled herself, thinking if he had been killed, someone would inform her. Then Imai returned, hands behind his back, sauntering in. Without a word, he went to the corner of the room, turned his back, and began furtively doing something. Peeking quietly, she saw he was unwrapping a bandage from his right hand and disinfecting it with shōchū or something. When she asked, "How did you get hurt?" he scolded her, "No need to ask unnecessary things," and was in a very bad mood. She had no choice but to leave him be.
More than twenty days later, on the night of December 9, at the Kogosho Conference, a forceful political change was carried out by Iwakura Tomomi, backed by the Satsuma and Chōshū domains. With the acceptance of Tokugawa Yoshinobu's resignation and the secret order to return lands, the guard duties of the Aizu and Kuwana domains at the palace gates were lifted. Amid great confusion, on the night of December 12, Yoshinobu hastily withdrew from Nijō Castle and retreated to Osaka Castle. Left behind at Nijō Castle were shogunate forces like the Yūgekitai, Shinsengumi, Mimawarigumi, and troops from the Tsu and Ōgaki Domains, raising anti-Satsuma/Chōshū fervor. Imai was also stationed at Nijō Castle and did not return home for several days. One morning, while his wife Iwa was still asleep, he returned and hurriedly said, "You alone must return to Edo immediately. Hurry and pack. I'll help you." At that time, he gave his long sword and a letter of commendation to his wife Iwa, saying, "With this, I killed Sakamoto and Nakao. Show it to Master Sakakibara. This is a commendation bestowed by the Protector of Kyoto." For the first time, he revealed the truth.
According to the account, after Sakamoto Ryōma met with Matsudaira Shungaku of Echizen, the Mimawarigumi had been watching him and he seemed to be constantly scheming something. Not knowing what he might do if left alone, on orders from the Protector of Kyoto, Sasaki Tadasaburō was put in charge of the task. On November 15, 1867, the day of the assassination, under Sasaki Tadasaburō were six men: Imai Noburo, Watanabe Kichitarō, Takahashi Yasujirō, Katsura Hayanosuke, Doi Nakazō, and Sakurai Daizaburō. They went together to the vicinity of Sakamoto's lodgings. Around 2 p.m., they first sent Kyoto yoriki Katsura Shinnosuke ahead to check if Sakamoto was in. Learning he was not, they killed time around the Higashiyama area, waiting for nightfall. Near 8 p.m., as they approached Shijō Ōhashi bridge, the rain had just stopped, so Sasaki ordered them to remove and discard their raincoats and hats under the bridge, and to search their sleeves and pockets, discarding any items that could serve as evidence later. They then drew lots for the order of attack. Imai drew the third position and strongly complained, demanding a redraw. This time he drew the first position.
When they reached the front of the Ōmiya store at the corner of Kawaramachi Sanjō-sagaru, Imai went ahead alone, knocked on the front door, and asked for guidance. The person who came down from the second floor to answer was a former sumo wrestler turned servant named Tōkichi, who had previously gone by the name Kumoi Ryū. He was a servant of the Kaientai secretary Nagaoka Kenkichi, assigned to Sakamoto a few days prior for security. Imai showed a prepared name card and asked, "I am from the Matsushiro Domain. Is Mr. Saitani in residence?" Tōkichi said, "Please wait a moment," and taking the card, started to go upstairs. Thinking "Please wait a moment" meant he was definitely in, Imai suddenly struck down Tōkichi from behind as he began ascending the stairs. Then he sheathed his sword and, with an innocent face, went upstairs. In the eight-tatami room on the second floor, two samurai were talking around a hibachi. Not knowing which was Sakamoto, as he had never seen his face, Imai quickly entered the room, knelt, greeted with "Mr. Sakamoto, pardon me," and while moving forward on his knees, used his left hand to loosen the sword's collar. Sakamoto said, "Who might you be?" and leaned his face forward. In that instant, Imai's sword left its scabbard with a kiai and swept sideways across Sakamoto's head. Nakao, who was on the right, tried to stand up with his wakizashi. Imai, rising, struck him. Nakao, with no time to draw, raised the still-sheathed wakizashi with both hands overhead to block but could not fully stop the blow. Imai rained down several more blows, cutting Nakao down. Meanwhile, Sakamoto had taken up the tachi behind him and, already staggering, tried to turn around. Seeing this, Imai stepped in and slashed down from the shoulder in a large motion. At that moment, Sakamoto let out an indescribably pitiful, crying-like scream. "You coward!" Imai shouted, and struck another sideways blow, scraping the scabbard of the sword Sakamoto was carrying and striking around his waist. All this happened within just two or three minutes of entering the room.
"There seems to be a fixed evaluation that my father was a master of the short sword, but that is some mistake. He always preferred to wear a long sword that dragged on the ground. Moreover, he said old swords were no good, only new, heavy ones. The one he used to kill Sakamoto was also a long new sword; he said it got stuck on the ceiling and was troublesome. When my mother brought it back, she said it wouldn't fit in the basket vertically, so she carried it diagonally, so it must have been quite long. The index finger on my father's right hand was bent at the second joint and couldn't move freely, but he never said whose fault it was or who injured it. Someone left their sword scabbard at the scene, but he never said who it was." – Imai Noburo's third son, Imai Takehiko.
When Sakamoto Ryōma and Nakaoka Shintarō were assassinated on the second floor of the Ōmiya store in Kyoto, one sword scabbard lost by an assassin and one geta with the mark of the Hyōtei restaurant were left at the scene. Using this as evidence, the perpetrator was inferred as follows:
It was concluded that the Shinsengumi plotted the assassination, and the direct perpetrator was Harada Sanosuke. Given the frequent dealings between Kishū Domain official Miura Kyūtarō and the Shinsengumi at that time, it was decided that Miura must have been the facilitator. Subsequently, the Tosa Domain side also regarded the Shinsengumi as Sakamoto's enemy and continued searching, but obtained no definitive evidence. Even when Kondō Isami was executed at Itabashi, he was rigorously questioned but to no avail. Harada Sanosuke, regarded as the perpetrator, had joined the Shōgitai, suffered a gunshot wound, and died at the residence of Jimbō Hōki no Kami in Honjo Saruechō, so the trail went cold. After the defeat at the Battle of Toba–Fushimi in January 1868, Imai returned to Edo. Together with his former senior Furuya Sakuzōemon, who was in charge of training for the bakufu army, he worked to pacify deserting bakufu infantry. He later became vice-captain of the newly organized Shōhōtai and fought through the Boshin War to the final Battle of Hakodate.

Imprisonment

On February 21, 1870, Imai was transferred to the Denmachō prison of the Ministry of Justice. This was due to longstanding suspicion, compounded by the testimony of captured former Shinsengumi member Ōishi Kuijirō, who said, "Kondō Isami said at a drinking party that Imai had killed Ryōma." Under severe interrogation, Imai testified in detail about the assassination. He stated that he, along with Mimawarigumi yoriki captain Sasaki Tadasaburō and others, had attacked Ryōma in an official capacity, regarding Ryōma as a criminal who had shot and killed bakufu officials the previous year at the Teradaya in Fushimi, and that he himself had participated only as a lookout and had not struck.
Interrogations were conducted regarding Ryōma's killing with former Shinsengumi members, but all denied Shinsengumi involvement. Because Ōishi Kuijirō confessed that the Mimawarigumi were the perpetrators, Imai was also interrogated and confessed. An entry for April 15, 1869, in the Diary of Katsu Kaishū records, based on a story heard from Matsudaira Kandarō (Nobutoshi), that Imai confessed that the act was carried out with "Sasaki Tadashirō as the head." In this, Katsu Kaishū notes that the person who gave the order was someone above Sasaki, perhaps Enomoto Takeshima (Michiteru), but he didn't know.
On September 2, 1870, Imai received a sentence of confinement and transfer to Shizuoka Domain custody. The charges were his involvement in Ryōma's killing and his subsequent desertion and resistance against the imperial forces. The statement recording Imai's testimony says that seven men—Sasaki, Imai, Watanabe Kichitarō, Takahashi Yasujirō, Katsura Shinnosuke (Hayanosuke), Doi Nakazō, and Sakurai Daizaburō—went to the Ōmiya, with Sasaki, Watanabe, Takahashi, and Katsura as the four who carried out the killing. As the reason for the killing order, he cited the fact that Ryōma had shot and killed two officials during the Teradaya incident. Imai said he was ordered by Kyoto Mimawari-yaku Ogasawara Nagatō, but Ogasawara stated he knew nothing about it.
In 1872, Imai was released under a pardon. Later, in 1877, while on Hachijōjima, rumors of the outbreak of the Satsuma Rebellion reached him. Imai returned to the mainland, immediately resigned his official post, and volunteered for the Metropolitan Police Department. He was appointed a First-Class Police Inspector and became a member of the Hattōtai (Drawn Sword Squad). As part of this squad, he led domain samurai from the prefecture to Kagoshima, with the intention of joining Saigō Takamori upon arrival and striking back at the new government. The sparing of the lives of those who surrendered at Goryōkaku was due to the efforts of Satsuma, and Imai personally felt a connection with Saigō. There was also a connection: when Saigō, defeated over the Seikanron, was returning home, he stopped at a lodging in Hamamatsu, asked about Imai's whereabouts, and left a message. However, on the way to Kagoshima, news arrived of Saigō Takamori's death in battle, so they never reached the battlefield. According to stories Imai later told his children, he had planned to defect and join Saigō upon arrival in Kagoshima, saying he felt a special debt of gratitude to Saigō. After the Kagoshima expedition collapsed, Imai never again took up sword or gun.

Hatsukuramura Period

In 1878, he returned to farming in Hatsukuramura, Haibara District, Shizuoka Prefecture, serving as a village council member and later village head. He learned of Christian doctrine at the Yokohama Coast Church in Yokohama, was deeply impressed, and ashamed of his sinful deeds, became a believer and was baptized by pastor Hiraiwa Yoshiyasu. He spent his later life as a Christian contributing to moral reform movements. He also participated in a memorial service for Ryōma presided over by fellow Christian Sakamoto Sunao.
In 1900, Imai responded to an interview by Yūki Reijirō, son of Christian evangelist Yūki Musaniji whom he was close to, and spoke about his involvement in the Ōmiya incident. This content was published in the Kai Newspaper, but Yūki had embellished and exaggerated the content for publication. In this testimony, Imai is portrayed as a direct perpetrator. Regarding the discrepancies with his earlier testimony, Kikuchi Akira speculates that since all the perpetrators Imai initially named, except himself, had died in the Battle of Toba–Fushimi, Imai may have intended to protect survivors like Watanabe Atsushi and Sera Toshirō. Tani Tateki, who later saw a version reprinted in a magazine, frequently stated that Imai's testimony was fake and "nothing but a means to gain fame," as it differed from Nakao's account. Therefore, at the time, Imai's testimony was not accepted as particularly credible.
Later, on December 17, 1909, in an interview with Osaka Shimpō reporter Wada Tenka, Imai gave the following statement:
Imai held a firm belief that he had acted under the orders of the then-ruling Tokugawa shogunate. To reveal the truth before those who subsequently seized power and be severely punished would be the height of folly. His statement in the 1870 court that he was merely a lookout was an act of self-defense. A close look at his statement shows it was carefully crafted not to implicate any superiors or colleagues.
In 1916, Imai Noburo suffered a stroke. After two years of illness, he died on June 25, 1918, at age 78. His posthumous Buddhist name was "Ryūtoku-in Den Shinkei Ryōgi Koji". His wife Iwa died a year and a half later, on January 25, 1920, at age 77. Her posthumous name was "Saisō-in Den Shin'ochi Shō Daishi". At Hōrin-san Jakuen-ji temple in Hakusan, Bunkyō, Tokyo, there are tombstones for his father Imai Moritane, wife Kine, Imai Noburo, wife Iwa, Noburo's eldest daughter Riu, and third daughter Tsuru.

Family

  • Great-grandfather: Imai Chōgorō, lived 75 years.
  • Great-grandmother: Unknown.
  • Grandfather: Bizaemon, lived 40 years.
  • Grandmother: Yae.
  • Father: Moritane, lived 99 years. Grave: Jakuen-ji, Hakusan, Bunkyō, Tokyo.
  • Mother: Kine, lived 83 years. Jakuen-ji.
  • Elder sister : Kei. Husband: Mori Heikichi.
  • Self : Noburo, lived 78 years. Wife: Iwa, lived 77 years. Jakuen-ji.
  • Younger brother : Nagata Morimi. Wife unknown.
  • Younger brother : Imai Nobuyoshi.
  • Younger brother : Imai Shōzō. Wife: Shige.
  • Eldest daughter: Riu, lived 85 years. Husband: Chakawa Tōkurō. Jakuen-ji.
  • Second daughter: Shizu. Husband: Yabe Heizaburō.
  • Third daughter: Tsuru, lived 64 years. Husband: Aiba Kunimatsu. Jakuen-ji.
  • Eldest son: Imai Katsu, lived 8 years.
  • Second son: Imai Nobuo. Wife: Motoko.
  • Third son: Imai Takehiko. Wife: Kunie. House of Representatives member. Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Commerce and Industry, Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Education.
  • Fourth son: Imai Moritake, Noburo's fourth son, lived 4 years.

Commemorative Activities

  • In 1877, among the writings left by Kondō Tomizō, the eldest son of bakufu Momijiyama magistrate Kondō Jūzō who had been exiled during the Bakumatsu period for certain reasons, in the Hachijō Jikki, there is a record of a six-article set of rules titled "Rules Document for Officials Assigned to Hachijō Schools by Shizuoka Prefecture Tenth Rank Imai Noburo." Imai detailed his ideals and philosophy to the teaching staff on Hachijōjima.
  • In 1881, to promote agricultural improvement within Haibara District, the Haibara District Agricultural Association was established, with Imai as its chairman. Renamed the Haibara District Agricultural Society in 1895, Imai served as chairman until 1901. Leading the agricultural societies of 16 towns and villages in the district, he implemented various policies for agricultural improvement, such as holding crop exhibitions, pest control and prevention, and encouraging powered farm tools. His attitude towards agricultural improvement was praised, and in 1910, the Greater Japan Agricultural Society awarded him an honorary certificate for his notable achievements.
  • In 1901, Imai became a school board member and was involved in the education at Iroo District's Hatsukura Jinjō Elementary School in his settlement area. The school received Shizuoka Prefecture commendations in 1910 and again in 1911. The first was for excellence in teaching and moral education; the following year, it was recognized for its activities encouraging children from poor families.
  • On October 20, 2002, local volunteers began activities to erect a stone monument to honor Imai's post-settlement achievements, as he became a village council member and later village head of Hatsukuramura. Also, on October 26–27, the "14th Hatsukura Cultural Exhibition: Imai Noburo and the Green People" displayed materials including Imai's war diaries and local histories he compiled for Haibara District and surrounding areas.
  • On October 26, 2002, Imai Noburo Fūunroku - Zehi ni Oyobazu was published. The author is former Shimada city council member Tsukamoto Shōichi, knowledgeable in local history. Contents: "The Killing of Ryōma and the Boshin War: The Moment History Moved," "Beyond the Setting Sun: Noburo's Family," "The Stature and Way of Life of Noburo," "Glory and Afterglow: Makinohara and the Last Bakufu Retainers".
  • On October 26, 2002, an exhibition titled "The 14th Hatsukura Cultural Exhibition: Imai Noburo and the Green People" was held, collecting materials Imai himself gathered, including local histories of the Hatsukura area, his pre-settlement war diaries, and the Taikei Nikki diary he kept after settlement.
  • On February 23, 2003, a stone monument honoring Imai's post-Makinohara settlement achievements was erected at the site of his residence in Sakamoto, Shimada City. A unveiling ceremony was held with Imai's great-grandson Imai Haruhiko in attendance. The volunteers who worked on the monument said they hoped to "develop the residence site into a park." The monument, using Iyo stone, is 2.6 meters high and 2.8 meters wide, carved with "Imai Noburo Residence Site," and placed in a corner of the approximately 3,000 m² site.
  • On October 10, 2018, the Hatsukura Mahoroba no Kai erected a stone statue of Imai Noburo at the Imai Noburo residence site in Sakamoto, Shimada City, holding an unveiling ceremony on October 9. Additionally, on October 29, a historical lecture-performance "The Later Life of Imai Noburo" was held at the Hatsukura Community Center. Imai moved to Hatsukura in 1878, served as chairman of the Haibara District Agricultural Society, and devoted himself to regional development; this aims to pass on his legacy. As many people from outside the prefecture visit the site, they also plan to improve walking paths in the surrounding area.
  • On January 19, 2019, the Hatsukura Mahoroba no Kai named an early-blooming cherry tree of unknown variety that blooms around New Year "Imai Sakura" and is working to propagate it. They are using rootstock from Ōshima cherry trees and propagating by grafting. Vice-chairman Ōtsuka Yasurō said, "We want to carry on the spirit of Imai, who imparted agricultural techniques to the region." In the future, they plan to plant them at the Imai Noburo residence site in Sakamoto, Shimada City, and at Shizuoka Airport, and to present seedlings to areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. Chairman Tsukamoto Shōichi said, "If they are grown in the Tōhoku region, they will surely bloom by March 11th. We hope they become a symbol of recovery".

Works

  • Ōtori Keisuke and Imai Noburo, Nanka Kikō Hokkoku Sensō Gairyaku Shōhōtai no Ki in "The Boshin War ", Tokyo: Shin Jinbutsu Ōraisha, October 1998, held at the National Diet Library, accessed July 31, 2019.

Genealogy

;Imai Family

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　┏Mori Kei━━Mori Kōhei┳Mori Takayuki
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　┃　　　　　　　　　　┗Mori Yukiko
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　┃　　　　┏Akutagawa Ryū━Akutagawa Teru
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　┃　　　　┣Yabe Shizu━┳Yabe Shin'ichirō
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　┃　　　　┃　　　　　 ┣Horiuchi Kon
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　┃　　　　┃　　　　　 ┣Yabe Toshi
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　┃　　　　┃　　　　　 ┣Morita Shun
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　┃　　　　┃　　　　　 ┗Konchū Tadashi
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　┃　　　　┣Aiba Tsuru
…Imai Chōgorō…Imai Yae━Imai Kine╋Imai Noburō╋Imai Katsu
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　┃　　　　┣Imai Nobuo━━Imai Hatsue
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　┃　　　　┣Imai Takehiko━┳Hasegawa Setsuko
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　┃　　　　┃　　　　　　 ┗Imai Yukihiko━━Imai Haruhiko
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　┃　　　　┗Imai Moritake
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　┣Nagata Morimi
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　┣Imai Nobuyoshi━Imai Tae
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　┗Imai Shōzō┳Imai Morinobu
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 ┣Imai Chō
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 ┣Imai Takejirō
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 ┣Imai Hisashi
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 ┣Imai Yutaka
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 ┣Imai Tomi
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 ┣Imai Shōzaburō
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 ┗Imai Shigeo

Portrayals