He was born Kojima Shirō in Akasaka, Edo in 1839 as the fourth son to the wealthy father Kojima Hyoma. He married Watanabe Teru, the daughter of the retainer of the Matsudaira clan in 1864. Their son, Kawajirō, was born in 1865 whom he was happy with and thought his newly born son was a gift of the divinity of Hikawa Shrine. After the Battle of Toba–Fushimi in 1868, the Sekihōtai, in which Sagara was the leader of the 1st Unit, constituted of a civilian squad made principally of farmers and merchants, was formed on February 1, 1868 at Kongōrin-ji temple in Matsuoji, Ōmi Province with the support of Saigō Takamori and Iwakura Tomomi. The group promised a reduction in taxes to the people who supported it. When Sagara was asked to return to his headquarters by the Satchōdo command, Sagara decided not to because he believed it would be too soon. As a result, the Satchōdo forces turned on his unit, and Sagara, along with seven more leaders, were arrested on March 24, 1868 by a force under the staff officerShindō Tatewaki, and later executed by decapitation at Shimosuwa Station, Nagano Prefecture on March 26, 1868. His wife Teru, upon hearing the news, entrusted her son Kawajirō to Sagara's three sisters, and committed suicide soon afterwards. Sagara was buried at Aoyama Cemetery, Akasaka, Tokyo, Japan.
Legacy
Monument
The Monument to the memory of Sagara Sōzō or the Sagara-zuka Monument was unveiled by Ochiai Naoaki in 1870.
Sagara Festival
In 1918, Sagara's grandson Kametarō Kimura received cooperation from volunteers in Shimosuwa and revived the memorial festival for Sagara and his unit.
Enshrinement
In 1928, Kimura had since restored his honor and Sagara was enshrined in Yasukuni Shrine, Tokyo by 1929.
in the manga and anime seriesRurouni Kenshin, where he is the mentor of Sagara Sanosuke, a fictional character. The character DJ Sagara of Kamen Rider Gaim is named for Sagara Sōzō. Like Sōzō, he's been secretly fielding the Beat Riders to run his own agenda against the Yggdrasil corporation.
