Moeyo Ken (燃えよ剣 , "Burn, O Sword") is a novel by Japanese author Ryōtarō Shiba. It dramatizes the life of Hijikata Toshizō, a member of the Shinsengumi, active in Japan during the bakumatsu (the end of the Tokugawa shogunate).
The novel was initially serialized from 1962 to 1964 in the Bungeishunjū weekly magazine Shūkan Bunshun. Shinchosha published the complete novel in two volumes. The action takes place in the Ōkunitama Shrine in Fuchū, along the Asa River in and near Hachiōji, in the Mibu area of Kyoto, and in Hokkaidō.
Shochiku released a 1966 film of the same title. Asahi Kurizuka played Hijikata. He repeated the role in the prime-time television jidaigeki on NET. The supporting cast included Susumu Kurobe as Nagakura Shinpachi and Shinsuke Mikimoto as Kiyokawa Hachirō.
This article incorporates material from 燃えよ剣 (Moeyo Ken) in the Japanese Wikipedia, retrieved on March 15, 2008.