was a Japanese samurai who lived during the transition from the Edo period to the Meiji era. He is best known for his role in the assassination of à Âkubo Toshimichi.
Shimada Ichirà  was born to an ashigaru in the Kaga Domain (modern city of Kanazawa), which was later merged to the Ishikawa Prefecture by the Meiji government.
Following the death of Saigà  Takamori during the Satsuma Rebellion, a group of samurai among his sympathizers formed an antigovernment faction called Sankà Â-ji, led by Shimada. The faction began plotting the assassination of Kido Takayoshi and à Âkubo Toshimichi to avenge Saigà Â. However, the passing of Kido on May 26, 1877 shifted the focus solely on à Âkubo.
Shimada along with Chà  Tsurahide disappeared from Kanazawa in March 1878, keeping the central government on high alert. Shimada left his family with poetry, setting his motives and coming to terms with his demise.
On May 14, 1878 in Tokyo, Shimada along with six other men, dragged à Âkubo out of a carriage and cut his throat and left the body with their weapons and an explanatory note. Immediately after, they turned themselves in to a nearby palace. All were executed in July of the same year.