The was a small secret police organization, elite group of swordsmen that was organized by

commoner A commoner, also known as the ''common man'', ''commoners'', the ''common people'' or the ''masses'', was in earlier use an ordinary person in a community or nation who did not have any significant social status, especially a member of neither ...

s and low rank samurai, commissioned by the (military government) during

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Bakumatsu period were the final years of the Edo period when the Tokugawa shogunate ended. Between 1853 and 1867, under foreign diplomatic and military pressure, Japan ended its isolationist foreign policy known as and changed from a feudal Tokugawa shogunat ...

(late

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...

) in 1863. It was active until 1869. Stephane Lun (2021) "A Guide on Shinsengumi: the background and management." indle paperwhite versionRetrieved from amazon.com It was founded to protect the shogunate representatives in

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

at a time when a controversial imperial edict to exclude foreign trade from Japan had been made and the Chōshū clan had been forced from the imperial court. They gained considerable fame in the

Ikedaya incident The , also known as the Ikedaya affair or Ikedaya riot, was an armed encounter between the Shishi (organization), ''shishi'' which included masterless samurai (''rōnin'') formally employed by the Chōshū Domain, Chōshū, Tosa Domain, Tosa ...

and the August 18 coup events, among others. The men were drawn from the sword schools of

Edo Edo (), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the '' de facto'' capital of Japan from 1603 as the seat of the Tokugawa shogu ...

History

Japan's forced opening to the west in 1854, which required it to open its shores for trade or face military conflict, exacerbated internal political instability. One long-standing line of political opinion was (meaning, "revere the emperor, expel the barbarians"). Loyalists (particularly in

Chōshū Domain The , also known as the , was a domain (''han'') of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1600 to 1871.Deal, William E. (2005) ''Handbook to Life in Medieval and Early Modern Japan,'' p. 81 The Chōshū Domain was based ...

) in

began to rebel. In response, the

formed the on October 19, 1862. The was a squad of 234 (

samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...

without masters) drawn from the sword schools of

. The squad's nominal commander was the

hatamoto A was a high ranking samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa shogunate of feudal Japan. While all three of the Shōgun, shogunates in History of Japan, Japanese history had official retainers, in the two preceding ones, they were referred ...

Matsudaira Katamori Matsudaira Katamori after the Meiji restoration was a samurai who lived in Bakumatsu period and the early to mid Meiji period Japan. He was the 9th ''daimyō'' of the Aizu Domain and the Kyoto Shugoshoku (Military Commissioner of Kyoto). He ...

, and their leader was Kiyokawa Hachirō, a from

Shōnai Domain was a Han (Japan), feudal domain in Edo period Japan, located in Dewa Province (modern-day Yamagata Prefecture), Japan. It was centered on Tsuruoka Castle in what is now the city of Tsuruoka, Yamagata, Tsuruoka in Yamagata Prefecture, and was t ...

. The 's mission was to protect

Tokugawa Iemochi (17 July 1846 – 29 August 1866) was the 14th '' shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, who held office from 1858 to 1866. During his reign there was much internal turmoil as a result of the "re-opening" of Japan to western nations. I ...

, the 14th , during an important trip to

to meet with the

Emperor Kōmei Osahito (22 July 1831 – 30 January 1867), posthumously honored as Emperor Kōmei, was the 121st emperor of Japan, according to the List of Emperors of Japan, traditional order of succession.Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')孝明天皇 ...

.Oishi M. ''Shinsengumi: Saigo no Bushi no Jitsuzō''. Shin Jinbutsu Oraisha, Tokyo, 2004. There had not been such a meeting since the third of the Tokugawa ,

Tokugawa Iemitsu was the third ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate, Tokugawa dynasty. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Hidetada with Oeyo, and the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Lady Kasuga was his wet nurse, who acted as his political adviser and was at the ...

, had visited Kyoto in the 17th century.

, the head of the military government, the , had been invited to discuss how Japan should enact the recent imperial edict calling for the expulsion of foreigners. Although the was funded by the Tokugawa , the leader Kiyokawa Hachirō and others had strong loyalties to the emperor and planned to gather other in Kyoto to police the city from

insurgent An insurgency is a violent, armed rebellion by small, lightly armed bands who practice guerrilla warfare against a larger authority. The key descriptive feature of insurgency is its asymmetric nature: small irregular forces face a large, well ...

s. On March 26 (

lunar calendar A lunar calendar is a calendar based on the monthly cycles of the Moon's phases ( synodic months, lunations), in contrast to solar calendars, whose annual cycles are based on the solar year, and lunisolar calendars, whose lunar months are br ...

February 8), 1863, Kiyokawa led the out of

as the vanguard of Iemochi's procession to Kyoto, which they arrived on April 10 (lunar calendar February 23), 1863.

When Kiyokawa's scheme was revealed in Kyoto, he immediately commanded the to return to Edo. The members were disbanded and then returned to Edo where they would later form the under the patronage of

. However, nineteen members, mainly from the Mito clan, remained and formed the .

Founding members

Serizawa's faction: *

Serizawa Kamo Serizawa Kamo (芹沢鴨; September 2, 1826 – October 30, 1863) was a samurai known for being the original lead commander of the Shinsengumi. He trained in and received a licence in the Shindō Munen-ryū. "Kamo" means goose or duck in Japane ...

* Niimi Nishiki * Hirayama Gorō * Hirama Jūsuke * Noguchi Kenji * Araya Shingorō * Saeki Matasaburō Kondō's faction: *

Kondō Isami was a Japanese swordsman and samurai of the late Edo period. He was the fourth generation master of Tennen Rishin-ryū and was famed for his role as commander of the Shinsengumi. Background He was born Miyagawa Katsugorō to a farmer Miyagawa ...

Hijikata Toshizō was a Japanese swordsman of the ''Bakumatsu'' period and of the ''Shinsengumi''. As Vice-Commander, he served the Tokugawa Shogunate and co-led his group in its resistance against the imperial rule brought about by the Meiji Restoration. He ...

Inoue Genzaburō was born in Hino, Tokyo. He was the captain of the sixth unit of the Shinsengumi which were a special police force for the Tokugawa regime. Inoue was the oldest unit captain of the Shinsengumi. Like his older brother, Inoue Matsugoro, Inoue Ge ...

Okita Sōji was a Japanese samurai and the captain of the first unit of the Shinsengumi, a special police force in Kyoto during the late shogunate period. He was one of the best swordsmen of the Shinsengumi. Background He was born in 1842 or 1844 from a s ...

Nagakura Shinpachi was the captain of the 2nd troop of the Shinsengumi, He was later known as during the Meiji era. History Early life Nagakura Shinpachi Noriyuki, known as Eikichi or Eiji during his childhood, was born in the Matsumae clan's "kami-yashiki" (up ...

* Saitō Hajime *

Harada Sanosuke was a Japanese warrior (''samurai'') who lived in the late Edo period. He was the 10th unit captain of the Shinsengumi, and died during the Boshin War. Background Harada was born to a family of ''chūgen (samurai), chūgen'', or low-ranking qua ...

Tōdō Heisuke was a samurai of Japan's late Edo period who served as the eighth unit captain of the Shinsengumi. His full name was ''Tōdō Heisuke Fujiwara no Yoshitora''. Background Tōdō was from Edo, Musashi Province (now Tokyo). Very little is known abo ...

Yamanami Keisuke was a Japanese samurai. He was the General Commander (総長, Sōchō) of the Shinsengumi, a special police force in Kyoto during the late Edo period. Background Though the details of his origin are unclear, he was thought to be the son of a ...

Tonouchi's faction: * Tonouchi Yoshio * Iesato Tsuguo * Abiru Eisaburō * Negishi Yūzan Initially, the were called , meaning " of Mibu". At the time, Mibu was a village south west of Kyoto, and was the place where they were stationed. was initially formed in three factions under Serizawa (the group), Kondō (the group) and Tonouchi. Abiru Eisaburō later died of illness, a month after arriving in Kyoto. Internal strife soon developed within the group, Tonouchi was assassinated by Kondō on Yojō bridge, Serizawa had ordered a member, Iesato Tsuguo, to commit for deserting, and Negishi Yūzan also deserted and returned to Edo, where he joined the .

, after the careful evaluation of the political scene in Kyoto, felt it was needed to change the scope of the 's mission from protecting the shogunate to patrolling the streets of Kyoto and restoring order in the name of the Tokugawa . On August 18, 1863, the was renamed the . Stephane Lun (2021) "A Guide on Shinsengumi: the background and management." The new name may have been coined by Matsudaira Katamori (the of the Aizu clan) around this time. The opposition forces included the Mori clan of the Chōshū and the

Shimazu clan The were the ''daimyō'' of the Satsuma han, which spread over Satsuma, Ōsumi and Hyūga provinces in Japan. The Shimazu were identified as one of the '' tozama'' or outsider ''daimyō'' familiesAppert, Georges ''et al.'' (1888). in contr ...

Satsuma Satsuma may refer to: * Satsuma (fruit), a citrus fruit * ''Satsuma'' (gastropod), a genus of land snails Places Japan * Satsuma, Kagoshima, a Japanese town * Satsuma District, Kagoshima, a district in Kagoshima Prefecture * Satsuma Domain, a ...

. The were led by

( 1830, Mino Province), Niimi Nishiki, and

( 1834, Musashi Province – he came from a small dojo in Edo called ). The submitted a letter to the Aizu clan, another powerful group who supported the Tokugawa regime, requesting permission to police Kyoto. The request was granted. Saeki Matasaburō, having killed Araya Shingorō, is believed to have been killed by a Chōshū samurai Kusaka Genzui on September 22, 1863. On September 30, 1863 (lunar calendar August 18), the Chōshū (anti-Tokugawa) clan were forced from the imperial court by the Tokugawa, Aizu and

clans. The were sent to aid the Aizu and guard the gates of the imperial court. The opposition forces included the Mori clan of the Chōshū and the

. Serizawa's erratic and disruptive behavior in Kyoto eventually led to Matsudaira Katamori of

Aizu is the westernmost of the three regions of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, the other two regions being Nakadōri in the central area of the prefecture and Hamadōri in the east. As of October 1, 2010, it had a population of 291,838. The princ ...

giving the an order to assassinate Serizawa and his group. On October 19, 1863, Niimi Nishiki, a member of the Serizawa faction was forced by Yamanami Keisuke and Hijikata Toshizō to commit seppuku for breaking regulations. On October 30 (or October 28), a few selected members led by Hijikata went into the Yagi Gennojō's house and assassinated Serizawa, his woman Oume, and Hirayama Goro, with Hirama Jūsuke being the only survivor who fled that night. All this infighting left Kondō as leader. Three months later, Noguchi Kenji was ordered to commit for an unknown reason. On July 8, 1864, in an incident at the Ikedaya Inn in Kyoto, thirty suppressed a cell of twenty Chōshū revolutionaries, possibly preventing the burning of Kyoto. The incident made the squad more famous and led to soldiers enlisting in the squad.

Squad hierarchy after Ikedaya

* :

, fourth master of the Tennen Rishin-ryū * :

* :

* : Itō Kashitarō * Spies: Shimada Kai and Yamazaki Susumu. : *

(instructor in

Kenjutsu is an umbrella term for all ('' ko-budō'') schools of Japanese swordsmanship, in particular those that predate the Meiji Restoration. Some modern styles of kendo and iaido that were established in the 20th century also included modern forms o ...

). *

(instructor in

). * Saitō Hajime (instructor in

). * Matsubara Chūji (instructor in

Jujutsu Jujutsu ( , or ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu (both ), is a Japanese martial art and a system of close combat that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdue one or more weaponless or armed and armored opponent ...

). * Takeda Kanryūsai (instructor in military strategies). *

* Tani Sanjūrō (instructor in spearing skills). *

* Suzuki Mikisaburō *

Members of the group

At its peak, the had about 300 members. They were the first samurai group of the Tokugawa era to allow those from non-samurai classes (farmers and merchants, for example) to join. Many joined the group out of a desire to become samurai and be involved in political affairs. However, it is a misconception that most of the members were from non-samurai classes. Out of 106 members (among a total of 302 members at the time), there were 87 samurai, eight farmers, three merchants, three medical doctors, three priests, and two craftsmen. Several of the leaders, such as Sannan, Okita, Saitō, Nagakura, and Harada, were born samurai.

regulations

The code of the , famously created by Hijikata Toshizō, included five articles, prohibiting deviation from the samurai code (), leaving the , raising money privately, taking part in others' litigation, and engaging in private fights. The penalty for breaking any rule was . In addition, if the leader of a unit was mortally wounded in a fight, all the members of the unit must fight and die on the spot and, even in a fight where the death toll was high, the unit was not allowed to retrieve the bodies of the dead, except the corpse of the leader of the unit.

Uniform

The members of the were highly visible in battle due to their distinctive uniforms. Following the orders of the commander

, the standard uniform consisted of the and over a

kimono The is a traditional Japanese garment and the national dress of Japan. The kimono is a wrapped-front garment with square sleeves and a rectangular body, and is worn Garment collars in hanfu#Youren (right lapel), left side wrapped over ri ...

, with a white cord called a crossed over the chest and tied in the back. The function of the was to prevent the sleeves of the kimono from interfering with movement of the arms. The wore a light

chainmail Mail (sometimes spelled maille and, since the 18th century, colloquially referred to as chain mail, chainmail or chain-mail) is a type of armour consisting of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh. It was in common milita ...

suit beneath their robes and a light

helmet A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protecti ...

made of iron. The uniform was best defined by the , which was colored . In the old days of Japan, during the ritual, the samurai committing would wear an . Thus the colour, in the samurai's eyes, characterized an honourable death. The sleeves were trimmed with "white mountain stripes", resulting in a very distinctive uniform.

Boshin War

In 1867, when

Tokugawa Yoshinobu Kazoku, Prince was the 15th and last ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. He was part of a movement which aimed to reform the aging shogunate, but was ultimately unsuccessful. He resigned his position as shogun in late 1867, while ai ...

withdrew from Kyoto, the left peacefully under the supervision of the , Nagai Naoyuki. The new emperor had been named the head of a new government (meaning the end to centuries of military rule by the ). This marked the beginning of the Boshin civil war. Following their departure from Kyoto, the were one of the shogunate forces fought in the

Battle of Toba–Fushimi The occurred between pro-Imperial and Tokugawa shogunate forces during the Boshin War in Japan. The battle started on 27 January 1868 (or fourth year of Keiō, first month, 3rd day, according to the lunar calendar), when the forces of the sho ...

against the Imperial forces consisting of allied forces of Chōshū,

and Tosa in January 1868 where Kondō would suffer a gunshot wound at Fushimi during the battle.

The returned to Edo, where it was later reformed into a unit known as the and departed from Edo for Kōfu Castle on March 24 on orders to suppress uprisings there. However, upon receiving news on March 28 that the Kōfu Castle was taken by the Imperial forces led by

Itagaki Taisuke Kazoku, Count Itagaki Taisuke (板垣退助, 21 May 1837 – 16 July 1919) was a Japanese samurai, politician, and leader of the Freedom and People's Rights Movement (自由民権運動, ''Jiyū Minken Undō''), which evolved into Japan's firs ...

, they settled at a town of Katsunuma east of Kōfu. On March 29, 1868, the resisted an attack by the Imperial forces at the

Battle of Kōshū-Katsunuma The took place between pro-Imperial and Tokugawa shogunate forces during the Boshin War in Japan. The battle followed the Battle of Toba–Fushimi on 29 March 1868 (Gregorian calendar). Prelude After defeating the forces of the Tokugawa shogu ...

for about two hours but lost, with eight dead and more than thirty wounded, while the Imperial forces had only one dead and twelve wounded. The surviving members were scattered and retreated to Edo. Right after the Battle of Kōshū-Katsunuma,

and some of the members left the after disagreements with long-time comrades Kondo and Hijikata and later formed a new unit with a former Tokugawa retainer Haga Gidou as its commander. On April 11, 1868, the departed Edo again and set up a temporary headquarters at the Kaneko family estate, northeast of Edo. They would later move to a new headquarters in

Nagareyama Nagareyama City Hall is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 211,620 in 89,751 households and a population density of 6,000 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Nagareyama is ...

on April 25, 1868. However, on the same day, the Imperial forces' Staff Officer Kagawa Keizō of

Mito Domain was a Japanese domain of the Edo period. It was associated with Hitachi Province in modern-day Ibaraki Prefecture.Arima Tota of

Satsuma Domain The , briefly known as the , was a Han system, domain (''han'') of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1600 to 1871. The Satsuma Domain was based at Kagoshima Castle in Satsuma Province, the core of the modern city of ...

ordered Kondō to go with them to their camp at Koshigaya. Kondō was later brought to

Itabashi is a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. In English, it is called Itabashi City. Itabashi has sister-city relations with Burlington, Ontario, in Canada; Shijingshan District of Beijing in the People's Republic of China; and Bolog ...

on April 27 for questioning. Kondō was declared guilty of participation in the assassination of

Sakamoto Ryōma was a Japanese ''samurai'', a '' shishi'' and influential figure of the ''Bakumatsu,'' and establishment of the Empire of Japan in the late Edo period. Sakamoto was a low-ranking ''samurai'' from the Tosa Domain on Shikoku and became an acti ...

on April 30, 1868 and was beheaded three weeks later at the Itabashi execution grounds on May 17, 1868.

Battle of Aizu

Due to Hijikata being incapacitated as a result of the injuries sustained at the

Battle of Utsunomiya Castle The took place between pro-imperial and Tokugawa shogunate forces during the Boshin War in Japan in May 1868. It occurred as the troops of the Tokugawa shogunate were retreating north towards Nikkō and Aizu. Background In early spring 1868, ...

in May 1868, the fought in defense of

territory under Saitō Hajime in the Battle of Shirakawa in June 1868. After the Battle of Bonari Pass in October 1868, when Hijikata decided to retreat from Aizu, Saitō and a small group of parted with Hijikata and continued to fight alongside the Aizu Domain against the Imperial forces until the very end of the

Battle of Aizu The Battle of Aizu () was fought in northern Japan from October to November in autumn 1868, and was part of the Boshin War. History Aizu was known for its martial skill, and maintained at any given time a standing army of over 5000. It was oft ...

, where he and a handful of surviving members were apprehended and became the

prisoners-of-war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

Joining with the Republic of Ezo

In December 1868, Hijikata and the rest of the surviving joined the forces of the

Republic of Ezo The was a short-lived separatist state established in 1869 on the island of Ezo, now Hokkaido, by a part of the former military of the Tokugawa shogunate at the end of the ''Bakumatsu'' period in Japan. It was the first government to attempt t ...

in the north. The numbers decreased to around one hundred in this period and they fought on despite the surrender of Edo and clear defeat of Tokugawa. In the Battle of Miyako Bay on 6 May 1869, Hijikata led a daring but doomed raid to steal the imperial warship , in the early morning, from the warship, a number of oppositionists, including Nomura Risaburō, managed to board the ship, but were soon mowed down by its

Gatling gun The Gatling gun is a rapid-firing multiple-barrel firearm invented in 1861 by Richard Jordan Gatling of North Carolina. It is an early machine gun and a forerunner of the modern electric motor-driven rotary cannon. The Gatling gun's operatio ...

. Many others including the captain of were also killed by gunfire from the Imperial ships. The battle lasted only thirty minutes and the survivors and retreated to Hakodate. On the fourth week of May 1869, Hijikata led 230 Republic of Ezo forces and the surviving against the 600 strong Imperial forces during the Battle of Futamata for sixteen hours and were forced to retreat. The Imperial forces attacked again on the next day, only to retreat. On the following night, Hijikata led a successful raid on the Imperial forces' camp, forcing them to flee. Hijikata and his forces would later retreat to Hakodate on June 10.

End of the

Hijikata was killed from a gunshot wound on June 20 (

May 11), 1869, during the

Battle of Hakodate The was fought in Japan from December 4, 1868 to June 27, 1869, between the remnants of the Tokugawa shogunate army, consolidated into the armed forces of the rebel Ezo Republic, and the armies of the newly formed Imperial government (composed ...

Hokkaido is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...

. Before his death, he wrote of his loyalty to the Tokugawa on the death poem sent by his page

Ichimura Tetsunosuke was a Japanese member of the Shinsengumi and Hijikata Toshizō's page. Although commonly believed to be a fictional character, Ichimura Tetsunosuke was a real member of the Shinsengumi. History Born in 1854, Tetsunosuke was the third son of ...

to the house of his brother-in-law: A remaining group of survivors, under the last commander Sōma Kazue, who had been under Nagai Naoyuki's supervision at Benten Daiba, surrendered three days later on June 23, (

May 14), 1869, marked the end of the . The forces of the Republic of Ezo would later surrender on June 27, (

May 18), 1869, which marked the end of the Boshin War. A few core members, such as Nagakura Shinpachi, Saitō Hajime, and Shimada Kai survived the war. Some members, such as , went on to become prominent figures.

Monument

In 1875, Nagakura Shinpachi, with the help of the physician Matsumoto Ryōjun and several surviving former comrades including Saitō Hajime among others, erected the monument for Kondō Isami, Hijikata Toshizō, and the fallen comrades of the at Jutoku-ji temple boundary known as Graves of in

, Tokyo and held requiems for their past comrades' souls.

In popular culture

During the Meiji (1868–1912) and Taisho (1912–1926) periods, the Shinsengumi were generally unpopular. At that time, the Japanese considered the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

a great achievement and regarded the current system centered around Satsuma and Choshu as just. Therefore, the Shinsengumi were perceived as a foolish group resisting the Meiji Restoration. This prevailing notion began to change with

Kan Shimozawa was a Japanese novelist and historical writer best known for originating the character Zatoichi. He was awarded the Kikuchi Kan Prize in 1962 for a series of works set at the end of the Tokugawa period and the Meiji era. Biography Kan Shimozawa w ...

's novel "Shinsengumi Shimatsuki" (1928). Furthermore, after World War II, there was a reevaluation of history among the Japanese.

Ryōtarō Shiba , also known as , was a Japanese author. He is best known for his novels about historical events in Japan and on the Northeast Asian sub-continent, as well as his historical and cultural essays pertaining to Japan and its relationship to the r ...

's novel "

Moeyo Ken 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 1 ...

" (1964) gained popularity, spreading empathy towards the way of life of the Shinsengumi. Today, the Shinsengumi is depicted and beloved by people through various media such as novels, movies, dramas, anime, and more. The current anti-establishment political party in Japan,

Reiwa Shinsengumi is a Progressivism, progressive and left-wing populist List of political parties in Japan, political party in Japan founded by actor-turned-politician Taro Yamamoto in April 2019. The party was formed by left-wing members of the Liberal Party ( ...

, is led by politician and actor Taro Yamamoto, star of the popular historical television drama series . *The have often been adapted in television drama, for example ('', its birth to end'') (TBS, 1961); and (NTV, 1967). In 2004, the Japanese television broadcaster

NHK , also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee. NHK ope ...

made a year-long television drama series following the history of the , called , which aired on Sunday evenings. *An early film, ''The Legend of '' (1963) was based on a 1928 novel of the same name.Dougill J
"Kyoto: a cultural history".
Oxford University Press, 2006 p. 171. . * In 1969, a full-length film, '' : Assassins of Honour'', starring

Toshiro Mifune was a Japanese actor and producer. The recipient of numerous awards and accolades over a lengthy career, he is widely considered one of the greatest actors of all time. He often played hypermasculine characters and was noted for his commandin ...

was released. It depicted the rise and fall of the . * The main characters of were named after the Shinsengumi. * The 1999 film ''

Taboo A taboo is a social group's ban, prohibition or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, offensive, sacred or allowed only for certain people.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...

'' () depicted the one year after the Ikedaya affair. The film shows the 's strict code and acceptance of homosexuality among the samurai members. * In 2003, a Japanese

drama, '' When the Last Sword Is Drawn'', depicted the end of the , focusing on various historical figures such as Saitō Hajime. * Manga artist

Nobuhiro Watsuki , better known by his pen name , is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for his samurai-themed series '' Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story'' (1994–1999), which has over 70 million copies in circulation, and a sequel he is cur ...

is a self-proclaimed fan of the and many of his characters in are based on its members, including

Sagara Sanosuke is a fictional character from the ''Rurouni Kenshin'' manga and anime series created by Nobuhiro Watsuki. In the English anime adaptations he is known as Sanosuke Sagara and nicknamed Sano. Watsuki, being a fan of the Shinsengumi, created Sano ...

(inspired by Harada Sanousuke); Shinomori Aoshi (modeled after Hijikata Toshizō);

Seta Sōjirō , addressed as Sojiro Seta in the English anime, is a fictional character from the ''Rurouni Kenshin'' manga series created by Nobuhiro Watsuki. He is Shishio Makoto's 16-year-old right-hand man. Sōjirō has been favorably popular with the ''Ru ...

(based on Okita Souji); and Saitō Hajime. *The 2003

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

, or ''Goodbye '' by Kenji Morita depicted the life of Hijikata Toshizō. The manga presents a fictional tale of a girl joining the in disguise and falling in love with Okita Soji. * The manga ''

Peacemaker Kurogane is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nanae Chrono. It is unrelated to the ''Peace Maker'' manga by Ryōji Minagawa. The story begins in 19th century Japan before the Meiji Restoration, a chain of events that led to enormo ...

'' by Nanae Chrono is a historical fiction taking place during the end of the Tokugawa period, following a young boy.

, who tries to join the . *The anime series '' Soar High! Isami'' features three 5th graders who are fictional descendants of the and they fight against the evil organization, the Black Goblin. *The game series/anime series/anime movie franchise (, ) follows a girl, looking for her lost father (a doctor who worked with the ). The premise mixes supernatural elements and fictional enemies and historical events. The characters are fictionalized adaptations of the real members and retain their real names throughout the show. * (2015) is a

free-to-play "Free-to-play" ("F2P" or "FtP") video games are games that give players access to a significant portion of their content for free. The term "free-to-play business model" or simply, "free-to-play model", refers collectively to business models tha ...

collectible card browser video game developed by

Nitroplus Nitroplus Co., Ltd., currently styled as NITRO PLUS, formerly stylized as nitro+, and formerly known as "OKStyle", is a Japanese visual novel video game developer that has developed a number of visual novels, including eroge. They have also coll ...

and DMM Games. It has spawned multiple different anime series, (2016) and (2018), both for a younger audience, as well as the more sophisticated (2017). In the universe, the legendary swords, spears, and guns of famous warriors from Japan's feudal past are granted human form and come to life in a swashbuckling historical adventure. The swords of heroes like Okita Souji, Hijikata Toshizo, and Isami Kondo are featured. One of the most prominent characters in is Hijikata's long sword, which bore the name Izuminokami Kanesada. *The 2004 video game , which was developed by Genki and published by

Konami , commonly known as Konami, , is a Japanese multinational entertainment company and video game developer and video game publisher, publisher headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo. The company also produces and distributes trading card ...

, is based on the . *In March 2012, a stand-alone expansion for '' Total War: Shogun 2'' set during the Boshin War was released. '' Fall of the Samurai'' features the as recruitable agents used for assassination and bribery, and as an elite combat unit capable of fighting both at range and in melee. * ''

'' is a video game and also an anime series about girl members of the . * ("Burn My Sword") is the name of a famous 1964 novel by

about the

Boshin War The , sometimes known as the Japanese Revolution or Japanese Civil War, was a civil war in Japan fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and a coalition seeking to seize political power in the name of the Impe ...

(1868 to 1869 CE) from the point of view of Hijikata Toshizō. It is regarded by fans as the 'bible' of fiction and was the first literary work to focus on Hijikata; previously, stories tended to focus on the commander Isami Kondo. Shiba also published short stories about the . His fiction has not yet been translated into English; it is available in Japanese and Chinese. * Japanese television period drama was broadcast on

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as , and better known as , is a Japanese television station serving the Kanto region as the flagship station of the All-Nippon News Network. It is owned-and-operated by the a subsidiary of , itself controlled by ...

in 1998. *The appear in the mobile game ''

Fate/Grand Order is a free-to-play Japanese gacha game, gacha mobile game, developed by Lasengle (formerly Delightworks) using Unity (game engine), Unity, and published by Aniplex, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment Japan. The game is based on Type-Moon' ...

'' as one of two teams players can side with during the GUDAGUDA 2: Meiji Restoration event. Members of this team include Servant versions of Okita Souji and Hijikata Toshizo, which are both limited Servants. is also the name of Toshizo's Noble Phantasm, which gets much stronger as his HP gets lower. Furthermore, in GUDAGUDA 5: Yamanataikoku, servant versions of 3 other members, Saitou Hajime, Keisuke Yamanami and Serizawa Kamo, are introduced, with Saitou Hajime and Keisuke Yamanami being currently playable. * The feature heavily in the plot of the 2014 video game . In this game, main protagonist Sakamoto Ryoma, a 19th-century

doppelgänger A doppelgänger ( ), sometimes spelled doppelgaenger or doppelganger, is a ghostly double of a living person, especially one that haunts its own fleshly counterpart. In fiction and mythology, a doppelgänger is often portrayed as a ghostly or p ...

of main series protagonist

Kazuma Kiryu is a fictional character and the initial main protagonist of Sega's action-adventure beat 'em up Japanese role-playing game franchise '' Yakuza / Like a Dragon''. He is popularly known as due to the tattoo of a dragon on his back and him origina ...

, becomes the group's third unit captain under the alias of Saito Hajime. *The appears in the app . Players are confrontations to members by Koi Koi. * In the manga ''

Golden Kamuy is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Satoru Noda. It was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine ''Weekly Young Jump'' from August 2014 to April 2022, with its chapters collected in 31 volumes. The story follows Saich ...

'' and its anime adaptation, Hijikata appears as the leader of one of the contending groups trying to locate a cache of gold on Hokkaido soon after the Russo-Japanese War. He would have been in his seventies at the time the story takes place. * The manga and anime ''

Gintama is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hideaki Sorachi. It was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from December 2003 to September 2018, later in '' Jump Giga'' from December 2018 ...

'' features its own alternate reality version of the Shinsengumi as regular characters, including members with surnames such as Kondo, Hijikata, and Okita. * The manga and anime '' The Blue Wolves of Mibu'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tsuyoshi Yasuda. *In 2024, Toei produced a television drama based on the 1963 Shinsengumi manga by

Osamu Tezuka Osamu Tezuka (, born , ''Tezuka Osamu'', – 9 February 1989) was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist and animator. Considered to be among the greatest and most influential cartoonists of all time, his prolific output, pioneering techniques an ...

titled: With You I Bloom: The Shinsengumi Youth Chronicle starring Oku Tomoya and Maeda Kentaro in the leads. The story revolves around two fictional Shinsengumi soldiers Fukakusa Kyujuro and Kamagiri Daisaku. After his father is killed at the hands of the choshu, Kyujuro joins the Shinsengumi to improve his sword skills and avenge his death. At the entrance exam, he meets Daisaku, a promising newcomer with excellent sword skills. Although the two develop a passionate friendship, they are at the mercy of the times and are destined to have to kill each other. This drama also features fictional versions of historical figures such as Kondo Isami,

Hijikata Toshizo Hijikata (written: 土方) is a Japanese surname, and may refer to: * Hisaakira Hijikata (1870–1942), Japanese businessman * Kensuke Hijikata (born 1922), Japanese photographer * Rinky Hijikata (born 2001), Australian tennis player * Ryuji Hijika ...

, Okita Soji,

, Saito Hajime,

and Sakamoto Ryoma.https://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/kimiyuki/

Notes

References

External links

SHINSENGUMI
新選組 Shinsengumi Website
Hajimenokizu
A site dedicated to Saitou Hajime and the Shinsengumi in various fictional and historical incarnations.
Samurai archives – Shinsengumi
{{Authority control Boshin War Japanese warriors Meiji Restoration Defunct law enforcement agencies of Japan 1863 establishments in Japan Japanese words and phrases