Shinsengumi
Mannequins dressed in Shinsengumi outfits
The Shinsengumi (Japanese: 新選組) were a special police force of the late shogunate period.
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2 Shinsengumi Rules 3 Post-Ikedaya Shinsengumi hierarchy 4 End of the Shinsengumi 5 Television Series |
They were also called the "Mibu-ro", meaning "Wolves of Mibu", after the town where they were stationed. Originally, it meant the "Roushiss of Mibu", but this changed as the reputation of the Shinsengumi became tarnished in its early years.
After Japan opened up to Matthew Perry and the West in the 1860s, sentiment towards the Tokugawa shogunate grew negative while citizens longed for the return to power of the emperor (cf. Sonno joi). So the shogunate hired some of the greatest swordsmen of Edo, masterless samurai in Kyoto, to protect itself and counteract those who supported the emperor.
Statue of Kondo Isami at Mibu Temple
The Shinsengumi began as the Roshigumi. Later, 13 members of the Defenders became the 13 founding members of the Shinsengumi.
The original Captains of the Shinsengumi were Serizawa Kamo, Kondou Isami, and Niimi Nishigi and they based themselves in the Mibu neighborhood of Kyoto. Their job was to keep the peace in Kyoto and to stop the actions of pro-revolutionists. The reckless actions of Serizawa and Niimi, done in the name of the Shinsengumi, caused the group to be feared in Kyoto. This continued until the seppuku of Niimi and the assassination of Serizawa by key members of his own group.
Introduction
Shinsengumi Rules
Popular fiction claims that the Shinsengumi law was written by Serizawa Kamo or Kondo Isami, but it was most probably written by Hijikata Toshizou (since its strictness fits his personality more than the other leaders).
The law has five articles, which can be translated as follows:
The penalty for breaking any rule was seppuku. In addition, the Shinsengumi had these additional laws:
- If the leader of a unit is mortally wounded in a fight, all the members of the unit must fight and die on the spot.
- Even in a fight where the death toll is high, it is not allowed to retrieve the bodies of the dead, except the corpse of the leader of the unit.
It was said that the blood of Shinsengumi members flowed like water in the streets of Kyoto.
The Ikedaya Affair of 1864, in which they prevented the burning of Kyoto, made the Shinsengumi popular overnight and they had a surge of recruits. At its peak, the Shinsengumi had about 300 members.
Commander: Kondo Isami, a practitioner of the Tennen Rishin Ryu
Troop Captains:
The Shinsengumi remained loyal to the Tokugawa bakufu, and as the latter collapsed, they were driven out of Kyoto. They fought to the very end, even until when the shogunate collapsed. Kondo Isami was captured and beheaded by the Meiji government. Generally, the death of Hijikata Toshizo on May 11, 1869 marks the end of the Shinsengumi.
There were a few members, such Nagakura Shinpachi and Saitou Hajime who survived the demise of the group.
In 2004, Japanese television broadcaster NHK began a television drama series following the history of the Shinsengumi, called 新選組! (Shinsengumi!), which aired on Sunday evenings.
The historical fiction anime Peacemaker Kurogane chronicles a dramatization of the events leading up to the Ikedaya Affair.
Post-Ikedaya Shinsengumi hierarchy
Vice Commanders: Hijikata Toshizo, Yamanami Keisuke
Military Advisor: Itou Kashitarou
Spies: Shimada Kai, Yamazaki SusumuEnd of the Shinsengumi
Television Series