Shinsengumi was mentioned in Botan -peony-, my novel, but who were they? From the name, 'shinsengumi', an image of an organization might pop up in your mind. Yes, Shinsengumi was an organization. Shinsengumi was an organization built in 1863 in Kyoto, Japan. In the beginning, it was not called Shinsengumi but Roshigumi, which means 'a group of roshi'. Roshi literally means masterless samurai. As their name states, they were not samurai which was an honorable status that allowed men to serve the Shogun. Men of roshigumi were men of lower castes(merchants, farmers, fishermen.) Pic: Shinsengumi NHK Via Pinterest
Shinsengumi was led by Commander Kondo Isami, Vice-commander Hijikata Toshizo and Councillor Itou Kashitaro. Also supported by captains of units. Men of Shinsengumi were men aspiring to be samurai, hoping to be able to help their motherland. Their most renowned achievement was Ikedaya Affair. Chosu Clan did not agree with how the Shogunate handled the affair with America and other western countries. They were afraid that their motherland would be taken one day if the westerners were allowed to enter Japan. They planned to kidnap the Emperor and set the city on fire. They were still plotting and they decided to continue their plan in an inn called Ikeda(Ikedaya = Ikeda Inn). While they were having a feast, Shinsengumi came led by Kondo Isami team with Inoue team following up. Shinsengumi did not have a clear target when they went to search the city for suspicious movement. Hijikata went farther, therefore, he was late to regroup when Kondo hit the jackpot(Inoue regrouped soon as they reached Ikedaya). The battle was so fierce that they literally had the whole inn ruined. The battle lasted for an hour while the process of clearing out corpses and identifying captured rebels took hours as they returned to their headquarters in dawn. During Ikedaya Affair, there was an occurence that foreshadowed Okita Souji's death in another 4 years. Okita Souji vomitted blood which has been a topic of debate even until present. Was it truly sign of tuberculosis which later took his life or was it sign of another cause? Another thing that Shinsengumi was well-known for was their Kokuchuu Hatto or historically accurately called Gunchuu Hatto. It was their ten absolute rules made by Shinsengumi's Demon Vice-Commander Hijikata Toshizo to keep order in their organization. Violation to any of the ten rules will result in death by seppuku or also known as harakiri. Although their history spans for several years only, they worked so hard that they became an important military force for the Shogunate. They fought to protect the Shogunate from Kyoto to Edo and to Ezo. Even if they lost their comrades in battle, the continue fighting for what they believed in. Unfortunately, due to difference in military technology, the Shogunate fell and Meiji Era started. Shinsengumi perished in Boshin War. Their loyalty was remarkable and reserved a place in Japan's history.
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