Shinsengumi

Japanese:新選組 or 新撰組

Shinsengumi were special police force in Kyoto which organized by Bakufu in Bakumatsu .

Roshigumi

1862 Bakufu recruited Ronin to guard Shogun Iemochi on the occasion of visit to Kyoto. It was planned by Kiyokawa Hachiro of Shonai han. Around 200 Ronin formed Roshigumi, they headed to Kyoto in Feburuary 1863. The supervisors were Matsudaira Chikaranosuke, Udono Kyuo, Kubota Shigekatsu, Yamaoka Tesshu, Nakajo Kinnosuke, Sasaki Tadasaburo. Right after they arrived at Kyoto, Kiyokawa's conspiracy was revealed. The Roshigumi decided to return Edo except Kondo Isami's Shieikan and Serizawa Kamo's Mito group. Some other members also remained with them in Mibu village, Kyoto. In March, They named Mibu Roshigumi. The Mibu Roshigumi was hired by Aizu han the Military Commissioner of Kyoto In August, they were dispatched for the Political change on August 18. Lord Matsudaura Katamori evaluated their job and gave them new name Shinsengumi. (Some sources say the name was given by Buku Denso)

Shinsengumi

September 1863, Shieikan group purged Mito group to control over Shinsengumi. In 1864 Shinsengumi raided Ikedaya where Sonjo Roshi were planning to burn Kyoto. After following Kinmon rebellion , Shinsengumi recruited more than 200 new members with the prize money given by the Imperial court, Bakufu and Aizu han.

The new members included Ito Kashitaro group who Kondo recruited in Edo. The Shinsengumi headquarter moved to Nishi Hongan-ji from Mibu. 1867 shortly after Shinsengumi were officialy hired as Bakushin , Ito Kashitaro group were separated and formed Goryô Eji. They were assassinated.(Aburano Kôji Jiken)

Boshin War

January 1868 , Boshin war was started with the Battle of Toba-Fushimi. Shinsengumi and other Bakufu troops flighted to Edo with battleship Fujisan Maru . Shinsengumi was reorganized to Koyo Chinbutai. The Koyo Chinbutai headed to take over Kofu castle, but lost the Battle of Koshu-Katsunuma. When they returned to Edo, Nagakura Shinpachi and Harada Sanosuke left from Shinsengumi and formed Seiheitai. Kondo was captured in Nagareyama and executed at Itabashi. Okita Soji died of Tuberculosis just a month after Kondo's death. Hijikata Toshizo wounded at the Battle of Utsunomiya castle , Saito Hajime became commander of Shinsengumi at the Battle of Aizu and he decided to remain with Aizu samurai when Hijikata decided to go to Hakodate. Hijikata was shot and killed at the Battle of Hakodate and the last Shinsengumi commander Soma Kazue surrendered. He was exiled to Niijima island later.

Chronology

1863

• 2/8 Roshigumi is organized.
• 3/12 Rename to Mibu Roshigumi
• 3/25 Assassination of Tonouchi Yoshio
• 6/3 Fighting with Sumo wrethlers in Osaka.
• 8/12 Serizawa burns down Yamatoya.
• 8/18 Political change on August 18.
• 9/13 Niimi Nishiki commits seppuku.
• 9/18 Assassination of Serizawa.
• 9/25 Renamed to Shinsengumi.
• 9/26 Assassination of spies from Choshu.
• 12/27 Noguchi Kenji commits seppuku.

1864

• 6/5 Raid on Ikedaya.
• 6/10 Raid on Akebonotei.
• 7/19 Kinmon rebellion.
• 8 Nagakura petitions to Katamori.
• 10/27 Ito Kashitaro joins.

1865

• 1/8 Raid on Zenzaiya.
• 2/23 Yamanami commits seppuku.
• 3/10 Shinsengumi moves to Nishi Hongan-ji.
• 9/1 Matsubara Chuji dies.

1866

• 2/15 Kawai Kisaburo commits seppuku.
• 4/1 Tani Sanjuro dies.
• 9/12 Sanjo Seisatsu Incident.

1867

• 3/20 Ito Kashitaro and 12 other members separated.
• 6/10 All Shinsengumi members appointed to be Bakushin.
• 6/15 Shinsengumi move to Fudodo village.
• 6/22 Assassination of Takeda Kanryusai.
• 11/18 Incident at Aburanokoji.
• 12/7 Incident at Tenmaya.
• 12/18 Kondo gets shot.

1868

• 1/3 Battle of Toba-Fushimi.
• 1/5 Battle of Yodo-Senryomatsu.
• 1/5 Battle of Hashimoto.
• 1/10 Yamazaki Susumu dies in Fujisanmaru.
• 3/6 Battle of Koshu-Katsunuma.
• 3/12 Nagakura,Sano separated.
• 4/2 Shinsengumi arrive at Nagareyama.
• 4/3 Kondo captured.
• 4/12 Hijikata joins Bakufu troops.
• 4/19 Battle of Utsunomiya castle.
• 4/25 Exection of Kondo Isami at Itabashi.
• 4/25 Battle of Shirakawaguchi.
• 5/17 Harada Sanosuke dies.
• 5/30 Okita Soji dies.
• 8/21 Battle of Bonari pass.
• 10/26 Bakufu troops enter Goryokaku, Hakodate.

1869

• 4/13 First Battle of Futamataguchi.
• 4/24 Second Battle of Futamataguchi.
• 5/5 Ichimura Tetsunosuke escapes from hakodate.
• 5/11 Hijikata Toshizo killed.
• 5/14 Soma Kazue surrenders.
• 5/18 Bakufu troops surrenders. Boshin war ends.

Members

Commander

• Kondo Isami

Vice Commander

• Hijikata Toshizo

President

• Yamanami Keisuke

Staff Officer

• Ito Kashitaro

Captains

• 1.Okita Soji
• 2.Nagakura Shinpachi
• 3.Saito Hajime(Commander in the Battle of Aizu)
• 4.Matsubara Chuji
• 5.Takeda Kanryusai
• 6.Inoue Genzaburo
• 7.Tani Sanjuro
• 8.Todo HEisuke
• 9.Suzuki Mikisaburo
• 10.Harada Sanosuke

Spies,Investigators

• Yamazaki Susumu
• Asano Kaoru
• Shinohara Tainoshin
• Arai Tadao
• Hattori Takeo
• Ashiya Noboru
• Yoshimura Kanichiro
• Ogata Shuntaro(Later captain)
• Oishi Kuwajiro
• Yasutomi Saisuke

Corporals

• Shimada Kai
• Hayashi Shintaro
• Okuzawa Eisuke
• Kawashima Katsuji
• Maeno Goro
• Abe Juro
• Kazurayama Takehachiro
• Ito Tetsugoro
• Kondo Yoshisuke
• Kumebe Masachika
• Kano Washio
• Nakanishi Noboru
• Obara Kozo
• Toyama Yahei
• Nakamura Kosaburo
• Ikeda Kotaro
• Hashimoto Kaisuke
• Ibaraki Tsukasa
• Ozeki Masajiro

Accountants

• Kawai Kisaburo
• Ozeki Yashiro
• Sakai Hyogo
• Kishijima Yoshitaro

Mibu Roshigumi

• Serizawa Kamo(Commander)
• Niimi Nishiki(Commander, later Vice commander)
• Noguchi Kenji
• Hirama Jusuke
• Hirayama Goro
• Saeki Matasaburo
• Tonouchi Yoshio
• Iesato Jiro
• Negishi Yuzan
• Kasuya Shingoro
• Endo Joan
• Kamishiro Jinnnosuke
• Abiru Eisaburo
• Suzuki Chozo
• Shimizu Goichi

Other members

• Soma Kazue
• Ichimura Tetsunosuke
• Nomura Risaburo
• Yamamoto Yasohachi
• Aridoshi Kango
• Ikeda Shichisaburo
• Matsumoto Sutesuke
• Inoue Taisuke
• Nakajima Nobori
• Ono Uchu
• Mori Tsunekichi

Regulations

The Shinsengumi Regulations (Kyokuchu Hatto) were established to control the members. The regulations were first used to purge Serizawa's Mito group.

• 1.Deviating from Bushido.
• 1.Leaving the Shinsengumi.
• 1.Raising money privately.
• 1.Taking part in litigations.
• 1.Engaging in private fights.
• Anybody who breaks the rule will be ordered to commit seppuku.

Uniform

The famous blue Haori was designed from Chushingura. The pale blue color Asagi was known as the color of seppuku Kamishimo. But this Haori was used only for a year.

Shinsengumi in Fiction

Film

• Shinsengumi (新選組) 1925 (Director:Tsuji Yoshiro )
• Shinsengumi Taicho Kondo Isami (新撰組隊長近藤勇) 1928-29(Director: Inutsuka Minoru)
• Kobo Shinsengumi (興亡新選組) 1930 (Director:Ito Daisuke )
• Ikinokotta Shinsengumi (生き残った新撰組) 1932(Director:Kinugasa Teinosuke )
• Shinsengumi Hika (新撰組悲歌) 1934 (Director: Masuda Yasuo)
• Shinsengumi (新選組) 1937 (Director: Kimura Sotoji)
• Shinsengumi (新撰組) 1938 (Director: Makino Masahiro)
• Shinsengumi Kyouraku Fuun no maki (新選組 京洛風雲の巻) 1952(Director: Hagiwara Ryo )
• Shinsengumi Ikedaya Sodo (新選組 池田屋騒動) 1952(Director:Hagiwara Ryo )
• Shinsengumi Maken Ranbu(新選組 魔剣乱舞)1952(Director:Hagiwara Ryo )
• Ikedaya Sodo (池田屋騒動) 1953 (Director: Ikeda Tomiyasu)
• Shinsengumi Oni Taicho (新選組鬼隊長) 1954 (Director:Kouno Toshikazu )
• Shinsengumi (新選組) 1958 (Director: Sasaki Yasushi )
• Souretsu Shinsengumi (壮烈新選組) 1960 (Director:Sasaki Yasushi )
• Fu-un Shinsengumi (風雲新撰組) 1961 (Director:Mouri Masaki )
• Shinsengumi Keppuroku Kondo Isami (新選組血風録・近藤勇) 1963 (Director: Ozawa Shigehiro)
• Moeyo Ken (燃えよ剣) 1966 (Director: Ichimura Taiichi)(
• Shinsengumi (新選組) 1969 (Director:Sawamura Tadashi )
• Okita Soji (沖田総司) 1974 (Director: Deme Masanobu)(
• Gohatto (御法度) 1999 (Director: Oshima Nagisa)
• Shinsengumi (新撰組) 2000 (Director: Ichikawa Kon )
• When the Last Sword is Drawn (壬生義士伝) 2003

(Director: Takita Yojiro)

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