Heroes or Terrorists? A glimpse (RTK version) of Japanese history

 

Shinsengumi

For me the most exciting period of Japan was after Japan opened up to the West following U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry's visits in 1853.  It was definitely an era of political turbulence pitting Japanese against Japanese. Feudalism vs Modernization.  One political though was sonnō jōi: "Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians. Acts of murder and violence in Kyoto, the imperial capital were committed by samurai loyal to the emperor . In response the Tokugawa Shogunate formed the Roshigumi (浪士組), a group of 234 master less samurai (rōnin) led by Kiyokawa Hachirō to protect Tokugawa Iemochi, the 14th shogun who was preparing to headed to Kyoto. 

However in a twist of fate, the Rōshigumi, upon reaching Kyoto was told that there real goal was support followers of the Emperor. This caused the majority of ronins loyal to the Tokugawa regime to return to Edo while 13 of them remained in Kyoto and formed the Shinsengumi. as stated above, was funded by the Tokugawa regime. The Shinsengumi 新撰組 was originally known as the Miburo, "Ronin of Mibu, Mibu being a suburb of Kyoto where they were posted. They soon became known as the "Wolves of Mibu" 壬生浪based on early disreputable actions. The Shinsengumi members were originally also known as the Miburō meaning "ronin of Mibu", Mibu being the suburb of central Kyoto where they were stationed. However, the reputation of the Shinsengumi became tarnished quite early on, and their nickname soon changed to "Wolves of Mibu".
 

The Shinsengumi in its formative stages had its own internal conflicts in which various faction leaders were assassinated. In the final run, the Shinsengumi was controlled by Serizawa Kamo and Kondō Isami. The group was then given the task by the Aizu clan to Kyoto and counteract revolutionaries who supported the emperor against the Tokugawa shogunate.

The Chōshū clan was  forced out of the Imperial court by the Tokugawa regime comprised of Aizu and the Satsuma clan.  The Mibu group was sent to Aizu to keep Chōshū out of the imperial court by guarding its gates. This in turn created in Kyoto a power shift in the political arena in Kyoto, from the extreme anti-Tokugawa Chōshū forces to the pro-Tokugawa Aizu forces. It is believed that the name "Shinsengumi" was coined at this time for their job in guarding the gates. Shinsengumi could be translated to "Newly Selected Corps" (Shinsen 新撰 "new chosen ", gumi組 "group").

The Shinsengumi's greatest claim to fame was the Ikedaya Affair of 1864, in which they prevented the burning of Kyoto. However, their reputation had been tarnished by many reckless acts by its leaders such as Serizawa and Niimi. Rather than being viewed as keepers of peace they were feared. Niimi Nishiki, was ordered to commit seppuku (self disembowelment) by Hijikata and Yamanami. This was soon followed by Serizawa's assassination  by Kondō's faction ordered by Matsudaira Katamori.

The Shinsengumi remained loyal to the Tokugawa regime and  left Kyoto after the withdrawal of Tokugawa Yoshinobu. They were then posted as security forces in Fushimi and participated in the Battle of Toba-Fushimi. Kondō Isami was captured while fighting in the outskirts of Edo and beheaded by the Meiji government. A group of Shinsengumi men under Saitō Hajime fought in defense of the Aizu domain, and many of the others went on northward under Hijikata, joining the forces of the Republic of Ezo (Hokkaido).  1869 is seen as marking the end of the Shinsengumi.

Well, that is it in a very small nutshell. It is more interesting than this summary for sure.  In Japan the Shinsengumi is still revered and many movies, plays and novels abound about their exploits. I would recommend reading on them. I, for one, sort of see a resemblance of this group with many other groups around the world, some even labeled as terrorists. Were not the Minutemen considered terrorists by the British? Doesn't  the internal strife among the Palestinians in Gaza with the various faction transpose itself with the era Shinsengumi? Perhaps its is my imagination.

By the way, my daughter is a fan and avid follower of the current comic series based on Shinsengumi characters. Her Blog is filled with shouts of "Hijikata!!!!!" (^^) She never did like history in school!

I believe that she has already collected the entire figurine set for the series!

She is also a fan of this series. Hmmm. But then she is majoring in theatrical arts. so I guess it is a natural flow. I also heard that the job market in Japan for voice actresses is pretty slim. (**;)

To Yokohama Dojo, allow me to pass on the translation for now. ( - - ) Later perhaps.
横浜道場の皆、今回の翻訳をパッスさせてください。多分後でやりましゅー。ゴメン。ペコ