It is quite proper to say that the real men back in the Bakumatsu who were known as the Shinsengumi started it all. They helped Japan turn it’s page into a new Era and propelled people’s imaginations in our own time. Please make sure to sign up to show appreciation and admiration for the real men who fought their way through the tumultuous period in Japan’s history, making a name for themselves, living their lives in the spirit of Makoto (sincerity) and how they still touch the lives of people today.

For those who do not know, the Shinsengumi were a group of men from many walks of life, from the farmer, ronin and samurai whose charter members like Kondou, Hijikata, Okita, Harada, Saitou, Nagakura and Inoue hailed from Edo particularly from a dojo named Shieikan practicing the Tennen Rishin Ryu. They traveled to Kyoto to serve the Shogun as the Roshigumi and along with Serizawa and his men splintered from the group ill-formed by Kiyokawa Hachiro who deceived them. They stayed in Mibu village and was later on regarded as the Miburo. Some describe their formation as a result of misgovernment in the part of the Bakufu and they were not conferred with great responsibility nor high expectations but in time they proved themselves more than a worthy and useful group able to serve the Bakufu under the patronage of the Kyoto Protector Matsudaira Katamori.  From peasants and low ranking samurai they will rise above the ranks shall be conferred with the rank of Hatamoto, direct retainers of the Shogun.

Their story whether in fiction and in history is a very moving one.  From their formation in the early parts to their end in Hokkaido and those who lived on through the Meiji Era, they were men who faced adversity and challenges with the utmost dignity. To learn more about the Shinsengumi please visit our Shinsengumi Shrine.