| Shinsengumi | |
|---|---|
| 新選組 | |
 Flag ofShinsengumi | |
| Active | August 18, 1863 (1863-08-18) |
| Disbanded | June 23, 1869 (1869-06-23) |
| Country | Kyoto,Japan |
| Allegiance | Tokugawa bakufu |
| Branch |
|
| Type | Security agency |
| Role | Bodyguard Clandestine operation Close order formation Cordon and search Counterintelligence Counter-revolutionary Covert operation Criminal investigation Direct fire Force protection Frontal assault Hand-to-hand combat HUMINT Intelligence assessment Law enforcement Line formation Manhunt Patrolling Physical security Political warfare Public security Raiding Rearguard Reconnaissance Swordsmanship To protect theTokugawa bakufu representatives and Kyoto Tracking |
| Size | 302 |
| Colors | light blue, white |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
|
TheShinsengumi (新選組, "Newly Selected Corps") was a small secret police organization, an elite group of swordsmen organized bycommoners and low-ranking samurai, commissioned by thebakufu (military government) duringJapan'sBakumatsu period (lateTokugawa shogunate) in 1863. It was active until 1869.[1][2] It was founded to protect shogunate representatives inKyoto at a time when acontroversial imperial edict to exclude foreign trade from Japan had been made and theChōshū clan had been forced from the imperial court. They gained considerable fame from events such as theIkedaya incident and the August 18 coup, among others.[2] The members were drawn from the sword schools ofEdo.
Japan's forcedopening to the west in 1854, which required it to open its shores for trade or face military conflict, exacerbated internal political instability. One long-standing line of political opinion wassonnō jōi (meaning, "revere the emperor, expel the barbarians").[3] Loyalists (particularly inChōshū Domain) inKyoto began to rebel. In response, theTokugawa shogunate formed theRōshigumi (浪士組, "therōnin squad") on October 19, 1862. TheRōshigumi was a squad of 234rōnin (samurai without masters) drawn from the sword schools ofEdo.[4]: 168
The squad's nominal commander was thehatamotoMatsudaira Katamori, and their leader wasKiyokawa Hachirō, arōnin fromShōnai Domain. TheRōshigumi's mission was to protectTokugawa Iemochi, the 14thshōgun, during an important trip toKyoto to meet with theEmperor Kōmei.[5]: 65 There had not been such a meeting since the thirdshōgun of the Tokugawabakufu,Tokugawa Iemitsu, had visited Kyoto in the 17th century.Tokugawa Iemochi, the head of the military government, thebakufu, had been invited to discuss how Japan should enact the recent imperial edict calling for the expulsion of foreigners.[6]: 186
Although theRōshigumi was funded by the Tokugawabakufu, the leader Kiyokawa Hachirō and others had strong loyalties to the emperor and planned to gather otherrōnin in Kyoto to police the city frominsurgents. On March 26 (lunar calendar February 8), 1863, Kiyokawa led theRōshigumi out ofEdo as the vanguard ofshōgun Iemochi's procession to Kyoto, which they arrived on April 10 (lunar calendar February 23), 1863.
When Kiyokawa's scheme was revealed in Kyoto, he immediately commanded theRōshigumi to return to Edo. The members were disbanded and then returned to Edo where they would later form theShinchōgumi (新徴組) under the patronage ofShōnai Domain. However, nineteenRōshigumi members, mainly from the Mito clan, remained and formed theMibu Rōshigumi (壬生浪士組).[7]
Serizawa's faction:
Kondō's faction:
Tonouchi's faction:
Initially, theMibu Rōshigumi were calledMiburō (壬生浪), meaning "rōnin ofMibu". At the time, Mibu was a village south west of Kyoto, and was the place where they were stationed.Mibu Rōshigumi was initially formed in three factions under Serizawa (theMito group), Kondō (theShieikan group) and Tonouchi. Abiru Eisaburō later died of illness, a month after arriving in Kyoto.
Internal strife soon developed within the group, Tonouchi was assassinated by Kondō on Yojō bridge, Serizawa had ordered a member, Iesato Tsuguo, to commitseppuku for deserting, and Negishi Yūzan also deserted and returned to Edo, where he joined theShinchōgumi.
Matsudaira Katamori, after the careful evaluation of the political scene in Kyoto, felt it was needed to change the scope of theMibu Rōshigumi's mission from protecting the shogunate to patrolling the streets of Kyoto and restoring order in the name of the Tokugawabakufu. On August 18, 1863, theMibu Rōshigumi was renamed theShinsengumi.[8]
The new nameShinsengumi may have been coined by Matsudaira Katamori (thedaimyō of the Aizu clan) around this time.[9][a] The opposition forces included theMori clan of the Chōshū and theShimazu clan ofSatsuma.
TheShinsengumi were led bySerizawa Kamo (born 1830, Mino Province),Niimi Nishiki, andKondō Isami (born 1834, Musashi Province – he came from a small dojo in Edo calledShieikan). TheShinsengumi submitted a letter to the Aizu clan, another powerful group who supported the Tokugawa regime, requesting permission to police Kyoto. The request was granted.
Saeki Matasaburō, having killed Araya Shingorō, is believed to have been killed by a Chōshū samuraiKusaka Genzui on September 22, 1863.
On September 30, 1863 (lunar calendar August 18), theChōshū (anti-Tokugawa) clan were forced from the imperial court by the Tokugawa, Aizu andSatsuma clans. TheShinsengumi were sent to aid the Aizu and guard the gates of the imperial court. The opposition forces included theMori clan of the Chōshū and theShimazu clan ofSatsuma.
Serizawa's erratic and disruptive behavior in Kyoto eventually led to Matsudaira Katamori ofAizu giving theShinsengumi an order to assassinate Serizawa and his group. On October 19, 1863, Niimi Nishiki, a member of the Serizawa faction was forced by Yamanami Keisuke and Hijikata Toshizō to commit seppuku for breaking regulations. On October 30 (or October 28), a few selectedShinsengumi members led by Hijikata went into the Yagi Gennojō's house and assassinated Serizawa, his woman Oume, and Hirayama Goro, with Hirama Jūsuke being the only survivor who fled that night. All this infighting left Kondō as leader. Three months later, Noguchi Kenji was ordered to commitseppuku for an unknown reason.
On July 8, 1864, in an incident at theIkedaya Inn in Kyoto, thirtyShinsengumi suppressed a cell of twenty Chōshū revolutionaries, possibly preventing the burning of Kyoto. The incident made the squad more famous and led to soldiers enlisting in the squad.
Troop Captains (組長,Kumichō):
At its peak, theShinsengumi had about 300 members. They were the first samurai group of the Tokugawa era to allow those from non-samurai classes (farmers and merchants, for example) to join. Many joined the group out of a desire to become samurai and be involved in political affairs. However, it is a misconception that most of theShinsengumi members were from non-samurai classes. Out of 106Shinsengumi members (among a total of 302 members at the time), there were 87 samurai, eight farmers, three merchants, three medical doctors, three priests, and two craftsmen. Several of the leaders, such as Sannan, Okita, Saitō, Nagakura, and Harada, were born samurai.
The code of theShinsengumi, famously created by Hijikata Toshizō, included five articles, prohibiting deviation from the samurai code (bushido), leaving theShinsengumi, raising money privately, taking part in others' litigation, and engaging in private fights. The penalty for breaking any rule wasseppuku. In addition, if the leader of a unit was mortally wounded in a fight, all the members of the unit must fight and die on the spot and, even in a fight where the death toll was high, the unit was not allowed to retrieve the bodies of the dead, except the corpse of the leader of the unit.
The members of theShinsengumi were highly visible in battle due to their distinctive uniforms. Following the orders of theShinsengumi commanderSerizawa Kamo, the standard uniform consisted of thehaori andhakama over akimono, with a white cord called atasuki crossed over the chest and tied in the back. The function of thetasuki was to prevent the sleeves of the kimono from interfering with movement of the arms. TheShinsengumi wore a lightchainmail suit beneath their robes and a lighthelmet made of iron.
The uniform was best defined by thehaori, which was coloredasagi-iro (浅葱色, light blue). In the old days of Japan, during the ritual, the samurai committingseppuku would wear anasagi-iro kamishimo. Thus the colour, in the samurai's eyes, characterized an honourable death.[8] Thehaori sleeves were trimmed with "white mountain stripes", resulting in a very distinctive uniform.[10]
In 1867, whenTokugawa Yoshinobu withdrew from Kyoto, theShinsengumi left peacefully under the supervision of thewakadoshiyori,Nagai Naoyuki.[5]: 172–174 The new emperor had been named the head of a new government (meaning the end to centuries of military rule by theshōgun). This marked the beginning of theBoshin civil war.[4]
Following their departure from Kyoto, theShinsengumi were one of the shogunate forces fought in theBattle of Toba–Fushimi against theImperial forces consisting of allied forces ofChōshū,Satsuma andTosa in January 1868 where Kondō would suffer a gunshot wound at Fushimi during the battle.
TheShinsengumi returned to Edo, where it was later reformed into a unit known as theKōyō Chinbutai (甲陽鎮撫隊, "Pacification Corps") and departed from Edo forKōfu Castle on March 24 on orders to suppress uprisings there. However, upon receiving news on March 28 that the Kōfu Castle was taken by the Imperial forces led byItagaki Taisuke, they settled at a town of Katsunuma 5 miles (8.0 km) east of Kōfu.
On March 29, 1868, theKōyō Chinbutai resisted an attack by the Imperial forces at theBattle of Kōshū-Katsunuma for about two hours but lost, with eight dead and more than thirty wounded, while the Imperial forces had only one dead and twelve wounded. The surviving members were scattered and retreated to Edo.
Right after the Battle of Kōshū-Katsunuma,Nagakura Shinpachi,Harada Sanosuke and some of the members left theKōyō Chinbutai after disagreements with long-time comrades Kondo and Hijikata and later formed a new unitSeiheitai with a former Tokugawa retainer Haga Gidou as its commander.
On April 11, 1868, theKōyō Chinbutai departed Edo again and set up a temporary headquarters at the Kaneko family estate, northeast of Edo. They would later move to a new headquarters inNagareyama on April 25, 1868.
However, on the same day, the Imperial forces' Staff OfficerKagawa Keizō ofMito Domain received news that an armed unit had set up camp at Nagareyama and dispatched the forces there.
During their training at Nagareyama on April 26, 1868, theKōyō Chinbutai members were caught by surprise by the 200-strong Imperial forces. The Imperial forces' vice-chief of staffArima Tota ofSatsuma Domain ordered Kondō to go with them to their camp at Koshigaya. Kondō was later brought toItabashi on April 27 for questioning. Kondō was declared guilty of participation in the assassination ofSakamoto Ryōma on April 30, 1868 and was beheaded three weeks later at theItabashi execution grounds on May 17, 1868.[4]
Due to Hijikata being incapacitated as a result of the injuries sustained at theBattle of Utsunomiya Castle in May 1868, theKōyō Chinbutai fought in defense ofAizu territory underSaitō Hajime in theBattle of Shirakawa in June 1868. After theBattle of Bonari Pass in October 1868, when Hijikata decided to retreat from Aizu, Saitō and a small group ofShinsengumi parted with Hijikata and continued to fight alongside the Aizu Domain against the Imperial forces until the very end of theBattle of Aizu, where he and a handful of surviving members were apprehended and became theprisoners-of-war.
In December 1868, Hijikata and the rest of the survivingShinsengumi joined the forces of theRepublic of Ezo in the north.[5]: 217–230
TheShinsengumi numbers decreased to around one hundred in this period and they fought on despite the surrender of Edo and clear defeat of Tokugawa.[4] In theBattle of Miyako Bay on 6 May 1869, Hijikata led a daring but doomed raid to steal the imperial warshipKōtetsu, in the early morning, from theKaiten warship, a number of oppositionists, includingNomura Risaburō, managed to board the ship, but were soon mowed down by itsGatling gun. Many others including the captain ofKaiten were also killed by gunfire from the Imperial ships. The battle lasted only thirty minutes and the survivors andKaiten retreated to Hakodate.
On the fourth week of May 1869, Hijikata led 230 Republic of Ezo forces and the survivingShinsengumi against the 600 strong Imperial forces during theBattle of Futamata for sixteen hours and were forced to retreat. The Imperial forces attacked again on the next day, only to retreat. On the following night, Hijikata led a successful raid on the Imperial forces' camp, forcing them to flee. Hijikata and his forces would later retreat to Hakodate on June 10.
Hijikata was killed from a gunshot wound on June 20 (lunar calendar May 11), 1869, during theBattle of Hakodate inHokkaido. Before his death, he wrote of his loyalty to the Tokugawa on the death poem sent by his pageIchimura Tetsunosuke to the house of his brother-in-law:
Though my body may decay on the Island of Ezo,
My spirit guards my lords in the East.
— [11]
A remaining group of survivors, under the last commanderSōma Kazue, who had been underNagai Naoyuki's supervision atBenten Daiba, surrendered three days later on June 23, (lunar calendar May 14), 1869, marked the end of theShinsengumi.[5]: 246 The forces of the Republic of Ezo would later surrender on June 27, (lunar calendar May 18), 1869, which marked the end of the Boshin War.
A few core members, such as Nagakura Shinpachi, Saitō Hajime, and Shimada Kai survived the war. Some members, such asTakagi Teisaku [ja], went on to become prominent figures.[12]
In 1875, Nagakura Shinpachi, with the help of the physicianMatsumoto Ryōjun and several surviving formerShinsengumi comrades includingSaitō Hajime among others, erected the monument for Kondō Isami, Hijikata Toshizō, and the fallen comrades of theShinsengumi at Jutoku-ji temple boundary known as Graves ofShinsengumi inItabashi, Tokyo and held requiems for their past comrades' souls.
During theMeiji (1868–1912) andTaisho (1912–1926) periods, the Shinsengumi were generally unpopular. At that time, the Japanese considered theMeiji Restoration a great achievement and regarded the current system centered around Satsuma and Choshu as just. Therefore, the Shinsengumi were perceived as a foolish group resisting the Meiji Restoration. This prevailing notion began to change withKan Shimozawa's novel "Shinsengumi Shimatsuki" (1928). Furthermore, after World War II, there was a reevaluation of history among the Japanese.Ryōtarō Shiba's novel "Moeyo Ken" (1964) gained popularity, spreading empathy towards the way of life of the Shinsengumi. Today, the Shinsengumi is depicted and beloved by people through various media such as novels, movies, dramas, anime, and more.[13][10] The current anti-establishment political party in Japan,Reiwa Shinsengumi, is led by politician and actorTaro Yamamoto, star of the popular historical television drama seriesShinsengumi!.
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