#roshigumi

[lightmelodyva]

I finally know the events of the Roshigumi in Hakuoki and uh..yeah Haruka is gonna be there for at least this part.

This part kinda hurts my soul with Ibuki.

[newty]

breathes. i will not be an insufferable know-it-all about the bakumatsu game coming out. i will not complain about every mistranslation and oversimplification. i will be happy that i am getting expansive bakumatsu content instead of expecting fidelity from a piece of media presented to the west as a Waow Samurai Ancient Japan Honor Slashy Killy You Can Go To The Brothels Btw (Wink) Dudebro Dream. i will not

[nyaa]

Japanese swordswoman Nakazawa Koto (1839-1927)

In 1863, dressed as a man, she accompanied her brother Sadamasa to Kyoto. Together they joined the Roshigumi, a group protecting the Tokugawa shogun part of the Kyoto defenders group led by Kiyokawa Heihachiro. Koto was tall for a woman at 170cm. In the Edo period, the average height in Japan was 155cm for men and 143cm for women. Even in the modern world, 170cm is quite tall for a woman, so she was surprisingly tall for the time, which contributed to her successful disguise as a man. She was also rather beautiful.  It was said that:  “When Koto dresses as a man, many women fall in love with her. When Koto dresses as a woman, many men fall in love with her. ” 

via

[prinzrupprecht]

Dating Okita Souji HCs

Yayy more Okita. Making different borders this time.

TW: none!

Takes place during his time. Not Valhalla.

You met him when you were nine years old right around the time when Kondo took him in as his own adoptive son. He grew attached to you real quick when you showed him kindness. Even offering to share your room with him when you were kids.

Over the years he became protective and follows you if you leave the mibu roshigumi base.

Hates it when others makes comments about you, whether bad or even compliments. He does get jealous but is more reserved with his feelings

He refuses to leave your side if you’re being told to run an errand.

You’re constantly clouding his mind whenever you’re not with him. The same can be said for you whenever he is out protecting Kyoto citizens.

You worry as much for him as he did for you.

He would only sit next to you during meetings with the other mibu roshigumi members.

If you ignore him, he would get agitated or give you space if you want it even if he prefers not to leave you alone.

The both of you shared a few stray cats and always took care of them together.

When you gotten hurt badly by a few assassins from the Satsuma clan, he would neglect his duties and stay by your bedside. Even Kondo was understanding considering he nearly raised the two of you.

He hates when you joke about going back to Edo to avoid the Bakumatsu war. Nonetheless, you would always stay by his side no matter what.

Even his friends wouldn’t mess with you after they realized you belonged to Okita. It would not be cute if he unleashes his demon mode on anyone who harms you.

(If you read Chiruran, Soji talks about how he loves everyone) he would be the first to say he loves you.

He would bring your name up randomly to his other friends without thinking and gets teased on.

Overall, really passionate in being by your side and not wanting to be away from you for long.

Note: These are my headcanons if you lived in his time. I still feel sorry he had such an illness and wish we can somehow cure him.. ❤️ next will be more Anubis.

[usertoxicyaoi]

"Why did you join the Mibu Roshigumi?"

KIMI TO YUKITE SAKU (2024). EPISODE FOUR.

[babygray]

Poster and tapestry samples from "Gintama Past Arc in J-World Tokyo Satellite - Shoka Sonjuku / Roshigumi Edition" 「銀魂 過去編 in J-WORLD TOKYO サテライト 松下村塾・浪士組編」, March, 2017.

[lillartztranslations]

Many members think Haijikata is the scariest member of the Roshigumi, but we know there is somebody far more frightening. After having visited Hijikata, Sannan spots a suspicious-looking Ibuki and decides to follow him to see what he's up to.

[kumoriyami-xiuzhen]

Hakuoki - Record of Curious Tales: Katana and Samurai #5, Kashuu Kiyomitsu

Honestly, I felt super unmotivated to translate today, to the point where I really did think about skipping doing something this week. Feeling more than a little out of sorts though I'm almost certain that it's because of the weather... as I do abysmally whenever the temperature starts to increase.

Anyway, this was originally published in 電撃Girl’s Style 2016年3月号... feeling too annoyed to check this beyond making sure that the names used were correct right now.

Hakuoki - Record of Curious Tales: Katana and Samurai #5, Kashuu Kiyomitsu

Translation by KumoriYami

Eighth month of the first year of Genji——. During the Ikedaya Incident during the 6th month, Okita Souji was injured and vomited blood after fighting with Kazama, and had to rest in his futon while he recovered. In the same month, when the Akebonotei Incident and the Kinmon Incident [Hamaguri Gate Rebellion] occurred, he could only stay at headquarters on standby so he spent the time leisurely/not doing anything. In the eight month, when Souji had almost recovered and wanted to return to the troop, he disovered a major problem——the tip of the katana he used during the Ikedaya Incident had been partiall damaged.

"The way this is, it can't be used anymore..." As he gazed at the unsheathed blade, Souji sighed and muttered to himself. Damage to the blade could be repaired through polishing and the length of the sword could be changed to a preferred length through forging, but if the tip of the sword was missing, nothing could be done.. "I actually... really liked this katana." Souji looked at the damaged tip of the sword and recalled when he first received this katana. It was when Souji and Kondou were still in Edo, and with everyone else from Shiekan when they were preparing participate in the Roshigumi recruitment for maintaining the law and order in Kyoto.

On that day, everyone had been busy preparing to leave for Kyoto, except for Souji, who had nothing to do, and gazed thoughtlessly at the sky outside of the dojo. "Souji, Souji. Come here for a moment." Upon hearing that voice, Souji turned around voice, the head office turned around and saw Kondou Shusai, the former head of Tennins Rishin-ryu, who was now referred to as Dai-sensei. "Shusai-sensei, what is it?" As Souji walked over, Shusai kept an eye in the direction of the dojo, and lowered his voice to ask: "Actually, it's about Isami... have you heard about the katana he's planning to bring to Kyoto?" "Kondou-san's katana? He was happily showing me that he obtained a Kiyomaro blade." "Hmm, Kiyomaro Minamoto , who is also called the Masamune of Yotsuya? That's a truly good thing. "Yes, that's why Kondou-san was very happy." "I see... Kiyomaru, is it...." Shusai nodded his head in acknowledgement as if he had shaken off a heavy burden, and then spoke to Souji. "By the way, Souji. What are you going to do for your sword?" "Mine? The one I have now is fine, and as long as my swordsmanship is good, all blades are the same." "No, no, it's not like that. A samurai needs to have the appearance of a samurai, but there will be times when people look at their swords, right? That's why it's necessary to wear a sword that isn't embarrassing, not to mention, having a good sword will be even more useful in actual combat. After speaking, Shusai handed Souji the katana with a black sheath that was in his hands. "You can take this with you." "This is...?" "Nn, this is my farewell gift from me for you, Souji." As he spoke, Shusai grabbed the hilt of the sword with his right hand an unsheathed the blade. The blade shone brightly in the sunlight. "Kashuu Kiyomitsu… I chose the work of the 6th generation Kiyomitsu, who is also commonly known as "Beggar Kiyomitsu." The blade has a shallow curve and is two shaku and four sun long, and is slightly longer than the standard length. Since you're good at stabbing, it should be perfect for Souji, right?" Souji gazed at the blade with undisguised joy in his eyes. "The undulating patterns and cross-eyes in the design are also quite nice... It looks like it will be able to kill very well [I guess? I was really confused with the first part of this.]." "Nn. This will absolutely do so." As if the two were thinking of the same situation, they both smiled with excitement. "But, is it really okay for me to receive this? This.. was prepared for Kondou-san, right? I think it'd still be better to give it to him..." " What, so you already realized it… Well, it's fine, Isami seems to have found his own sword. After all, it's a sword that he's entrusted his life to so it's best for him to personally satisfied with it, so I cant interfere from the side." "I understand. Then, I'll bring it to Kyoto instead of Kondou-san/in place of Kondou-san, I'll bring it to Kyoto!" "Is that alright?" "No problem!" As Souji received Kashuu Kiyomits from Shusai, he smiled like a child and kept gazing at it for a long time.

"...Shusai-sensei, it really could kill very well." Souji returned Kiyomitsu, whose tip had been broken, to its sheath and pondered carefully. In order for him to return to active duty, he needed to prepare a new sword. What should he do for that sword…. In actuality, he wanted the same sword as Kondou but it was too expensive and he couldn't afford to buy it… A few days later, Souji chose a katana named Yamato no Kami Yasusada. The reason was that it resembled Kondou's Kotetsu.

---end---

i did not edit this. will do so later if i remember... maybe?

also i don't want tokuen ranbu info! i want sword history info! 😤

references used:

https://nihonto.com/yasusada/

https://shinsengumi-archives.tumblr.com/post/653115494539362304/kashu-kiyomitsu-the-sword-soji-okita-used-at

https://www.japanesewiki.com/person/Shusuke%20KONDO.html

[strawberry-jan]

I wrote an endnote to one of my fics that ended up being so long and spoiler-heavy that I had to exile a big chunk of it to my tumblr - so here you go: a big ol' Effort Post about the history and fictional history of your guy and mine, Ishin Wagi.

If you haven't finished Ishin, you probably shouldn't click to read the post under the cut, as it contains big endgame spoilers.

In contrast with Inoue Genzaburo — who’s portrayed in Ishin and other media as a serious, level-headed sort of guy — Serizawa Kamo was a heavy drinker with an infamously short temper. He was born in Mito and, like Sakamoto Ryoma, he was a member of the goshi class, though it should be noted that the extreme discrimination that we see Ryoma experiencing in-game is pretty specific to Tosa’s goshi; Serizawa wasn’t particularly poorly off. Also like Ryoma, Serizawa was involved in shishi activities: he was a member of the Tengu Party, an anti-foreigner political group whose members committed various acts of violent rebellion, including the 1860 assassination of Ii Naosuke (a high-ranking official in the Tokugawa shogunate whose death comes up in letters that you can find in Ishin Kiwami). Serizawa didn’t participate in the assassination, but between his ties to the Tengu Party and an incident in which he executed several of his subordinates for no good reason, he ended up in prison, where he assumed he’d be executed in turn. While there, Serizawa was said to have written a poem with his own blood on a piece of scrap cloth: “In the snow and frost, the plum blossom is the first to bloom in brilliant colours; its fragrance lingers even after the petals have scattered.”

In late 1862, Serizawa was released from prison. By early 1863 (and here I’m skimming over a lot of historical context) Serizawa had joined up with Kondo Isami as a member of the Mibu Roshigumi: the precursor to the Shinsengumi, so called because they were a bunch of ronin whose headquarters were originally in Mibu. They worked under the patronage of the Aizu clan; one of Serizawa’s brothers may have had connections to the clan, which Serizawa and Kondo might have leveraged to gain support for their organization. As a commander, Serizawa was kind of a disgrace by most accounts: among other offenses, he was responsible for wrecking a restaurant in a drunken rage and destroying a silk merchant’s shop with a cannon. Most importantly for my purposes, he was allegedly the man who picked a fight with a bunch of sumo wrestlers in the streets of Osaka.*

Serizawa was murdered in 1863, and there are various theories as to why. It’s popularly assumed that the guy was just a huge bastard who was too out-of-control to hold down his job, and that Hijikata and several other members of the organization killed him accordingly. Another theory that you’ll see sometimes is that while his familial connections were useful, Serizawa himself was a liability whom his companions discarded as soon as they felt secure in doing so. Under this theory, the issue wasn’t so much that he was badly behaved (though this probably didn’t help); it was more that he had his own little faction of men who went around looking down on the others and calling Serizawa “sensei,” and that Serizawa had ties to Mito, which remained a hotbed of seditious activity. (In fact, in 1864, civil war would break out in Mito as the Tengu Party staged an armed rebellion against the shogunate.)

I understand why Ishin’s writers dropped most of Serizawa’s history. It’s complicated, it’s not directly relevant to Ryoma’s story, and Inoue is a secondary character who’s meant (like his mainline counterpart) to come across as a superlatively loyal mentor figure and not as a belligerent asshole. But it’s interesting, in that context, that the writers went out of their way to allude to Serizawa’s history in weird ways. In-game, Serizawa is described as “a living shadow from the Mito domain” — which, okay, you could indeed describe the historical Serizawa that way, given that he narrowly escaped execution and then left Mito to join the Roshigumi. But he’s also described as a wandering bandit who took Hirayama and Hirama under his wing before meeting Kondo in Kyoto, which doesn’t particularly fit with history. Okita — our Okita, the fake one, lol — also says that the three of them committed dappan and were promised a pardon by the Mito domain if Serizawa assassinated Yoshida Toyo, which also has no basis in historical reality but which does make him an accessory to the big players’ nasty schemes for a comprehensible reason. Finally, Serizawa’s school of swordsmanship is referred to as “Mito Tengu” despite the fact that, historically, Serizawa trained in the Shindo Munen school. Conveniently, Ishin’s writers managed to skip over Serizawa’s awfulness on a personal level and to avoid depicting the character in the game as a prominent (and very willing) member of a violently xenophobic political group. I’m listing all of these oddities not to make a judgement about the whitewashing of history, but because it's interesting to me that what did end up in the game is there at all: the writers didn’t need to, but they established a connection between Serizawa, the Tengu Party, and the shishi more broadly anyhow.

Of course, I have the brain disease that makes me latch onto minor characters for no good reason and will therefore take whatever little crumbs of Ishin Kashiwagi I can get. Still, typing all of this up made me think about the missed opportunities here. I would have loved to see the writers do more with some version of Serizawa who was a little less of a bastard but who still committed himself to the shishi’s cause in his Mito days and then grew disillusioned with that cause during his stay in prison and his time with the Mibu Roshigumi. It’s a neat point of sympathy between Inoue and Ryoma, who finds himself similarly chewed up and spat out by the Tosa Loyalist Party in the game. That connection lends gravity to Inoue’s decision to tattle on Ryoma to Kondo but also to keep covering for the guy every time he says or does something transparently suspicious. They might be, in a sense, kindred spirits.

It felt too tangential to delve too much into all of this stuff in my Ishin fics, but you can imagine this sense of sympathy lying behind Inoue’s actions throughout Chapter 4 of Secret History &c. (as well as in his little sequence in Chapter 2 of Glorious and Bloody Deeds &c.). You can also imagine that some of the big shishi conspirators in this story would have known about Serizawa’s origins in Mito with the Tengu Party — it was no big secret — and that they would have been appalled by his new allegiances but also suspicious that he had died because of his old ones. It’s also pretty reasonable to assume that the big Choshu players would have some sense of Saito’s identity, given that Hanpeita and Katsura are allies in Ishin’s version of events. Of course, I also think that our Ryoma wouldn’t know shit about any of this and would absolutely respond like, huhh? whaaaa??? to any/all allusions to the complicated politics behind all these stories. If you’re in a state of perpetual confusion about people and politics while playing Ishin, you’re just doing a great job of role-playing Bakumatsu Kiryu.

Anyway, nearly everything I write is turbo horny and my Ishin fics are no exception, so please don’t read them at work, but they’re very much about the stories men tell about themselves and others, and I think if all this stuff interests you, you might find the yarns I’ve spun interesting as well.

* This is another event that’s mentioned in passing in an in-game letter that was added to Ishin Kiwami, and whatever my feelings about that remake might be, I think all the letters and notes are a brilliant addition; I was tickled to see a reference to this incident show up! Historically, the Big Sumo Brawl happened well before 1867 and it had nothing to do with the events covered in Ishin, so please understand that when I’m writing about it in my fic, I’m mashing events together and playing around with a big Bakumatsu sandbox in a way that I think feels true to the game’s style of writing. I thought it would be funny to have Inoue lay claim to the act when he wasn’t even on the scene; it brings the story in line with history, but in the stupidest possible way. (Also, I submit to you that the smut is practically canon-compliant and likely historically accurate. :V)

[shinsengumi-archives]

Hello! I'm fairly new to the topic of Shinsengumi, and wanted to ask if it's possible for you to explain the basics? Who they were, what they did, their purpose and when they were active, etc.?

Or do you perhaps have a post that sums it up? I would love to read it. Thank you so much for the effort and consideration! Much love goes to you and your blog.

Have a nice day. x

Hi, I'm glad you like my blog :)

Here's an overview of the Shinsengumi:

Who they were

The Shinsengumi was a group of swordsmen who were active in Kyoto in 1863-1868 during the Bakumatsu era at the end of the Edo period, a time of great change. They experienced a meteoric rise followed by a complete downfall with the Shogunate's collapse. Many of them, including the Commander Kondo Isami and Vice-Commander Hijikata Toshizo, weren't born in the samurai class. They were the first samurai group in the Edo period to allow non-samurai to join.

The Shinsengumi's history was full of infighting, but Kondo's supporters who studied swordsmanship together at the same dojo in Edo (now Tokyo) were close with each other and ended up becoming executives in the Shinsengumi.

At its height, with Kondo as Commander, and 2 Vice-Commanders, Hijikata and Sannan, the Shinsengumi was divided into 10 squads, each led by a Captain.

When the Shogunate fell, many of the Shinsengumi members continued to fight alongside the remnants of the Shogunate army until the end. Most of the core members died tragically young from different causes.

Who they worked for

The Shinsengumi's predecessor, the Roshigumi, was formed by the Shogunate who enlisted ronin to go to Kyoto to make the city safer for Shogunate officials who were frequently being assassinated. After Kondo became Commander, they changed their name to the Shinsengumi. They worked under Matsudaira Katamori, the Lord of Aizu, who had been assigned as the Commissioner of Kyoto by the Shogunate.

Who whey fought against

The Shinsengumi patrolled the streets of Kyoto to crack down on anti-Shogunate forces mostly from the Satsuma and Choshu domains who wanted to overthrow the Shogun and form a new government centered around the Emperor.

Famous Shinsengumi members

Kondo Isami - Commander of the Shinsengumi. He was born a peasant, became the head of the Shieikan Dojo, and enlisted in the Roshigumi with the dream of becoming a samurai. He looked up to the heroes from stories of the past, and took his responsibilities seriously, but he also liked showing off his ability to stuff his entire fist into his mouth. After the Shogun stepped down and the Shinsengumi members returned to Edo, he was eventually captured and beheaded by the new government as a scapegoat for the assassination of Sakamoto Ryoma.

Hijikata Toshizo - Vice-Commander of the Shinsengumi. He was also born a peasant and shared Kondo's dream of becoming samurai. He helped Kondo become Commander of the Shinsengumi, and was feared by both his enemies and his men. He was thought to be extremely good-looking, and he enjoyed sleeping with women and writing bad poetry. After the Shogunate fell, he led the remaining Shinsengumi members to Ezo (now Hokkaido) with the former Shogunate forces to form a republic independent from Japan. He died from a gunshot wound on his way to defend a fortress that was under siege.

Sannan (or Yamanami) Keisuke - Vice-Commander of the Shinsengumi. He and Hijikata were both Vice-Commanders, but he disagreed with Hijikata's methods so there was a lot of rivalry between them. He was a well-educated and kindhearted man who was fond of Chinese poetry and had a lofty ideals. He likely became disillusioned and ended up suddenly leaving the Shinsengumi without permission. Even though Kondo and the others tried to give him a chance to escape, he returned willingly and was punished for desertion with seppuku. His death traumatized his close friend Okita who had beheaded him as his second.

Okita Souji - Captain of the First Squad. He was a sword prodigy from the same dojo as Kondo and Hijikata and was very loyal to Kondo. He was a polite and cheerful person who liked to make people laugh, but also tended to keep his thoughts and opinions to himself. Although he's often portrayed in fiction as a somewhat feminine man, this is likely not historically accurate, but no photos of him exist. Several months after returning to Edo with the rest of the Shinsengumi, he died from tuberculosis at age 26. It was said that even towards the end, he never lost his ability to smile.

Nagakura Shinpachi - Captain of the Second Squad. A very strong swordsman. When the Shinsengumi returned to Edo, he quit after an argument with Kondo, but continued to fight for the Shogunate. After the Shogunate lost, he went into hiding in Hokkaido and lived to old age, dying from a tooth infection. Despite multiple disagreements with Kondo throughout his time in the Shinsengumi, he still remembered Kondo fondly in his later years and built a monument for those who died.

Saito Hajime - Captain of the Third Squad. A very strong swordsman. He was a mysterious person with a meek demeanor who might have worked directly for the Shogunate. He was involved in many assassinations against people who betrayed the Shinsengumi. After Kondo's death, he became Commander. After the Shogunate lost, he went into hiding for several years and then worked for the new government as a police officer. He lived to old age, dying from liver failure from lifelong drinking.

Todo Heisuke - Captain of the Eighth Squad. From the same dojo as Sannan Keisuke. He was said to be a bit showy and quite a daredevil despite his small stature. He became a follower of Itou Kashitaro and left the Shinsengumi with him to become part of a new group that opposed the Shogunate. He was cut down in battle by the Shinsengumi along with many others in the Itou faction when they were collecting Itou's body.

Harada Sanosuke - Captain of the Tenth Squad. A strong spear-fighter. He was short-tempered and rash, but he was also a devoted husband. When he was younger, some samurai taunted him about how he didn't have the guts to commit seppuku, so he did it. He survived and liked to show off the scar. He left the Shinsengumi with Nagakura and died in battle fighting for the Shogunate.

Serizawa Kamo - Commander of the Mibu Roshigumi. Both he and Kondo were Commanders in the early days. On one hand, he was well-educated and had a distinguished air. On the other hand, he was prone to violence and was often drunk. He was easily insulted and got into many fights, so he caused a lot of trouble. He and his supporters were assassinated most likely by Hijikata, Okita, Sannan, and Harada, resulting in Kondo becoming the sole Commander.

Itou Kashitaro - Military Advisor of the Shinsengumi. He joined a few years after the Shinsengumi had formed. He was a highly cultured and educated man who gained many supporters in the Shinsengumi, but he supported the Emperor rather than the Shogun and wanted to change the Shinsengumi to side with the Emperor. When that proved impossible he left the Shinsengumi, taking many followers with him. After Saito reported Itou's plans to kill Kondo, the Shinsengumi assassinated Itou.

Important historical events

Serizawa Assassination - Hijikata, Okita, Sannan, Harada, and possibly others assassinated Serizawa Kamo in his sleep, resulting in Kondo becoming the sole Commander

Ikedaya Incident - The Shinsengumi's most famous accomplishment. They raided an inn where Choshu samurai were meeting to supposedly discuss their plan to set Kyoto on fire to kidnap the Emperor in the confusion. After killing some and capturing many of these men, the Shinsengumi gained fame and popularity.

Aburanokoji Incident - After Itou was cut down by the Shinsengumi on his way home from a meeting with Kondo, his supporters came to collect his body. Many of them were killed by the Shinsengumi waiting in ambush.

Battle of Toba-Fushimi - The first open battle between the Shogunate army and the Satsuma-Choshu Alliance, resulting in the Shogunate's loss and retreat to Edo. The Shinsengumi fought on the Shogunate side and went back to Edo on the Shogunate's ships. During this battle, the Emperor officially declared support for the Satsuma-Choshu side, allowing them to become the legitimate government instead of the Shogunate.

Battle of Koshu-Katsunuma - Kondo and the Shinsengumi raised an army to defend Kofu Castle outside Edo, but by the time they got there, it had already been taken. Kondo was captured while he and his men were setting up camp nearby and he was eventually beheaded after his enemies learned who he was.

Boshin War / Battle of Aizu - After returning to Edo, the Lord of Aizu, Matsudaira Katamori, formed an alliance with many other lords of northern domains to continue fighting for the Shogunate against the new government army. When Hijikata was injured, Saito Hajime led the Shinsengumi to fight alongside the Shogunate supporters. The battle ended with Aizu's surrender.

Battle of Hakodate - Hijikata and the remnants of the Shinsengumi and Shogunate traveled further north to the island of Ezo (Hokkaido) to form the Republic of Ezo and declared independence. This led to a war against the Meiji Imperial forces, ending in Hijikata's death and Ezo's surrender.

Recommended media

I think the most enjoyable way to learn the basics is through the manga/anime/dramas etc. about the Shinsengumi. That's probably how most people here became Shinsengumi fans. Although these are works of fiction that have embellishments or biases, it still gives a picture of who the Shinsengumi were as people and portrays the historical events they were involved in.

Here are some of my recommendations:

Shinsengumi! (2004) Taiga Drama - This should be the most historical and thorough depiction of the Shinsengumi, but it sometimes sugarcoats the things they did.

Peacemaker Kurogane - The first manga series Shinsengumi Imon Peace Maker (or its anime adaption Peace Maker Kurogane) covers the Ikedaya Incident. The sequel manga Peace Maker Kurogane covers the rest of the Shinsengumi's history until their deaths. The later parts have so much feels

Hakuouki - An anime based on an otome game. It has a lot of fantasy elements, but it still mostly follows the historical timeline. Based on my impression, this might be the Shinsengumi media with the largest English-speaking fandom.

Kaze Hikaru - A charming manga focused on Okita Souji. Also a romance. Only half of the chapters have been translated into English. I heard the ending is really terrible.

Gintama - It doesn't focus on the Shinsengumi and it's a scifi/fantasy/comedy so it's not trying to be historically accurate, but the personalities and relationships between Hijikata, Okita and Kondo are similar to their historical counterparts

Various old Shinsengumi films, such as Shinsengumi’s Demon Commander (1957) and Shinsengumi Chronicles (1963)

Shinsengumi Documentaries

[talesofedo]

Picture from Google

Let's talk Shinsengumi haori.

Without a doubt, the Shinsengumi's asagi-color haori, with its white Yamagata sleeve pattern, is one of the most recognizable items of the Edo period, both in media specifically focused on the Shinsengumi and perhaps in general.

So recognizable, in fact, that there was a lot of confusion when the most recent Shinsengumi movie, 2021's Moeyo Ken (Baragaki: Unbroken Samurai in the international release), did not feature it at all, opting instead for an all-black uniform. Not to mention the complete WTF moment that is the red-and-black uniform of 2002's Mibu Gishiden (When the Last Sword Is Drawn in the international release).

But ... what's the historical basis of the asagi-color haori?

Yamamura Tatsuya, researcher and author of many books on both the Shinsengumi specifically and the Bakumatsu period generally, and consultant on movies, documentaries, TV shows, and various other media, says there are several eyewitness accounts in records of the Aizu domain that describe the haori:

In 騒擾日記 (Sojo Nikki): "Fifty-two of them, who called themselves Mibu Roshi, were uniformly dressed, wearing haori of asagi-iro with a white pattern on the cuffs."

This account dates to the Coup of 8.18 (Bunkyu Coup), which took place at the end of September 1863 using the Western calendar.

Two things that are interesting here: (1) the haori was made while they were still the Mibu Roshigumi, as they weren't given the name Shinsengumi until after the Coup, and (2) all of them were uniformly dressed in haori at this time.

In 文久元治亥子太平録 (Bunkyu Genji Boishi Taiheiroku - I think that's how it's read?): "Asa haori with sleeves marked in white with triangular shapes."

This entry helpfully included a drawing of three connected triangles alongside the description, making it clear what these looked like.

(Asa is Japan's linen, but I'm always hesitant to translate it as linen because it's made from domestically-grown plants, typically hemp, ramie, or wisteria, while linen in the general use of the word refers to material made from flax, which wasn't grown in Japan until the Meiji period.)

Additionally, I found other notes from 文久元治亥子太平録, including one from 3.25 Bunkyu 3 (1863) when Aizu retainers went to see the Mibu Roshigumi, who were "wearing clothes of the same color, with a crest" and "having a uniform cloak made", for which 2 ryo was provided by Aizu in addition to the general allowance the Mibu Roshi received from the domain.

In addition to the period eyewitness descriptions from Aizu retainers, the haori are also mentioned in both "Shinsengumi Tenmatsuki", Nagakura Shinpachi's serialized recollections of the Shinsengumi, and in "Shinsengumi Ibun" by Shimozawa Kan, recording the recollection of Yagi Tamesaburo, the son of the Yagi family.

Nagakura: "The haori was only worn for official duties and the asagi sleeves were dyed with dandara, just like the costumes worn by the Ako ronin in the Chushingura."

Yagi: "There was a uniform. It was a light asagi color haori with white mountain patterns dyed into the hem and sleeves, like the costumes of the Ako ronin."

Yamamura, however, believes that Shimozawa Kan's record of Yagi Tamesaburo's recollection may have been embellished by giving not only the information that both the hem and sleeves were dyed with the white pattern, but also offering specific information on the number of patterns on each. In later writings, such as "Shinsengumi Monogatari", in which Shimozawa reuses some of the information from "Shinsengumi Ibun", those details were removed.

---

Summary:

The famous blue Shinsengumi haori undoubtedly existed, even if there are no surviving examples.

It was made from asa, a kind of linen usually made from hemp or ramie, and did have white triangular shapes dyed into the sleeves.

It is first mentioned in Aizu records is in the 3rd month of Bunkyu 3 (late April 1863) and appears to have been worn as a duty uniform by all of the troops while they were still the Mibu Roshigumi.

However, perhaps because unlined asa is not a durable material and a lot of new members were recruited, the uniform became less of a uniform, with only some members wearing it while others did not.

The last mention of the haori was after Ikedaya, meaning that it was only used for a little more than a year.

Shortly after Ikedaya, the Shinsengumi went to a black uniform that included black haori and black hakama, as seen in the most recent Moeyo Ken movie.

This uniform was described by Watanabe Noburo: "The black clothes and hakama of the people following me immediately identified them as Shinsengumi."

I'm speculating, but it was probably cheaper to buy black haori and hakama for a group that was increasing in size, and those materials were likely more durable and more popular than the original haori.

The original haori appears to have been an attempt at creating a uniform that would stand out but was inexpensive, since the asa cloth and the indigo dye used to create the light blue color, as well as sewing the haori without a lining, would have been a fairly low-cost option.

Picture from Google

Let's talk about another feature of the haori that is often seen in Shinsengumi media, such as Hakuoki in the picture above: the extra-long haori himo.

I have yet to find any historical source for its existence and while I'm unwilling to say that I am 100% sure it didn't exist (largely because never say never), I am about 99.9% sure it didn't.

Here's why:

(1) If several Aizu retainers and several additional people felt it helpful to describe the material, color, and dye pattern of the haori in detail, they certainly would have mentioned an extra-long haori himo.

(2) Extra long haori himo do not exist in any period sources: I have looked at literally thousands of photos from the late Edo and early Meiji period, including many many portraits, and there's just no such thing. The same holds true for woodblock prints, including prints of actors playing characters in the Chushingura. So again, while I can't say I've looked at all the things, I can say I've looked at a lot.

There is a mention of someone wearing extra long haori himo in the book 明治・父・アメリカ (Meiji, Father, America) by Hoshi Shinichi.

Hoshi writes about the experiences of his father, Hoshi Hajime: "At that time [ 1888-1919] only officials wore Western-style clothing and most people wore Japanese clothing. ... I came up with an idea, to make a very long haori cord, even if it's made from cheap thread. It was unnecessarily long. It was strange, but felt stylish. When I wore it to school, it became a hot topic and some of my classmates imitated it. Eventually, they began to tie the ends and twist them to be hung around the neck. ... It became a bit of a trend."

I don't know when those extra long haori himo crept into Shinsengumi films, but they are already shown in the 1935 movie エノケンの近藤勇 (Enoken no Kondo Isami), which is on YouTube.

That was the earliest movie for which I was able to find video or images, but there are several older ones I'm aware of: a 1934 silent film, 新撰組悲歌 (Shinsengumi hika) and a 1914 silent film, Kondo Isami. I know there are no copies of the 1914 film, but there may possibly be some of Shinsengumi hika that I haven't found yet. So it's still possible that the fashion of long haori himo for Shinsengumi movie costumes might predate the 1935 film.

As always, if you have more info, please add in comments or reblog!

[zantedeschia-praesul]

Saseki rarely gets upset or angry, but no thanks to a divine emissary's meddling, whenever he does get genuinely upset or angry, it's at an overwhelming, borderline violent level. His green eyes instantly shifts to electric blue with lightning sparks coming from him. One would think he's invoking the Kebiishi's energy, but no, it's much worse.

Unfortunately for him, he had invoked the very spirit of one rogue Shinsengumi (then still known as Roshigumi) member who used to be Kondou Isami's own fellow commander: Serizawa Kamo. While an esteemed fighter in his own right, he was known to be cruel and violent even to his own comrades, and with a extremely bad temper; the trigger-happy kind, if you get my drift.

So this sight is rare, but when it does happen tho, his men better pray he doesn't have his black brush with him...

[kurayami-no-ko]

Story about Sannan’s sword

Notes: I was provided the original Japanese version by @kumoriyami-xiuzhen. It is honestly my favorite short story about Sannan out of all the three I have translated so far, so, please enjoy.

Sekishin Okimitsu by a person from Banshuu

January, Bunkyuu 3 (1863)

Everyone in Shiekan, which was headed by Kondou Isami, had decided that they would go to Tokyo and join the Roshigumi. They only had a short time until they had to leave to Tokyo so the days of everyone were busy with announcing the separation to acquaintances and arranging their personal baggage. During that time, there was only one person that still remained in an unpeopled Shiekan during the evening. That was Sannan Keisuke.

Sannan first visited Shiekan three years ago, during Manen 1 (1860). Back then, when Kondou Isami received the certificate of mastery of Tensai Rishinryuu and became the young teacher of Shiekan, the dojo was a small one and besides, Hijikata Toshizo, Okita Souji, Inoue Genzaburou, only has a small number of disciples. Sannan as a disciple of the Onoha Ittoryuu fought with Kondou in a battle between schools and lost, and as he was impressed by the strength of the Tensai Rishinryuu, he joined the school. Since then, he had lodged in Shiekan and in a short time, started to study the art of Tensai Rishinryuu. Soon as Kondou’s right hand man, he was entrusted with going to teach in the Tama region.

Sannan was sitting alone in the dojo of Shiekan, properly going through the maintainance his beloved sword.

The first step of this maintenance was to start with cleaning all the oil coating the blade so that it would not rust. Firstly, he used wiping paper to clean up all the oil on the blade. When that process failed to remove all the old oil, he put power on the blade and then wiped again with a wiping paper. He properly wiped from the base of the metal collar to the tip and kept on repeating it so finally the old oil sticking on the blade was cleanly removed.

Then, he carefully checked for any rust or chip on the naked blade and then very thoroughly coated the blade with clove oil. Because the oil coating this blade had deteriorated, he had to maintain the sword by replacing the oil multiple times throughout a year.

For this work, Sannan had to slowly replaced the oil on his sword.

“Huh? The only person left is Sannan-san?”

From the door of the dojo, the unique voice of Okita sounded out.

“That’s right. It is because Nagakura and the other guys went out for drinking; Kondou-san and Hijikata-kun and Inoue-san went out to Tama for some greetings…though I heard that Okita-kun also came along.”

“No, I have no part in that kind of greeting.”

“Is that so? Okita-kun also has family, right? Is that okay?”

“If I show up, my elder sister will definitely oppose, so I think it is better for me not to go. In other terms, because I don’t have any one to greet, I came back alone.  Because I am taking care of the dojo, I think that it is better that I greet Sannan-san and pack my baggage.”

So according to what he said, Okita went to the dojo and reached Sannan’s side. In response to Okita, Sannan gave him a slightly lonely smile and answered.

“What a coincidence, actually, I also do not have any acquaintance to greet.”

Looking at Sannan’s face, Okita’s interested eyes glittered.

“Is that so… Even though I cannot see that, if Sannan-san say so, it must be the case. So, how is your preparation for going to Kyo going?”

“The baggage that I am bringing along is only this sword. Because of that, as the maintenance was done, I am already done with the preparation.”

Moving his gaze to the sword lying on the tatami mat in front of Sannan, Okita became interested and looked at the sword.

“Sekishin Okimitsu…was the name, right? Not a famous name, isn’t it? Do you have any emotional attachment to it?”

“This sword… is unique, I brought it from my hometown, Sendai, where I was born. This sword was passed down in my family for generations and when I received this sword, I was told to hold this sword and hit with a true heart (Sekishin means true heart). Certainly, don’t you think that is a suitable path?”

“I do not understand what true heart means for Sannan-san but… Being able to kill your opponent and keep your own life is enough, isn’t it?”

“Haha… That answer is very characteristic of Okita-kun.”

“Is that so… Well, it is fine. So, I also should do the maintenance for my sword. I will bring it here so please just keep on staying in the dojo like this.”

While shrugging his shoulder, Okita also turned his back on Sannan and quickly left the dojo.

In a dojo resounded with those footsteps, Sannan thought.

About abandoning his house in Sendai, leaving his clan to travel alone.

Back then, his only baggage was also Sekishin Okimitsu.

After that, while joining a dojo and living in Edo… This sword was also his only constant companion.

Sannan said gently to his beloved sword lying on top of the tatami.

“From Sendai to Edo… And now, this time is going to be Kyo. We are going to be together once more. Please help me.”

Before long, the dusk was thickening, and the dojo became darker. Sannan shook off his sentiments and slowly stood up; because Okita would be coming back, he needed to start preparing to put on the light.

Notes: I checked a source from the internet. The link is here: https://www.touken-world.jp/tips/72533/

So, the historical Sannan Keisuke broke his sword during the same incident that Hakuouki Sannan lost the use of his left arm. This means that Hakuouki Sannan probably lost the use of his left arm and his most prized possession in the same day. That is quite sad to think about.

[teatitty]

Gintama shows us through various flashbacks that Gintoki has an absolutely buckwild life post-war and I would like to posit that this isn't just a him thing but a Joui 4 thing because like. Katsura was there when the Shinsengumi were established as the Roshigumi. He was sitting outside listening in on the whole thing, which means he's been tangled with them since before they were even proper cops

Takasugi's everything post-war is wild as hell when you break it down into chunks, from his first meeting with Bansai to his alliance with the Harusame, his political connections etc etc and then there's Sakamoto who within a few months of the war ending found himself thrown into the ocean and picked up by a slave ship

I know that if all four of them ever sat down to compare individual stories of the past decade they would all end up going "hey man what the fuck are you okay" at eachother

[vaniinci]

Since I'm at work and can't draw anything I'm making a headcanon post to just spew shit about my gk ocs LOL

Kume Hijikata and Arata Hijikata are born 1885 in Kyoto. Their father the son of Toshizo with Okoto. (Historically they were arranged to be married, but Hijikata had already resigned himself to the Roshigumi, therefore making his son a bastard out of wedlock. In this lore it's implied Okoto and Hijikata loved each other, and had made love at least once.)

They are raised in Kyoto, only moving to Tokyo after Kume's acceptance to the peeress school. Kume and Arata live with a family friend, Mokutaro Kikuta. Arata joins the Military. Kume meets and befriends Kaeko.

Arata and Kume meet Sugimoto, Kikuta has them prepare Sugimoto for the wedding interview. After the plan goes awry, they go their separate ways. Kume has multiple wedding interviews that are ultimately fruitless due to her boyish appearance and as Tsurumi would note "her violent eyes would turn the fiercest away" Kume drops from the Peeress School in 1904 suddenly.

STILL WORKING SHIT OUT FOR HER BROTHER BUT YOU KNOW, subject to change!!

Arata serves in the 7th division during the war in 1904, but is killed in action shortly after enlistment. Prior to his death he reunited with Sugimoto, and lamented about a "golden curse" on his family.

It is unknown how Arata discovered the search for gold, but in his writings, he claims to have discovered the startings of a plot but had no evidence to present to the central government. Not realizing Tsurumi was the spearhead of this search, Arata confided in him with his findings.

[fierce-little-miana]

Actually I would have really liked that the French translation played on the “tu” and “vous” (informal and formal you) during Kondo and Hijikata’s last conversation.

If I agree with the translation that Hijikata would probably use “vous” all the time since the founding of the Roshigumi/Shinsengumi, they were still long-time friends and Kondo is using “tu” for Hijikata.

Since the very scene revolves on Kondo pulling rank on Hijikata to save him which puts the entire relation under a very revealing and emotional light (how Hijikata might have trained himself to see Kondo as his superior while on the other hand Kondo always saw Hijikata as his friend) there was something fantastic to do with “tu” and “vous”.

Personally, I would have started with Hijikata using “vous” as usual and switching to “tu” the minute Kondo is ordering him to escape:

“Dans ce cas là c’est un ordre.”

“Tu me donnes un ordre?!”

The shock, the despair of seeing the person you spend your life elevating finally using his elevated position on you to sacrifice himself to save your life. So terribly earth shattering that your return to seeing them as your friend first and foremost…

Sorry I am digressing.