The members of the Shinko-ryū organization
Shinko-ryū (真古流, Old School Style) is a kenjutsu organization founded and headed by Isurugi Raijūta with the intended purpose of revitalizing Japanese kenjutsu through force.
History[]
Despite its posturing as a "school", it would be more accurate to describe Shinko-ryū as a league of skilled swordsmen who have been drafted from all over the country regardless of which styles they use or from which schools they hail--swordsmen discovered to be of sufficient skill are given the choice to either join the organization or be slain by it. Those who choose to assimilate are privy to Shinko-ryū's true aim: the forceful eradication of the five-hundred existing schools of kenjutsu and kendo so as to make room for a new army of swordsmen whose satsujinken skills match those of the ancient "whirlwind masters" of the Sengoku era and cannot be defeated by other forms of martial art or by foreign firearms.
Having deemed the current state of kenjutsu in the Meiji era to be sorely lacking in strength and focus, the members of Shinko-ryū (chiefly Isurugi Raijūta) travel the various corners of Japan to challenge and crush different kenjutsu Dōjōs as well as discover worthy soldiers for their cause.
Plot[]
Shinko-ryū is headquartered in Izu Province at the home of the organization's wealthy but oblivious sponsor, Tsukayama Yuzaemon and his son Yutarō (when he gets attacked by a group of thugs), who begins to brutally kill the thieves one by one. So Yutarō declares he will be as important as late father, and invites him to his mansion, where he states everyone must respect Raijūta.
After failing to recruit (and later on assassinate) the ronin, Himura Kenshin in the Spring of 1878, Shinko-ryū was disbanded after all of its members (including Raijūta) were soundly defeated by Himura himself.
Members[]
- Isurugi Raijūta - Leader and founder of the Shinko-ryū "school" of kenjutsu, Raijūta seeks to fund his organization and crush anyone who stands in his way.
- Tsuruzaemon - Tsuruzaemon is a large man with short black hair, who wears a straw hat with diamond shaped holes to see through, a dark colored haori over a white shirt. He uses a spear to fight.
- Sakuramaru - Sakuramaru is a young man with short black hair that is parted to the sides and a small strand hanging in the front, who wears a white long sleeve shirt with a brown trim and symbol on his right chest, brown pants and a brown headband. He uses two Katanas that can be connected to form a doubled-ended sword.
- Kiriji - Kiriji is a short man with spiky black hair, long eyebrows, pointy nose, and pointy chin, who wears a white shirt over a black long sleeves shirt, white pants, black toes less shoes. He uses a sword to fight.
- Tsukiō - Tsukiō is an average size man with a muscular build, a bold head, no eyebrows, and has earring on each ear, who wears a white cloth around his armpits to hold up his sleeves, white armbands, a white sash around his waist, white shorts, white socks, and sandals. He uses a sword to fight.
- Tsukayama Yutarō - The son of Tsukayama Yuzaemon, Yutarō idolatred Raijūta and wanted to be trained in the arts of the Shinko-ryū, but he was betrayed by Raijūta, who just wanted to use the family fortune to finance his rebellion.
Trivia[]
- The events regarding the Shinko-ryū story plot have the most differences of all the Tokyo Arc comparing the 1996 anime and the original manga, mostly to expand it and make it last more episodes in the anime.
- The four followers of the Shinko-ryū (Sakuramaru, Tsuruzaemon, Tsukiō and Kiriji) were not named in the manga, but they were given a name in the 1996 anime.
Gallery[]
