The Shinsengumi (
In Rurouni Kenshin, the Shinsengumi are introduced by Saitō Hajime, the former leader of its 3rd squad. Also, the major part of references to the Shinsengumi, both in the manga and in the anime series, are made by Saitō.
History[]
After Japan's political chaos in the 1850s, the country was divided along various lines of political opinion. Loyalists to the Emperor of Japan began a chain of murder and violence in Kyōto and because of this the Tokugawa Shogunate formed, in 1863, the Rōshigumi (浪士組 - Kyoto Defenders), a group of masterless samurai, whose formal mission was to protect Tokugawa Iemochi, the 14th shogun. However, Kiyokawa Hachiro (leader of the Rōshigumi) had a different goal: he wanted to gather rōnin (masterless samurai) to work with the supporters of the emperor. In response, thirteen members of the Rōshigumi became the thirteen founding members of the Shinsengumi.
In the start of their founding, the Shinsengumi were initially known as the Miburo (
Okita Sōji, Nagakura Shinpachi, and Saitō Hajime were considered the strongest swordsmen of the group with Kondō Isami and Hijikata Toshizō acting as the lead commanders. The Shinsengumi later disbanded at the time Hijikata was killed in the Battle of Hakodate leaving them leaderless and thus the collapse of the Tokugawa and the surrender of the Bakufu army in 1869. Nagakura Shinpachi and Saitō Hajime were the only surviving head captains after the war. Saitō, changing his name to Fujita Gorō (
Plot[]
The Shinsengumi are firstly mentioned in chapter 48 of the manga (episode 28 of the anime series). Saitō Hajime makes his first appearance as a pharmacist selling a medicine to cure bruises and broken bones, a disguise that was often used by Shinsengumi spies. Later on, Saitō participates in several battles and in every one of them, he mentions the Shinsengumi motto: 'Aku Soku Zan - Slay Evil Immediately'.
Another Shinsengumi mention exists in Act 9 of the Manga series (episode 6 of the anime series), with Udō Jin-e being mentioned to have sided with the Shinsengumi during the Bakumatsu.
Members[]
The Shinsengumi group had a commander, two vice-commanders and 10 unit captains.
Commander[]
Vice-Commanders[]
- Hijikata Toshizō
- Yamanami Keisuke
Unit Captains[]
- Okita Sōji (1st Unit Captain)
- Nagakura Shinpachi (2nd Unit Captain)
- Saitō Hajime (3rd Unit Captain)
- Matsubara Chūji (4th Unit Captain)
- Takeda Kanryūsai (5th Unit Captain)
- Inoue Genzaburō (6th Unit Captain)
- Tani Sanjūrō (7th Unit Captain)
- Tōdō Heisuke (8th Unit Captain) (Formerly)
- Suzuki Mikisaburō (9th Unit Captain)
- Harada Sanosuke (10th Unit Captain)
Followers[]
- Udō Jin-e (Formerly)
- Hirayama Gorō
- Hirama Jūsuke
- Serizawa Kamo
- Niimi Nishiki
- Tonouchi Yoshio
- Iesato Tsuguo
Trivia[]
- In episode 28 of the 1996 anime series, when Saitō Hajime makes his first appearance as a pharmacist selling a medicine to cure bruises and broken bones, the box has a symbol that was the real symbol used by the Shinsengumi group as a disguise.
- Saitō Hajime clearly states that he uses the Gatotsu style as developed by Hijikata Toshizō, but with some improvements made by himself.