Nijō Castle
In 1864, the "Kyoto Shugoshoku" Matsudaira Katamori authorized the establishment of a militia of approximately 200 samurai formed into two companies under the command of Maita Hirotaka and Matsudaira Yasutada to restore public order to Kyoto. The two companies took their names from the courtesy titles of their commanders: the "Sagami-no-kami-gumi" and the "Izumo-no-kami-gumi". The headquarters for the force was Nijō Castle in Kyoto.