Shinsengumi The were a special police force of Japan ' s late shogunate period . They have been extensively portrayed in popular culture such as TV and film . Historical background . After Japan opened up to the West following U . S . Commodore Matthew Perry ' s visits in 1853 , its political situation gradually became more and more chaotic . The country was divided along various lines of political opinion ; one of these schools of thought ( which had existed prior to Perry ' s arrival ) was " sonnō jōi " : " Revere the Emperor , Expel the Barbarians . " Loyalists to the Emperor of Japan began to commit acts of murder and violence in Kyoto , the imperial capital . On October 19 , 1863 , responding to this trend , the Tokugawa Shogunate formed the , a group of 234 masterless samurai ( rōnin ) , under the nominal command of the hatamoto Matsudaira Tadatoshi and the actual leadership of Kiyokawa Hachirō ( a dynamic rōnin from Shonai Domain ) . The group ' s formal mission was to act as the protectors of Tokugawa Iemochi , the 14th shogun , who was preparing to embark on a trip to Kyoto to meet with the Emperor Komei . This visit was a precedent breaking event : not since the third Shogun of the Tokugawa Bakufu , Tokugawa Iemitsu , had a reigning shogun gone to Kyoto . This was a difficult time for Japan as the country was violently struggling to find consensus on how to deal with the threat sparked by the arrival of American and then European naval squadrons demanding that Japan open up or face military action . Tokugawa Iemochi , as head of the military government , was being summoned to confer on how to enact the recent imperial edict calling for the expulsion of foreigners to be backed up by the use of force . Historical facts . The Rōshigumi was funded by the Tokugawa regime . However , Kiyokawa Hachirō ' s goal , which he revealed following the group ' s arrival in Kyoto , was to gather rōnin to work with the supporters of the emperor . In response , thirteen members of the Rōshigumi became the thirteen founding members of the " Shinsengumi " . Other members loyal to the Tokugawa government returned to Edo and formed the , which came under the patronage of the Shōnai domain . The Shinsengumi members were originally also known as the , meaning " ronin of Mibu " , Mibu being the then - suburb of central Kyoto where they were stationed . However , the reputation of the Shinsengumi became tarnished quite early on , and their nickname soon changed to . " Shinsengumi " could be translated as " Newly Selected Corps " ( " Shinsen " means " new chosen ( ones ) " , while " gumi " translates as " group " , " team " , or " squad " . ) The original Commanders of the Shinsengumi were Serizawa Kamo , Kondō Isami , and Niimi Nishiki . At the beginning , the group was composed of three major factions : Serizawa ' s group , Kondō ' s group , and Tonouchi ' s group ( members below ) . However , shortly after its foundation , Tonouchi was assassinated by Kondo Isami on Yojou Bridge and Iesato was ordered by Serizawa Kamo to commit seppuku after he deserted to Osaka . After the elimination of Tonouchi Yoshio and his third faction , the group was composed of just two factions : Serizawa ' s Mito group and Kondō Isami ' s Shieikan members , both based in the Mibu neighborhood of Kyoto . The group submitted a letter to the Aizu clan requesting permission to police Kyoto , and to counteract revolutionaries who supported the emperor against the Tokugawa shogunate . Their request was granted . On September 30 ( lunar calendar August 18 ) , the Chōshū clan were forced out of the imperial court by the Tokugawa regime , the Aizu clan and the Satsuma clan . All members of the Mibu Rōshigumi were sent to aid Aizu and help keep Chōshū out of the imperial court by guarding its gates . This caused a power shift in the political arena in Kyoto , from the extreme anti - Tokugawa Chōshū forces to the pro - Tokugawa Aizu forces . The new name " Shinsengumi " was said to have been given to the group by either the imperial court or Matsudaira Katamori ( the daimyo of the Aizu clan ) for their job in guarding the gates . The Shinsengumi ' s greatest enemies were the ronin samurai of the Mori clan of Chōshū ( and later , former ally Shimazu clan of Satsuma , who supported the emperor . ) Ironically , the reckless actions of Serizawa and Niimi , done in the name of the Shinsengumi , caused the group to be feared in Kyoto when their job was to keep the peace . However , the Ikedaya Affair of 1864 , in which they prevented the burning of Kyoto , made the Shinsengumi famous overnight ; they had a surge of recruits . The Shinsengumi remained loyal to the Tokugawa bakufu , and left Kyoto peacefully under the supervision of the wakadoshiyori Nagai Naoyuki , shortly after the withdrawal of Tokugawa Yoshinobu . However , as they had been posted as security forces in Fushimi , they soon took part in the Battle of Toba - Fushimi . Kondo Isami suffered a gunshot wound , but still continuing to fight , went on to the Battle of Kōshū - Katsunuma against incredible odds , and was subsequently captured in Nagareyama to the east of Edo a few days later . After surrendering to imperial government forces , he was declared guilty of participation in the assassination of Sakamoto Ryouma and beheaded three weeks later in Itabashi . A group of Shinsengumi men under Saitō Hajime fought in defense of the Aizu domain , and many of the others went on northward under Hijikata , joining the forces of the Republic of Ezo . During this interval , the Shinsengumi was able to recover some of its strength , bringing its numbers above 100 . Generally , the death of Hijikata Toshizō on June 20 ( lunar calendar May 11 ) , 1869 is seen as marking the end of the Shinsengumi , though another group of survivors , under Sōma Kazue , which had been under Nagai Naoyuki ' s supervision at Benten - daiba , surrendered separately . A few core members , such as Nagakura Shinpachi , Saitō Hajime , and Shimada Kai , survived the demise of the group . Some members , such as Takagi Teisaku , would even become prominent figures in society . Members of the group . At its peak , the Shinsengumi had about 300 members . They were the first samurai group of the Tokugawa era to allow those from non - samurai classes like farmers and merchants to join . Previously , Japan had had a strict class hierarchy system . Many joined the group due to the desire to become samurai and be involved in political affairs . However , it is a misconception that most of the Shinsengumi members were from non - samurai classes . Out of 106 Shinsengumi 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 . Quite a few leaders , such as Yamanami , Okita , Saito , Nagakura , and Harada , were born samurai . Post - Ikedaya Shinsengumi hierarchy . Kondō Isami , fourth master of the Tennen Rishin Ryū < br > Spies : Shimada Kai , Yamazaki Susumu Shinsengumi regulations . The code included five articles , prohibiting the following : The penalty for breaking any rule was seppuku . In addition , the Shinsengumi had these regulations : Uniform . The members of the Shinsengumi were highly visible in battle due to their distinctive uniforms . Following the orders of Shinsengumi commander Serizawa Kamo , the standard uniform consisted of the haori and hakama over a kimono , with a white cord called a " tasuki " crossed over the chest and tied in the back . The function of the " tasuki " is to prevent the sleeves of the kimono from interfering with moving the arms . The uniqueness of the uniform was most evident in the haori , which was colored . The haori sleeves were trimmed with " white mountain stripes " , resulting in a very flashy outfit , quite unlike the usual browns , blacks , and greys found in warrior clothing . In the midst of a fight , the uniforms of the Shinsengumi provided not only a means of easy identification , but also a highly visible threat towards the enemy . In popular culture . Shinsengumi are a staple of Japanese popular culture in general and jidaigeki in particular . Shinsengumi has been adapted in TV drama time and again since " Shinsengumi Shimatsuki " ( Shinsengumi and its birth to end ) broadcast by TBS on 1961 , which was viewed nationwide . Another TV version , highly evaluated still , is " Shinsengumi Keppuroku ( narrative of struggles ) " broadcast by NTV on 1967 . In 1969 a full length film Shinsengumi : Assassins of Honour staring Toshiro Mifune was released . In 2004 , Japanese television broadcaster NHK made a year - long television drama series following the history of the Shinsengumi , called 新選組 ! ( " Shinsengumi ! " ) , which aired on Sunday evenings . Many other series and specials have featured the history and fiction surrounding this group . In 2003 , a Japanese samurai drama , " When the Last Sword Is Drawn " , depicts the end of Shinsengumi , focusing on various historical figures such as Saito Hajime . The 1999 film " Taboo " ( " Gohatto " ) depicts the Shinsengumi a year after the Ikedaya Affair . The film " Shinsengumi " , starring Toshiro Mifune , depicts the rise and fall of the . Shinsengumi . The 2004 video game " Fu - un Shinsengumi " developed by Genki and published by Konami is based on the Shinsengumi . Manga artist Nobuhiro Watsuki is a self - acclaimed fan of the Shinsengumi and many of his characters in " Rurouni Kenshin " are based on its members , including Sagara Sanosuke ( inspired by Harada Sanousuke ) , Shinomori Aoshi ( modeled after Hijikata Toshizō ) , Seta Sōjirō ( based on Okita Souji ) and , most famously , Saitō Hajime after his real - life counterpart . The 2003 manga " Getsu Mei Sei Ki " or " Goodbye Shinsengumi " by Kenji Morita depicts the life of Hijikata Toshizō . The manga " Kaze Hikaru " presents a fictional tale of a girl joining the Shinsengumi under disguise and falling in love with Okita Soji . The manga " Peacemaker Kurogane " by Nanae Chrono is a historical fiction taking place during the end of the Tokugawa period , following a young boy , Ichimura Tetsunosuke , who tries to join the Shinsengumi . The game series / anime adaptation " Hakuouki " follows a girl , looking for her lost father ( a doctor who also worked with the Shinsengumi ) , joins the Shinsengumi . Although the show is fictional , adding supernatural elements and fictional enemies , it mixes these elements with real events . The characters within the Shinsengumi she associates with are fictionalized adaptations of actual members of the Shinsengumi and retain their real names throughout the show . In Hideaki Sorachi ' s comedy manga " Gintama " , the Shinsengumi — written — are also portrayed , and can considered to be main characters , some of them ranking in the top 3 of the most popular characters . Their depiction however , being freely adapted for comedy purposes , was sometimes complained about by various PTA for lacking historical precision . In March 2012 the stand alone expansion for " Total War Shogun 2 , Fall of the Samurai " features the shinsengumi as a recruitable agent used for assassination and bribery .