Shinsengumi

The Shinsengumi (新選組) was a military unit first made up of rōnin (samurai without a master) and warriors without samurai heritage by the name of "Rōshigumi", the purpose of which was to restore public order in Kyoto and counteract the local anti-shogunate forces. Shortly after, the Mibu Rōshigumi was formed and quickly earned the name of "Shinsengumi".
Later, the Shinsengumi became the Kyoto police whose task was to patrol the streets and protecting the civilians. They wore blue haori (coats) on top of their clothes which was their recognizable feature. Whenever they were going to a battle, they would always carry their banner with 誠 (Makoto) which means "sincerity", "truth" or "faithfulness". 
Most notable characters in the Hakuōki franchise are either members of the Shinsengumi or their associates.
==Historical background==
===Rōshigumi===
*On October 19, 1862, the Tokugawa Shogunate formed the Rōshigumi, a group of 234 rōnin. The group's formal mission was to act as the protectors of Tokugawa Iemochi, the 14 shōgun, who was preparing to embark on a trip to meet with the Emperor Komei. 
*Although the Rōshigumi was funded by the Tokugawa bakufu, the leader Kiyokawa Hachirō and others were Imperial loyalists and planned to gather other rōnin in Kyoto to police the city from insurgents. When Kiyokawa's scheme was revealed in Kyoto, he immediately commanded the Rōshigumi to return to Edo. However, nineteen Rōshigumi members (3 factions led by Kamo Serizawa, Isami Kondou and Tonouchi Yoshio) remained and formed the Mibu Rōshigumi (壬生浪士組) (Mibu was a village south west of Kyoto). They got a name Miburō (壬生浪), meaning "rōnin of Mibu" (that is often translated into English as "Wolves from Mibu" and usually has a negative connotation).
*The Mibu Rōshigumi had no money or connections except for what Serizawa could provide for them, that is why Kondou and Hijikata were forced to consider Serizawa their main leader (unofficially). 
*Serizawa managed to get the Aizu to accept the Rōshigumi as the official Kyoto police, and that is when the Aizu bestowed a new name onto the samurai group - Shinsengumi.
===Shinsengumi===
*Matsudaira Katamori (9th daimyo of the Aizu domain), after the careful evaluation of the political scene in Kyoto, considered it necessary to change the scope of the Mibu Rōshigumi's mission from protecting the bakufu to patrolling the streets of Kyoto and restoring order in the name of the Tokugawa bakufu. On August 18, 1863, the Mibu Rōshigumi was renamed into the Shinsengumi and became the Kyoto Police protecting the citizens.
*The Shinsengumi were led by Kamo Serizawa, Nishiki Niimi, and Kondō Isami.
*Due to Kamo Serizawa's constant misbehavior (arsons, murders and drunk incidents that involved a fight with sumos with some of them ending up dead, wrecking a restaurant in Shimabara, destroying a silk cloth store Yamatoya), the Aizu commander made it clear to Kondou and Hijikata that they need to be the only commanders of the Shinsengumi. They ambushed the inn where Nishiki Niimi (Serizawa's main ally and supporter) was hiding under a different name and made him commit seppuku. Later they surrounded Serizawa himself who was already dying of a disease therefore was prepared to die that day. He decided not to go without a fight but was eventually killed by Hijikata.
*The Ikedaya Incident (shown at the end of Episode 2 and mainly in Episode 3 of the first season) earned much more respect for the Shinsengumi, and the annihilation of the other faction (which was approved and perhaps even initiated by the Aizu domain) caused some changes in the high command.
==Members (after the Ikedaya Inn incident)==
Here is the list of all the Shinsengumi leaders during the main events of the Hakuōki franchise:
*Commander (局長, Kyokuchō): Isami Kondō
*General Commander (総長, Sōchō): Keisuke Sannan (also known as Keisuke Yamanami)
*Vice Commander (副長, Fukuchō): Toshizō Hijikata
*Military Advisor (参謀, Sanbō): Itō Kashitarō
*Troop Captains ((組長, Kumichō):
*#Sōji Okita
*#Shinpachi Nagakura
*#Hajime Saitō
*#Matsubara Chūji
*#Kanryūsai Takeda
*#Genzaburō Inoue
*#Tani Sanjūrō
*#Heisuke Tōdō
*#Suzuki Mikisaburō
*#Sanosuke Harada
*Intelligence Officers: Kai Shimada, Susumu Yamazaki
==Events Chronology==
NOTE: The dates might be different from the ones given in the anime due to different calendars. Japanese Calendar tends to define dates a couple of months earlier than Gregorian Calendar. Example: The Battle of Bonari Pass happened on the 6 October 1868 (Gregorian Calendar), or the 21st day of the Eighth Month, Keiō-4 year (Japanese calendar). The Eighth Month is August, therefore in the anime (Episode 7) it is stated by Chizuru behind the scenes that the battle happened in August 1868 and not in October. However, the dates given below are defined using Gregorian Calendar.
===Season 3===
*Coup of August 18, 1863: the events that involved murdering Kamo Serizawa, Nishiki Niimi and a few more people from their side by the order of the Aizu Domain. Prior to that the Rōshigumi changed their official name to "Shinsengumi" which was given to them by the Aizu as a sign of recognition of their skills and efforts.
===Season 1===
*July 8, 1864. The Ikedaya Incident (at the end of Episode 2 and mainly in Episode 3 of the first season): the Shinsengumi ambush the Ikedaya Inn in order to catch the Chōshū rebels, the Aizu clan joins but is stopped by Hijikata (to avoid them taking all the credit) and later assists with the aftermath.
*August 20, 1864. The Kinmon Rebellion, also known as the Hamaguri Gate Rebellion or the Kinmon Incident (Episode 4): the Shinsengumi are mobilized by the order from Aizu and join their back-up forces. They are meant to protect the Hamaguri Gate because the Chōshū are known to be planning to kidnap the Emperor from his palace in Kyoto. The Shinsengumi, the Aizu and Satsuma domains manage to fight off the attackers, but the Chōshū leaders that survive set fire to Kyoto.
*Autumn 1864. Kashitarou Itou joins the Shinsengumi and they move to different headquarters, Nishi Hongan-ji Temple (Episode 5).
*July 3, 1865. The Shinsengumi are assigned to protect the 14th Shogun, Iemochi Tokugawa (Episode 6).
*Summer 1866. Bakufu's army is defeated by the Chōshū and Satsuma.
*September 1866. The Shinsengumi are ordered to protect a notice board that claims the Chōshū domain to be the enemy (Episode 8).
*January 1867. Itou starts to plan his leave from the Shinsengumi and persuade some captains to follow him (Episode 9).
*March 20, 1867. Itou has left, taking Saitou and Heisuke with him.
*October 1867. Itou starts plotting against Sakamoto Ryōma and the Shinsengumi, and joins forces with the Satsuma Domain (Episode 10).
*November 1867. The Shinsengumi have moved to their third headquarters, The Fudodo. Harada is rumored to be guilty of killing Sakamoto Ryōma, Saitou rejoins the Shinsengumi and informs them about Itou's shenanigans. Hijikata orders to assassinate Itou (Abura-no-koji Incident).
* Late 1867. Satsuma and Chōshū Domains had prepared for war in the earnest and assembled their forces in Kyoto. To counter this, the Shinsengumi went to the Fushimi Magistrate's office and prepared for battle. Kondou gets shot on his way from the war council at Nijo Castle back to the magistrate's office (Episode 11). Tokugawa Yoshinobu withdraws from Kyoto, the Shinsengumi leave peacefully under the supervision of the wakadoshiyori, Nagai Naoyuki. The new emperor (Meiji) has been named the head of a new government (meaning the end centuries of military rule by the shōgun). This marked the beginning of the Boshin civil war. Kondou and Okita are taken to Osaka for treatment.
*January 1868. The Battle of Toba–Fushimi between the Bakufu army and the SatChō alliance Episode 12). Inoue is assassinated by soldiers who have betrayed Bakufu. The Shinsengumi have to retreat to Edo as the Shōgun has left the capital. Yamazaki dies on the ship.
===Season 2===
*January 1868. The Shinsengumi return to Edo and use the Kama Inn in Shinagawa as their temporary headquarters. They are reformed into a unit known as the Kōyō Chinbutai (甲陽鎮撫隊, "Pacification Corps") and assigned to suppress uprisings in Kōfu Castle (Episode 1 of Season 2). Around the same time Kondou claims to have been offered a daimyo position and invites the Shinsengumi Captains to join him as his retainers, which aggravates Shinpachi and forces him to leave later on. Right before starting the mission, the Shinsengumi receive new western-style uniform and modern weapons.
*March 24, 1868. The Shinsengumi depart from Edo towards Kōfu Castle (Episode 2). 
*March 28, 1868. The Shinsengumi receive the news that the castle has already been taken by the Imperial forces.
*March 29, 1868. The Shinsengumi attempt to resist an attack from the Imperial forces (Episode 2) but fail and retrieve. The fight is later known as the Battle of Kōshū-Katsunuma.
*End of March - beginning of April 1868. Shinpachi Nagakura, Sanosuke Harada and a few more members leave the Kōyō Chinbutai after disagreements with long-time comrades Kondou and Hijikata (Episode 3) and later form a new unit Seiheitai.
*April 25, 1868. The Shinsengumi move to a new headquarters in Nagareyama. The Imperial forces' Staff Officer Kagawa Keizō of Mito Domain receives news about it and dispatches the forces there.
*April 26, 1868. The Kōyō Chinbutai members are caught by surprise by the 200-strong Imperial forces. Kondou orders his comrades to run and yields himself prisoner in order to distract attention and buy some time. Hijikata and others successfully escape, however, Kondou never appears in the series afterwards due to being sentenced to death through beheading (Episode 4).
*May 1868. The Battle of Utsunomiya Castle between pro-imperial and Tokugawa Bakufu forces. In the anime (Episode 5) it involved extra characters (demons) that were not part of the historical storyline, while in the real world it happened as the troops of the Tokugawa Bakufu were retreating north towards Nikkō and Aizu.
*June 1868. The Battle of Shirakawa in defense of Aizu territory that is led by Hajime Saitou due to Toshizou Hijikata being incapacitated after the previous battle (Episode 7). 
*October 1868. The Battle of Bonari Pass. The Imperial Army, supported by Tosa Domain, have roughly 3000 men, while the former Bakufu army united with the Aizu have 4000 men as their primary force, Nihonmatsu soldiers, Sendai soldiers and 70 members of the Shinsengumi. Even though the difference is noticeable, the order to retreat is given. Saitou and a small group of Shinsengumi part with Hijikata and continue to fight alongside the Aizu Domain against the Imperial forces until the very end of the Battle of Aizu.
*Late Autumn 1868. Hijikata, Ootori and others to Sendai.
*December 1868. Hijikata and the rest of the surviving Shinsengumi join the forces of the Republic of Ezo in the north (the end of Episode 8).
*May 6, 1869. The Battle of Miyako Bay. Hijikata and others under the flag of the Republic of Ezo attempt to take over the Kōtetsu, the flagship of the Imperial forces of the new Meiji government, but fail due to losing a big part of their forces right before the raid (the end of Episode 9).
*The end of May 1869. Hijikata leads Republic of Ezo forces and the surviving Shinsengumi against the Imperial forces during the Battle of Futamata for sixteen hours and were forced to retreat. The Imperial forces attacked again on the next day, only to retreat. On the following night, Hijikata led a successful raid on the Imperial forces' camp, forcing them to flee (the beginning of Episode 10). 
*June 10, 1869. Hijikata and his forces later retreat to Hakodate.
*June 20, 1869. Hijikata is shot during the Battle of Hakodate. His anime and game adaptations potentially survive due to the mystical component of the fictional story, however, his historical counterpart dies of this wound leaving a death poem, which leads to the end of the Shinsengumi. 
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Category:Characters
Category:Anime