FAMOUS MEMBERS OF THE SHINSENGUMI
Hijikata Toshizo Yoshitoyo 土方 歳三 義豊
Nicknamed "The Demon of Shinsengumi",
Hijikata was feared by many for his mercilessness.
Hijikata was like a younger
brother to Kondo, and an elder brother to Okita.
A master swordsman/strategist,
Hijikata stretched the prowess of the Shinsengumi to its maximum.
Trained in Tennen Rishin-ryu,
Hijikata was also the founder of the famous Shinsengumi technique "Left-handed
horizontal thrust".
One of the Shinsengumi rules
was that any traitors, including deserters, had only one path to take:
COMMIT SEPPUKU.
Yamanami Keisuke was one such
deserter, and Hijikata was forced to punish Yamanami.
As a leader, he had to be firm
and set a good example for his followers irregardless of what he actually
felt.
In order to uphold the rules
of the Shinsengumi, Hijikata sentenced Yamanami to commit seppuku.
Thus Hijikata chose to play
the part of a demon in front of everybody and killed those he loved, and
cried alone in the dark.
After all, Hijikata knew Yamanami
ever since their Shieikan days and were childhood friends.
After the group's defeat in the
Boshin War and the death of Kondo, Hijikata joined Enomoto Takeaki, a former
Bakufu Navy official.
They escaped to Hokkaido and
proceeded to build a so-called " Hokkaido Republic " in order to continue
fighting the Ishin government.
However, Hijikata was shot to
death in a battle in 1869 ( 2nd Year of Meiji ) at the age of 35.
Yamanami Keisuke Tomonobu 山南 敬助 知信
Like Hijikata, Yamanami was also
one of the deputy commander in the Sinsengumi.
In contrast to Hijikata's hard-handed
methods, Yamanami used a softer approach.
He was skilled in Hokushin Itto-ryu,
and also a popular member in the Shinsengumi.
Unfortunately, Yamanami left
the Shinsengumi due to difference of opinion, but was caught by Okita.
In order to uphold the rules
of the Shinsengumi, Hijikata sentenced Yamanami to commit seppuku.
This aroused dissatisfaction
among the members of the Shinsengumi, as Yamanami was a gentle and honest
man.
Yamanami died at the age of
30.
Okita Souji Kaneyoshi 沖田 総司 房良
Probably the best-known and most
popular Shinsengumi.
Besides being a handsome total
knockout, Okita was a child prodigy in kenjutsu.
He joined Kondo's dojo at the
age of 9, and was an accomplished swordsman at 15.
The strongest swordsman in the
Shinsengumi, he wielded the katana, bokken and shinai equally well.
Okita was famous for his " 3-piece
thrust " : 3 thrusts delivered very quickly, usually at the neck and the
right and left shoulders.
Like Saito, this technique was
improvised from the one invented by Hijikata.
His sword, the Kikuichi Norimune,
length 2'4" 2' is now sealed in a shrine.
Okita later contracted tuberculosis,
an incurable disease in those times, shortly after the formation of the
Shinsengumi.
He coughed up blood several
times, but he would not let the others know.
During the battle at Ikeda-ya,
his condition worsened, and fainted after he coughed up a shocking amount
of blood.
It was only then that Kondo
and Hijikata knew of his disease, and even the doctor predicted that he
would not live long.
Both were distressed over this,
for they were like elder brothers to Okita.
However, they agreed that news
of Okita's illness should not be widely known, lest it dragged down the
members' morale.
After the Boshin war, Okita
went into a tuberculosis hospital in Edo.
Okita passed away on 30th May
1868 ( 1st year of Meiji ) at the age of 25.
Saito Hajime 斎藤 一
Saito was named Hajime ( meaning "one" or "beginning" as in another kanji ) because he was born on the 1st day of the 1st month.
He entered the Shinsengumi ,
under the name of Yamaguchi Jiro, when he served as one of Hijikata's assistants.
His most powerful sword skill
is the "Left-handed horizontal thrust", which is even more destructive
than Okita's 3-piece thrust !
In fact, Saito, together with
Okita and Nagakura, were hailed as the 3 strongest swordsman of the Shinsengumi.
Saito assasinated in the elimination
of corrupted Shinsengumi members like Takeda Kanryusai and Ito Kashitaro.
Standing firm in the motto of
the whole Shinsengumi - Aku-Soku-Zan, Saito was rumoured to be more powerful
than Okita !
Saito's wife, Takagi Tokio, was
the daughter of an important Aizu official.
In fact, the middle-man was
none other than the daimyo of Aizu himself !
Saito Hajime and Takagi Tokio
were married in 1873 ( 6th year of Meiji ), and their first son, Tsutomu
was born in1876.
After the Ishin government was
formed, he changed his name to Fujita Goro and worked as a kendo instructor
in a university.
In 1877, the 10th year of Meiji,
he joined the police troop with permission of carrying a sword to fight
in the Seinan War,
( The war which Saigo Takamori
rebelled against the Meiji government in Satsuma )
After which he became a spy
directly responsible to the Police Commissioner, Kawaji Toshiyoshi.
Saito worked as a securty guard
of a museum in Tokyo when he was quite a senior citizen.
After his retirement, he seemed
to spend a lot of time thinking.
Saito was also a great drinker
! Known to be a different person when drunk,
Saito died of stomach ulcer
on 28 Sep 1915 ( 4th year of Taisho ) at the ripe old age of 72.
( Probably due to excessive
drinking !!! )
Harada Sanosuke Tadakazu
原田 左之助 忠一
Before he joined Kondo, Harada
was the servant of some bushi, and this lowly status caused him to have
a weak side at times.
Short-tempered and loves to
fight, Harada's favourite weapon was the spear.
However, he really took care
of those under him.
He was also a man who didn't
like to fuss, and did things the way he saw it.
The members of the Shinsengumi
frequented brothels, but they seldom attached themselves to the girls,
to take them as their legal wives.
However, Harada married his
girl, something surprising considering his personality.
In those days, you had the choice
of not marrying a girl even if you'd slept with her.
After the Boshin War, Harada joined the Shogitai and died in the Ueno War at the age of 29.
Shimada Kai 島田 魁
The most famous Shinsengumi spy,
Shimada was a big muscular man who specializes in the spear.
Shimada died at the age of 77.
Yamazaki Susumu 山崎 烝
Yamazaki was the son of a doctor.
Besides being a capable spy,
Yamazaki was sort of like a disciplinary master.
Yamazaki was often appointed
to make sure that the coast was clear before an important operation.
Kondo and Hijikata had absolute
trust in him.
Severely injured in the battle
at Fushimi, his boat sank during its retreat.