Shinsengumi. Romulus Hillsborough

      

      SHINSENGUMI

      The Shogun’s Last Samurai Corps

      Romulus Hillsborough

      TUTTLE Publishing

      Tokyo | Rutland, Vermont | Singapore

      For Minako and Matthew Ryūnosuké — In memory of my mother

      ________________________________________________

      Published by Tuttle Publishing, an imprint of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.

      www.tuttlepublishing.com

      Copyright © 2005 Jeff Cohen

      Cover image: courtesy of Masataka Kojima

      Cover design: Horuga Yakobusu

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission from the publisher.

      Library of Congress Control Number: 2005926980

      ISBN: 978-1-4629-1358-9 (ebook)

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      Japan

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      Printed in Singapore

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      There are but few important events in the affairs of men brought about by their own choice.

      — Ulysses S. Grant

      Miniature Shinsengumi Banner

      (original; courtesy of Hijikata Toshizō Museum)

      Contents

       List of Photographs

       Map of Japan

       Map of Edo and Vicinity

       Map of Kyōto

       Map of Ezo

       Note on Japanese Pronunciation

       Author’s Note

       Preface

       Prologue

       Historical Background

       Loyal and Patriotic Corps

       Newly Selected Corps

       Of Insult and Retribution

       The Purge

       A Propensity to Kill

       Slaughter at the Ikéda’ya

       A Tale of Bushidō

       Battle at the Forbidden Gates

       Return of a Hero

       Endings and Transformations

       Blood at the Crossroads

       Of Outrage, Fury, and Inexorable Fate

       Civil War

       The Peasant as Feudal Lord

       Of Defeat, Disgrace, and Apotheosis

       Epilogue: Hijikata’s Last Fight

       Appendix I

       Appendix II: The Survivors

       Table of Era Names and Their Corresponding Years in Western Chronology

       Glossary of Japanese Terms

       Bibliography

       Source Notes

       Index