Shinsengumi

Eight men from the Shieikan dojo, including Isami Kondo, Toshizo Hijikata, and Soji Okita, joined the ronin unit tasked with protecting the shogun.
It later emerged that one member, Hachiro Kiyokawa, opposed the shogunate and supported the imperial cause, believing the emperor should stand at the top of national authority.
After talks with the officials in charge, the group was ordered back to Edo, but Kondo and Hijikata, along with Kamo Serizawa and others, insisted on staying in Kyoto.

The men who remained were named the “Mibu Roshigumi.”
They used the Yagi residence and the Maekawa residence in Mibu Village as their base, recruited members, and grew to a force of over 36.
As their numbers increased, they came under the protection of Katamori Matsudaira, lord of the Aizu Domain and Kyoto Shugoshoku (Kyoto Protector), and were tasked with patrols and cracking down on rogue ronin.
In recognition of these efforts, the Mibu Roshigumi was renamed the Shinsengumi.

The Shinsengumi uncovered a plot by pro-imperial, anti-foreign activists from domains such as Choshu and Tosa to set Kyoto on fire and assassinate the next shogun, Yoshinobu Tokugawa.
To stop it, they raided the Ikedaya inn where the group was staying.

They killed many of the conspirators, but the Shinsengumi also suffered serious injuries.
Accounts vary, but Soji Okita reportedly coughed up blood during the fighting and withdrew. Shinpachi Nagakura is said to have badly cut the base of his thumb, and Heisuke Todo suffered a major head wound.
The Ikedaya Incident, with its heavy toll, propelled the Shinsengumi into national fame.

In 1867, the 15th shogun, Yoshinobu Tokugawa, returned governing authority to the imperial court (Taisei Hokan) and stepped down as shogun.
The court then issued the Restoration of Imperial Rule, bringing the Tokugawa shogunate’s Approx. 260-year reign to an end.

Although Yoshinobu formally resigned power, much of actual governance remained effectively entrusted to him, a situation the anti-shogunate factions refused to accept.
Led by Satsuma and Choshu, they pushed back harder.
Yoshinobu organized the former shogunate forces and launched the Boshin War against the new government army.

The Shinsengumi fought as part of the former shogunate forces in the Battle of Toba-Fushimi. They entered the fight determined to take back power, but the new government army fought under the “Imperial Brocade Banner,” making it the recognized official force and casting the former shogunate side as rebels.

The new government army used guns and artillery imported from Britain, while the former shogunate forces largely fought with swords, leading to a crushing defeat.
Even so, the conflict continued for over a year, including the peaceful surrender of Edo Castle, the Ueno War, the Battle of Nagaoka, and the Aizu War.

Ordered by the former shogunate, the Shinsengumi was renamed the Koyo Chinbutai.
Isami Kondo fought the new government forces around Edo, but was captured at Itabashi-shuku, beheaded at the Itabashi execution grounds, and his head was displayed in Kyoto.
Soji Okita’s health deteriorated, and he was unable to fight. He did not join the Battle of Toba-Fushimi and later died while recovering in Sendagaya, Edo.

Outmatched by the new government’s modern weaponry, the former shogunate forces and the Koyo Chinbutai were driven north and eventually reached Hakodate, Hokkaido.
At Goryokaku, former shogunate retainers led by Takeaki Enomoto set up a provisional government and resisted the imperial forces.
Goryokaku is a rare star-shaped fortress in Japan, and it became the Shinsengumi’s final battleground, including for Toshizo Hijikata.

The former shogunate forces led by Hijikata faced their final showdown at Benten Daiba.
During fighting near the Ippongi checkpoint, Hijikata was shot while on horseback and died at just 35.
With the former shogunate defeat in the Battle of Hakodate, the Boshin War ended.
Japan was unified under the new government, and a new era began.

Isami Kondo was a samurai of the late Edo period and commander of the Shinsengumi. He was the 4th headmaster of Tennen Rishin-ryu.
He was born in 1833 in Tama District, Musashi Province (now Chofu), as the third son of the farming Miyagawa family.
His childhood name was Katsugoro, and he grew up in a relatively comfortable, mid-level household.
At 15, Katsugoro entered the Shieikan, a dojo of Tennen Rishin-ryu.
His swordsmanship improved quickly, earning recognition from the dojo master, Shusuke Kondo.
He received full certification the following year.
After being adopted by Shusuke, he took the name Isami Kondo and inherited the Shieikan.
Later, he traveled to Kyoto, passed through the Mibu Roshigumi, and formed the Shinsengumi as its commander.

Kondo was known from childhood for his fearless personality, and many tales of his exploits remain.
He is also said to have long admired the samurai way of life.

Toshizo Hijikata was born in 1835 in Ishida Village, Tama District, Musashi Province (now Hino City, Tokyo).
He was the youngest of ten siblings in a wealthy farming family, but after his parents died, he was raised by his second brother’s wife, Naka.
While selling his family’s secret Isida-san-yaku medicine, Hijikata trained at swordsmanship dojos across the country. His brother-in-law, Hikogoro Sato, joined the Shieikan and set up a dojo at home, where Isami Kondo came to teach swordsmanship.
Sharing the desire to “become a samurai” and “protect the Tokugawa shogunate,” Hijikata and Kondo formed a close bond.
He later officially entered Tennen Rishin-ryu.
It was around this time that he met Soji Okita, who would later become captain of the First Unit of the Shinsengumi.
After that, Hijikata went to Kyoto with Kondo and became vice-commander of the Shinsengumi.

Quick-tempered and aggressive, he was known from childhood as Baragaki (“the rough one”).
Yet he was also a skilled strategist, and that side of him helped support Kondo.

“Never forget gratitude.
Never abandon duty.
Give others compassion.
Never repeat mistakes.
Never force your ego through.
Never laugh at someone’s failure.
Never listen in on someone’s secrets.
Trust can’t be bought with money.”

These words feel fitting for Kondo, who admired the samurai, lived as one, and died as one.
What matters in relationships may not have changed since the Bakumatsu era.

Despite his rough, hot-blooded reputation, Toshizo Hijikata enjoyed writing haiku.
His words reflect not only fierce conviction, but also a strong sense of beauty.

“A man’s life is for creating beauty. When a day passes, I try to forget it. The past means nothing to me anymore. When you start a fight, assume you’re already dead. Then you’ll win. The world isn’t made so that yesterday’s sunset can be seen again today. Only those who are tired of living, follow me.”

“Even if my body decays on the island of Ezo, my spirit will keep protecting Japan.”

“Each time I take up my spear and look up at the moon, I wonder: will I be a corpse tomorrow, lit by that same moon?”

It’s said the Shinsengumi killed more allies than enemies.
Under their code of conduct, known as Shido, anyone who turned their back to the enemy or acted in an “un-samurai-like” way could be executed on the spot.
Many were also purged for leaving the group without permission.

Commander Isami Kondo had a serious sweet tooth and an enormous appetite, said to have eaten 19 bowls of grated yam over rice.
Vice-Commander Toshizo Hijikata was such a ladies’ man that he even sent acquaintances in Hino stacks of love letters, along with detailed notes about how popular he was.
Great historical figures often stood out even in everyday life.

Isami Kondo was a fan of Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Water Margin.
He especially loved Guan Yu, and as a child, he reportedly asked his father, “Is Guan Yu still alive?” When told he had been captured and executed, Kondo burst into tears.
Raised on a farm, Kondo had focused mainly on agriculture and swordsmanship, so after becoming commander he struggled with reading and writing. At night, he secretly practiced calligraphy by copying famous handwriting samples. Okita, by the way, was known for beautiful penmanship.

A “honjin” was an official lodging in Edo-period post towns. Inside this historic building, built over 150 years ago, you can see Edo-era architecture up close. The exhibition area displays valuable materials passed down through generations, including many items related to the Shinsengumi.

A head temple of the Jodo sect, affectionately known as “Kurodani-san.” In the Bakumatsu period, Katamori Matsudaira, lord of the Aizu Domain and appointed Kyoto Protector, set up his headquarters here. Because he took Isami Kondo and Toshizo Hijikata under his command, it’s also considered one of the birthplaces of the Shinsengumi.

A Shingon Buddhist temple (Chisan branch) and one of the Kanto region’s three major Fudo temples. It is also the family temple of vice-commander Toshizo Hijikata.
The precincts cover Approx. 4,000 tsubo, and together with the adjacent forest, the site totals 30,000 tsubo. The grounds feature the Fudo-do Hall, the Niomon Gate guarded by a pair of Kongorikishi statues, and the massive Joroku Fudo Myo-o triad (over 1,100 kg). Around 20,000 cultural properties and temple treasures are held here.