A martial group dedicated to loyalty under the banner of ‘Makoto’「誠」

The activity period of the Shinsengumi was from 1863 to 1869, a short span of six years. However, these six years were a tumultuous period in Japan’s history as the nation transitioned from the Edo shogunate to the modern Meiji era.

Ten years before the formation of the Shinsengumi in 1853, Matthew Perry, the commander of the American East India Fleet, arrived in Uraga with four ships. From this day on, various ideologies such as ‘respect for the emperor’, ‘support for the shogunate’, ‘expulsion of foreigners’, and ‘opening the country’ confused the domestic situation in Japan. Both the shogunate and the imperial court started discussing the idea of a ‘public-military union’, a compromise solution. The political stage also began to shift from Edo to Kyoto.

In February 1863, Shogun Iemochi decided to go to Kyoto in response to the imperial order for the expulsion of foreigners, and a group of ronin was formed for his protection.

At that time, the Genbukan (Koden Itto-ryu, Chiba Shusaku), Shigakukan (Kyoshin Meichi-ryu, Momoi Haruzo), and Rennobukan (Shindo Munen-ryu, Saito Yakuro) were known as the ‘Three Great Dojos’ in Edo. Among them, the Shieikan (There is also a theory that the pronounciation was not ‘Shieikan’ but rather ‘Makoto Eikan’) in Koishikawa would later become the Shinsengumi with ‘Makoto’ as their banner.

The Shieikan practiced Tennen Rishin-ryu, with Kondo Isami as the fourth generation leader. His foster father, Shusuke, moved the dojo from Oyama Town in Tama County to Edo. However, because many of the students were from rural areas, it was derisively referred to as ‘country swordsmanship’. Among the students were Hijikata Toshizo, Okita Soji, and Inoue Genzaburo.

In 1862, the idea of forming a ‘ronin group’ was brought to the Shieikan. Kondo Isami led his students and colleagues to participate. The recruiting target of 50 people was exceeded with 300 people, and as a result, 234 people headed to Kyoto. However, upon arrival in Kyoto, the leader, Kiyokawa Hachiro, declared his change of heart, stating that the aim was not to protect the shogun but to carry out the expulsion of foreigners. The ronin group, which eventually split, left 24 people in Kyoto: eight from the Shieikan, five Mito ronin led by Serizawa Kamo, and 11 from a third faction led by Tonouchi Yoshio and Iesato Tsuguo. Of the 24 left, the third faction was quickly purged, and the remaining 13 became an organization under the direct control of the Aizu Clan, who were the Kyoto guardians.

Furthermore, the Serizawa faction was also purged, and the ‘Shinsengumi’, organized by Kondo and Hijikata from the Shieikan members, was formed. The Shinsengumi initially established their base in the village of Mibu in Kyoto, hence they were also known as ‘Mibu Ronin’ or ‘Miburo’. They used a checkered haori and the banner of ‘Makoto’, which were their trademarks from the beginning. ‘Makoto’「誠」 is believed to have been taken from ‘Seichu’「誠忠」 (loyalty from the heart), which embodies the passionate feelings of the ronin group.

The Shinsengumi then embarked on six years of activities, which included the Ikedaya Incident, the Restoration of Imperial Rule, and ended with Hijikata and others dying in the Battle of Hakodate in May 1869.

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