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Shinsengumi: The Shogun's last Samurai Corps is the true story of the notorious
samurai corps formed in 1863 to arrest or kill the enemies of the Tokugawa
Shogun. The only book in English about the Shinsengumi, it focuses on the
corps' two charismatic leaders, Kondo Isami and Hijikata Toshizo, both
impeccable swordsmen. It is a history-in-brief of the final years of the
Bakufu, which collapsed in 1867 with the restoration of Imperial rule. In
writing Shinsengumi, Hillsborough referred mostly to
Japanese-language primary sources, including letters, memoirs, journals,
interviews, and eyewitness accounts, as well as definitive biographies and
histories of the era.
The fall of the shogun's government (Tokugawa Bakufu, or simply Bakufu) in
1868, which had ruled Japan for over two and a half centuries, was the greatest
event in modern Japanese history.
The revolution, known as the Meiji Restoration, began with the violent
reaction of samurai to the Bakufu's decision in 1854 to open the theretofore
isolated country to "Western barbarians." Though opening the country was
unavoidable, it was seen as a sign of weakness by the samurai who clamored to
"expel the barbarians."
Those samurai plotted to overthrow the shogun and restore the holy emperor
to his ancient seat of power. Screaming "heaven's revenge," they wielded their
swords with a vengeance upon those loyal to the shogun.
They unleashed a wave of terror at the center of the revolution - the
emperor's capital of Kyoto. Murder and assassination were rampant. By the end
of 1862, hordes of renegade samurai, called ronin,
had transformed the streets of the Imperial Capital into a "sea of blood."
The shogun's administrators were desperate to stop the terror. A band of
expert swordsmen was formed. It was given the name Shinsengumi ("Newly
Selected Corps") - and commissioned to eliminate the ronin and
other enemies of the Bakufu.
With unrestrained brutality bolstered by an official sanction to kill, the
Shinsengumi soon became the shogun's most dreaded security force.
In this vivid historical narrative of the Shinsengumi, the only one in the English language,
author Romulus Hillsborough paints a provocative and thrilling picture of this
most fascinating period in Japanese history.
- Sales Rank: #415531 in eBooks
- Published on: 2013-06-25
- Released on: 2013-06-25
- Format: Kindle eBook
Review
"So, what do the Hell's Angels and the Shinsengumi have in common? They both had a propensity for violence, a strict internal code of conduct, and an alarmingly excessive reaction to insult, real or perceived. Also, they probably would have slaughtered each other on sight." —Goodreads
From the Author
Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps is the only English-language history of the shogun's notorious hit-squad in Kyoto during the final years the shogun's government. It is my most controversial book. I think that much of the controversy is due to the language. I experimented in this book, repeating certain phrases to stress certain characteristics of the Shinsengumi leaders, including their "propensity to kill." Readers either love it or slam it. But I stand behind my original language and would not change a single word.
About the Author
Romulus Hillsborough, originally from Los Angeles, lived in Tokyo for sixteen years, immersing himself in the study of Japanese language, history and culture. Most of his reading focused on major literary and historical works of Japan. He was particularly drawn in by the tumultuous history of the final years of the shogun's government and the return of political power to the Emperor.
To compliment his reading, the author traveled to historical cities and towns around Japan where his samurai subjects lived and died and where the revolution to overthrow the shogun unfolded. During that time he worked as a writer for a popular weekly magazine in Tokyo and later as a contributing journalist to a number of other Japanese publications.
Upon returning to the United States, Hillsborough settled in San Francisco. Since then, he has returned to Japan many times to resume his travels to historical cities and deepen his understanding of his samurai subjects.
Romulus Hillsborough is an acclaimed expert in the field of Japanese history and culture. His books have been published in seven languages. The author has appeared numerous times on television and radio including The History Channel special "The Samurai," first aired in 2003, and an NHK television special about the Shinsengumi in 2004. He has spoken at such internationally recognized venues as the Asian Art Museum (San Francisco, CA), the Pacific Asia Museum (Pasadena, CA), the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan (Tokyo) and the Japan Information Center, Consulate General of Japan (San Francisco, CA).
Hillsborough's other books include "Ryoma: Life of a Renaissance Samurai," "Samurai Tales," and the forthcoming "Samurai Revolution: The Dawn of Modern Japan Through the Eyes of the Shogun's Last Samurai." Hillsborough currently lives in San Francisco.
Most helpful customer reviews
64 of 71 people found the following review helpful.
A propensity to kill...
By Bill Krauss
Last year, the local foreign-language TV station here in L.A. broadcast an NHK-produced, fictionalized series about the Shinsengumi. The show was gripping, but it was obvious that the whole thing was highly romanticized. Since then, I've been looking for a more historically accurate account of the period, so I was delighted when I found this book.
I did indeed learn a lot more about the Shinsengumi from it. For one thing, the television series presents the group's members as heroes and patriots. By including descriptions of less-than-flattering incidents conveniently left out of the TV version, Hillsborough's book essentially portrays the Shinsengumi as a group of deluded, self-aggrandizing thugs. My personal sense is that there's some truth to be found in both of these approaches. Being aware of television's need to simplify and anoint heroes, I tend to trust books more. In this case, however, the written word doesn't live up to its promise. Neither version presents enough evidence for its own point of view, nor does either generate enough overall credibility to allow the consumer to make anything resembling an informed judgment.
Hillsborough says in the Preface that he's "concentrated on the spirit of the Shinsengumi and their place in history, rather than on trivial details...." To my mind, that's insufficient justification for the disorganized, repetitive writing and overheated descriptions found in this volume.
Regarding organization, I'm no fan of the "Dates and Places" school of history, and I have no trouble with the idea of an author bringing an era alive by telling incidents out of their chronological order. But really, shouldn't there be some kind of reason for jumbling these things? I couldn't discern one here.
The real problem with the book, though, is the shallowness of its analysis. Hillsborough's thesis is appears twofold. First, that a "will to power" combined with "self-aggrandizement" leads to trouble. Second, that the "superior martial spirit, fighting technique, and an unflinching propensity to kill," and the "official sanction to kill" granted by the Tokugawa shogunate is what set the Shinsengumi apart from their peers. This might be true. Repeating it over and over doesn't make it true. At one point, the phrase "propensity to kill" appears eight times in two pages. Several chapters later the point is driven home yet again, with a chapter entitled, yes, "A Propensity to Kill."
The Shinsengumi were a tragic group of idealists trying to hold on to a world that was passing them by. Their goals were lofty; their methods were brutal. I don't believe their leaders were unaware of the tensions between their ideals and reality. Although many were peasants, they were educated and pursued art and culture along with their martial activities. I await the day when an author writing in English treats their complexities with sensitivity and justice.
[Three stars for the information. One for the writing. Average: Two.]
26 of 28 people found the following review helpful.
Three Phrases Would Have Done It
By Brian Bear
When I saw this book, (quite by accident, actually), I was impressed that here was a book on something that I had never even heard of before. So, the expectation was high.
Hillsborough has tried to bring out the spirit of the organisation without getting bogged down in the details. Actually, it was the details that I was looking for and often the details will give you something of the spirit of the subject anyway. Some of the historical detail was there, and Hillsborough certainly came across as one who knew his subject material and sources. However, with his book being the first in English on the topic, I question whether the deliberate focus away from the said details was justified. For the average non-Japanese, that historical data would have been priceless, as most of us have nothing else about the Shinsengumi to read.
Three phrases were repeated and repeated ad nauseum: "propensity to kill", "will to power" and "self-importance". The latter had some variations, but all three are constantly hammered and drummed into the reader. At one point, the first phrase appears in almost every sentence for about two paragraphs. While it is certainly worthy to explore the motivations of anyone of historical importance, I again question whether the point needed to be laboured to the degree that it was.
A lot of the historical information regarding important incidents involving the Shinsengumi read a bit like a medieval version of "Battle Royale". At one point, I wondered if I were indeed reading a "historical novel" rather than a book on history. This is something to keep in mind, if you are thinking of purchasing the book.
While the book was interesting, it was certainly not fantastic. It left a huge number of unanswered questions and also left me wondering just why the Shinsengumi was feared so much. From what the book described, there were far more vicious individuals around. That information would have gone a long way to create an understanding of just why the Shinsengumi were so feared and hated.
It is an average book, though with nothing else that I know of in English, there is little choice if someone wants to know about the topic. The Shinsengumi are interesting and worth the look, so for that reason alone the book is worth getting. Just don't expect too much from it, that is all.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful.
Great information; terrible writing
By analog shoujo
If you don't speak Japanese, Mr. Hillsborough's books are pretty much your only source for information on the people and personalities of the Meiji Restoration. (Kenshin, Peacemaker, and Gintama can only get you so far!) If you are interested in Japanese history--or the pop culture surrounding the Shinsengumi et. al.--these books are definitely worth a read. But be warned that the writing is just this side of awful...there is more cliche, hyperbole, and terrible dialogue than you can shake a bokken at.
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