Shinsengumi

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 clad 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 fascinating period in Japanese history. New Read [ Shinsengumi ] author [ Romulus Hillsborough ] – kino-fada.fr 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.A couple of years ago, Japan s nationa...Though this book is rich in historical detail that is difficult to find, I do not like it very much Mr Hillsborough is very biased against the Shinsengumi and it is irritating to constantly read about their propensity to kill I don t know how often he said those words but it was annoying enough to want to throw the book across the room Yes, the Shinsengumi had killed but so did the imperialists and there was a war on and other conflict besides I think he should have just stuck to the fact Though this book is rich in historical detail that is diffic...Shinsengumi tells the true story of the ruthless group of two sworded killers assembled by the Tokugawa Shogunate to stave off rebellion against its rule It is not perhaps the best starting point for a history of 1860s Japan, but for those already familiar with the basics of that period this is an extremely well researched addition to the English language record, if not always the smoothest of reads.Mr Hillsborough s scholarship is impressive His Japanese language ability allows him to draw Shinsengumi tells the true story of the ruthless group of two sworded killers assembled by the Tokugawa Shogunate to stave off rebellion against its rule It is not perhaps the best starting point for a history of 1860s Japan, but for those already familiar with the basics of that period this is an extremely well researched addition to the English language record, if not always the smoothest of reads.Mr Hillsborough s scholarship is impressive His Japanese language ability allows him to draw on a wide range of original source materials, many of which are referenced for the first time in an English language history, while his feel for the period is sure throughout this book s two hundred or so pages The shortcomings lie not in the research but in the writing The subject matter is unavoidably complicated, but not every effort is made to simplify wher...An ambitious attempt to write the first English treatment of this controversial unit Coverage of topics was broad, which was good Resource list was big, but I feel, not diverse enough Concerning to me were also a number of translation and reading errors in renderings of Japanese names and quotes Overall, in my opinion, despite the author s having secured the aid of descendants, the book feels like a first draft I feel it would have benefited greatly from the perspective, and editorial assis An ambitious attempt to write the first English treatment of this controversial unit Coverag...Initially i did not care for this book because i expectedfrom it, however that was 12 years ago, so i have changed my review because i have read it 3 times since than The Shinsengumi are a fascinating topic, and this is the first bio in English The star of this book is Hijikata Toshizo the charismatic pretty boy vice captain The group never achieved anything like Ryoma , they were a bunch of young podunks from a suburb of Edo, were not n...239 2012Pertama kali tahu Shinsengumi waktu nonton anime Rurouni Kenshin, yang diwakili khususnya oleh tokoh Saito Hajime, yang digambarkan punya story pribadi dengan Kenshin Himura, sehubungan dengan perseteruan mereka di pihak yang berseberangan saat perang saudara.Setelah itu, manga dan anime tentang Shinsengumi pun muncul bertubi tubi, dan kebanyakan, seperti...As the only book available in English about the Shinsengumi, this detailed and well researched account should be essential reading for anyone interested in the bloody upheaval of the Bakumatsu era and Meiji Restoration, especially those whose Japanese skills much like mine are unfortunately nowhere near sufficient to avail themselves of the numerous works by Japanese authors o...Massively disorganized and spare of detail, this book has been a chore to read Further, should I encounter the phrase self importance it does not mean what the author thinks it means or propensity to kill I got it the first 15 times, really , I will be most displeased.And honestly, hakubutsukan museum What th...I should have read the reviews The book is very inconsistent and filled with too much personal opinions for a non fiction historical treatement Especially if we consider the topic of the book, introduction of personal opinions becomes a big problem.This book is not for me After reaching page 95, I gave up First, while the author refers to the era in question as an intricate history , all I could see were disjointed fragments of history inexpertly woven together Each chapter seems to be a collection of anecdotes that sit in isolation from each other rather than form part of a narrative For example, the chapter on A Tale of Bushido seems to be oddly wedged in between the Slaughter at the Ikeda ya and the Battle at the Forbidden Gat This book is not for me After reaching page 95, I gave up First, while the author refers to the era in question as an intricate history , all I could see were disjointed fragments of history inexpertly woven together Each chapter seems to be a collection of anecdotes that sit in isolation from each other rather than form par...

• English
• 22 May 2018
Romulus Hillsborough
• Hardcover
• 256 pages
• 0804836272
• Romulus Hillsborough
• Shinsengumi