Weird Shinsengumi Mdse and Ishida Sanyaku

If you think the stuff we've shown you has been weird so far, just
wait till I get the next "Shinsengoodies" finished. You would not
believe how much "Shinsengumi" sake is on the market. Saitou I am
sure would have been pleased. LOL

I am not so sure how Hijikata would have felt about being stuck on a
bag of pickles in soy sauce...

Also, I am hoping to have this done in time for the SHQ's one year
anniversary, but I am currently working on a report about Ishida
Sanyaku. This was the medicine that Hijikata used to wander about
selling. Rumor has it that it was also used to treat the injuries of
the Shinsengumi. I won't tell anything about it here, but I will give
you some idea of what the report will discuss:

-Will mention that there were in fact TWO medicines that Hijikata
sold.
-How the medicine was used, what it was used for, and where did
Hijikata go to sell it.
-Information about the plant the medicine comes from: name, blooming
season, where it likes to grow, etc.
-How Ishida Sanyaku was made: what time of year it was gathered and
the process by which it was turned into medicine.
-The creature that supposedly taught the family how to make it. What
exactly is a kappa?

I had already heard of kappa long before I knew about the Hijikata
family's connection to the water imp. However I was very surprised by
a bit of info that turned up during my research. As has been stated
on this list in the past, saying that a kappa had taught them the
secret was just an advertising gimmick, but my research into the
critter was very revealing about why this particular supernatural
being was chosen...

-MissB