Please see "Files" and look for Downloads.htm
I have listed articles of interest including the very hard to find
first novel in English featuring the Shinsengumi Dai-bosatsu Toge
(watch the newly released DVD SWORD OF DOOM). The novel discusses
Shimabara/Mibu and more details on Hijikata/Kondou as well.
The articles near the bottom are not directly connected to the
Shinsengumi so they are more supplemental in nature. Please
download stuff when you can even though you can't read the novel
right away. Remember it was written a long time ago so the language
takes a while to get used to.
Now, this "ULTIMATE BOSHIN WAR ARTICLE" as I call it (^_^) has a
real title called "Female Combatants and Japan's Meiji Restoration:
the case of Aizu" by Diana Wright 22 pages long (BUT) if you want
*THE BEST* maps you will ever see on the Boshin War then this is the
article to download. It is also really easy to understand.
Now for the women who kicked ass---for REAL!
(Learn more at and see their pics
http://www.shinsengumihq.com/WB.htm)
Read the article here...
https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/tnamwong/web/FemaleCombatantsAizu.pdf
(email me if you have problems downloading anything)
[Quick Recap For the new people]
In NHK Shinsengumi! You will see a guy named Matsudaira Katamori (he
goes to the sumo event at Mibu in disguise). Matsudaira Katamori is
the daimyo or lord of Aizu, the guy in charge of security in Kyoto
and he basically sanctioned the Shinsengumi. Without Aizu, the
Shinsengumi would've all had to go home or hangout in Kyoto without
a paycheck. Remember, that episode where Kondou went to talk to
Matsudaira Katamori?
When the Boshin War, 1868 started, Aizu was on the hit list for
supporting the Shogunate. Satsuma, Choshu etc also wanted to "pay
back" Aizu for prior military and political actions. Aizu was
defended by lots of samurai included a small number of the
SHINSENGUMI and JOUSHITAI (Women's Brigade). It was one member of
the Joushitai, Yamamoto Yaeko the gun expert, who gave testimony of
TAKAGI TOKIO's whereabouts during the siege and her role in the
castle. If you want to visit Shinsengumi graves you go to Kyoto,
Aizu and Hakodate (battles occured at Sendai but Japanese fans never
listed graves there). You want to visit Fujita Goro's grave you
visit Aizu. Aizu is super important basically to the Shinsengumi
and specifically to Saitou Hajime/Fujita Goro as he is widely
believe to be Aizu's spy in the Shinsengumi. In the world of
Kenshin you DO have a woman from Aizu looking for her
family...MEGUMI! (^_^).
Your humble but wordy servant,
secretarytocapt3
some interesting updates will go online soon at
http://www.shinsengumihq.com