Lost Shinsengumi Thesis + other stuff

I have to bring up this topic again because it is super super important.

There exists out there a SHINSENGUMI THESIS that's right a JAPANESE
scholar who saw their historical significance and got his degree from
studying them ~seriously~ and he had advisors thus his work is going
to be decent AND in English (^_^).

Is there anyone here part of our mighty Shinsengumi network who lives
-IN- Utah and can make phone calls? See I'd do this myself except I
maxed out my phone card. And the person who promised to help me
must've forgotten or something.

This is the info I have
1) author was formerly an employee at the Japanese Cultural Center at
Weber State
2) author wrote "'Samurai in Salt Lake' and available at the Weber
State bookstore for around $5.00
3) I don't have a name, year or anything!!! or whether it was an MA
thesis or undergrad thesis or Phd whatever---however it was
"published" for the school records

-but- I have been searching, searching, searching all databases
available to me his thesis is just not showing up anywhere which means
that if someone can call http://library.weber.edu/ and ask the
librarian who handles this sort of thing we may be able to read it.
The best way to go about it is to find his or her "Samurai in Salt
Lake" and get their full name to do a search.

Why must we pursue yet more nerdy work? Because anyone who read Mr.
Hillsborough's work knows that it is far from comprehensive and
possibly alot of stuff was left out---this thesis may help us fill in
the 'gaps'.
----------------------------------
(added to shinsengumihq.com bibliography) thank you to Hirotada
Tokugawa (M) and Michael from the ninjadojo.com who pointed out the
importance of this book

Boyer, Samuel Pellman. Naval surgeon; the diary of Dr. Samuel Pellman
Boyer. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1963.

***the following pdf has stuff on Aizu and HAKODATE battle details
(please tell any Hijikata fangirl you know to read these scans)
[download] http://1happyturtle.com/makoto/navalsurgeon.pdf
remember the book will not explicitly state "Hijikata Toshizo" however
all the fighting at Hakodate detailed in this diary basically spells
out all you wanted to know

***note how the author mentions the civilians cheering for Satsuma one
day and then Aizu the next

***bibliography now contains a list of the best of the best newspapers
printed during the Meiji Era or late Bakumatsu --- Meiji papers such
as the TOKIO TIMES analyze several Bakumatsu events...in English
----------------------------------

Get Shinsengumi in pop-culture articles delivered right to your inbox
with Google and yahoo alerts see notice/links at the top of the page
http://www.shinsengumihq.com/bibliography.htm

***alerts also cover all official anime/manga releases

Example of recent article:
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/culture/20060131TDY03005.htm
----------------------------------

Over at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/edojidai/
is a discussion of a Phd thesis about Aizu during the Bakumatsu...again
"Shinsengumi" is not stated (T_T)
although the author WILL write
a book later (and I insisted that he write a chapter on the Shinsengumi).
The dissertation is no longer available for download however if
someone here is interested I can get it to you just email me---lot's
of very very interesting battle details (the invasion of Aizu doesn't
concern -just- Saitou---it did concern Hijikata, Nakajima Nobori,
Shimada Kai and Tetsu) and ofcourse the others who died there.
----------------------------------

[Takagi Tokio Update]
See Chronology **1893**... sample student and [probably] teacher
handiwork from Tokyo Women's Normal School (where Tokio and later Goro
worked) came here to the USA (Chicago)....and yes photos of the school
(wonder if the dorm mothers insisted on having a group photo taken)
were part of the exhibit too!
http://www.shinsengumihq.com/TakagiTokioinfo.htm
----------------------------------

Are you feeling sad that you can't read Shinsengumi
stuff in Japanese? But do you know another language
other than English?
Like German? French? Spanish? Thai? Filipino? Korean?
Did you know that there is PLENTY OF BAKUMATSU info in
other languages?
"Shinsengumi" may not be stated but
"mercenaries of Aizu" will show up one way or the other
(our boys have many many positive and negative labels).
Also remember that other cultures will view the Tokugawa and
even the Meiji Era very DIFFERENTLY from American scholars.
It has alot to do with whether or not that culture interacted
with Japan during WWII (this will totally affect how they will write
about the restoration).

I decided to make some phone calls.

1) The reason why I was unable to locate the author was because title
of the book "Samurai in Salt Lake" is incorrect---it is "SamuraiS in
Salt Lake" ISBN:0965116395
****I spoke to the author, Prof. Collinwood and he said this book was
expanded but not yet published, he highly recommends the follow up
book which will be a great work on the Iwakura Mission (1872)

2) No, he did not write a thesis on the Shinsengumi -BUT- HE WANTED
TO!!!! Like many scholars he got distracted and had to pursue other
stuff and so forth so it never happened (T_T)

What does this mean? And why is it important that "scholars" get
interested? Because they write, publish and preserve. They do the
nerd work which needs to be done. And their writing is the source for
fandom products (pop-culture etc).

In other words---it is up to us fans to make the Shinsengumi so
significant that they finally will look into studying them. It is up
to us (*_*). The cycle between academia and culture must be nurtured
otherwise in a few decades the Shinsengumi will simply slip back into
"cliche" when as we know they were very fascinating.

I hope anyone here who is in college will consider speaking to
graduate students or professors who specialize in this field and ask
them about their interests. Do not be surprised if they have never
heard of the Shinsengumi (remember they are considered to be basically
insignificant to many) or even AIZU (which is totally scary seeing how
Satsuma and Choshu battled it out with this domain). It would be
helpful if you get a basic understanding of this era rather than ask
them to tell you everything they know (^_^)---but really you will find
many of them to be friendly people who are willing to help you.

--- In SHQ@yahoogroups.com, "secretary" wrote:
>
> I have to bring up this topic again because it is super super important.
>
> There exists out there a SHINSENGUMI THESIS that's right a JAPANESE
> scholar who saw their historical significance and got his degree from
> studying them ~seriously~ and he had advisors thus his work is going
> to be decent AND in English (^_^).
>
> Is there anyone here part of our mighty Shinsengumi network who lives
> -IN- Utah and can make phone calls? See I'd do this myself except I
> maxed out my phone card. And the person who promised to help me
> must've forgotten or something.
>
> This is the info I have
> 1) author was formerly an employee at the Japanese Cultural Center at
> Weber State
> 2) author wrote "'Samurai in Salt Lake' and available at the Weber
> State bookstore for around $5.00
> 3) I don't have a name, year or anything!!! or whether it was an MA
> thesis or undergrad thesis or Phd whatever---however it was
> "published" for the school records
>
> -but- I have been searching, searching, searching all databases
> available to me his thesis is just not showing up anywhere which means
> that if someone can call http://library.weber.edu/ and ask the
> librarian who handles this sort of thing we may be able to read it.
> The best way to go about it is to find his or her "Samurai in Salt
> Lake" and get their full name to do a search.
>
> Why must we pursue yet more nerdy work? Because anyone who read Mr.
> Hillsborough's work knows that it is far from comprehensive and
> possibly alot of stuff was left out---this thesis may help us fill in
> the 'gaps'.

I know this is an old topic, but I'm new and was catching up on old posts.
First -- I AM in Utah in the Asian Studies program at a different
university. There are MANY students in the program here who have
become VERY interested in samurai of all periods. And, if you mention
Shin sen gumi in a room of Asian Studies Majors, you'll get a
joyously heated discussion. IT IS ALIVE AND WELL IN UTAH.

In fact, it's one subject of my abbreviated thesis (a series of
shorter, 8-10 page papers written as an addendum to a Grad School
Application and authorization to pursue publishing). I've been work
with the works of Hillsborough, Keene, Jansen, Craig, and Totman
mainly, but I'd love ANY help y'all can give. I speak fluent Thai, but
my Japanese is still hideously rudimentary.

If y'all could:
I've run into claims that the "Ideda'ya affair extended the war by two
years at least" more than 5 times, but I HAVEN'T found an intelligible
explanation of that claim. Hillsborough doesn't seem to buy it, and
devotes a few paragraphs to it. The claim is popularly accepted, but
I'd like a data-based analysis of it.

Any ideas or sources, folks?

Thanks!
Meredith

--- In SHQ@yahoogroups.com, "secretary" wrote:
>
> I decided to make some phone calls.
>
> 1) The reason why I was unable to locate the author was because title
> of the book "Samurai in Salt Lake" is incorrect---it is "SamuraiS in
> Salt Lake" ISBN:0965116395
> ****I spoke to the author, Prof. Collinwood and he said this book was
> expanded but not yet published, he highly recommends the follow up
> book which will be a great work on the Iwakura Mission (1872)
>
> 2) No, he did not write a thesis on the Shinsengumi -BUT- HE WANTED
> TO!!!! Like many scholars he got distracted and had to pursue other
> stuff and so forth so it never happened (T_T)
>
> What does this mean? And why is it important that "scholars" get
> interested? Because they write, publish and preserve. They do the
> nerd work which needs to be done. And their writing is the source for
> fandom products (pop-culture etc).
>
> In other words---it is up to us fans to make the Shinsengumi so
> significant that they finally will look into studying them. It is up
> to us (*_*). The cycle between academia and culture must be nurtured
> otherwise in a few decades the Shinsengumi will simply slip back into
> "cliche" when as we know they were very fascinating.
>
> I hope anyone here who is in college will consider speaking to
> graduate students or professors who specialize in this field and ask
> them about their interests. Do not be surprised if they have never
> heard of the Shinsengumi (remember they are considered to be basically
> insignificant to many) or even AIZU (which is totally scary seeing how
> Satsuma and Choshu battled it out with this domain). It would be
> helpful if you get a basic understanding of this era rather than ask
> them to tell you everything they know (^_^)---but really you will find
> many of them to be friendly people who are willing to help you.
>
>
> --- In SHQ@yahoogroups.com, "secretary" wrote:
> >
> > I have to bring up this topic again because it is super super
important.
> >
> > There exists out there a SHINSENGUMI THESIS that's right a JAPANESE
> > scholar who saw their historical significance and got his degree from
> > studying them ~seriously~ and he had advisors thus his work is going
> > to be decent AND in English (^_^).
> >
> > Is there anyone here part of our mighty Shinsengumi network who lives
> > -IN- Utah and can make phone calls? See I'd do this myself except I
> > maxed out my phone card. And the person who promised to help me
> > must've forgotten or something.
> >
> > This is the info I have
> > 1) author was formerly an employee at the Japanese Cultural Center at
> > Weber State
> > 2) author wrote "'Samurai in Salt Lake' and available at the Weber
> > State bookstore for around $5.00
> > 3) I don't have a name, year or anything!!! or whether it was an MA
> > thesis or undergrad thesis or Phd whatever---however it was
> > "published" for the school records
> >
> > -but- I have been searching, searching, searching all databases
> > available to me his thesis is just not showing up anywhere which means
> > that if someone can call http://library.weber.edu/ and ask the
> > librarian who handles this sort of thing we may be able to read it.
> > The best way to go about it is to find his or her "Samurai in Salt
> > Lake" and get their full name to do a search.
> >
> > Why must we pursue yet more nerdy work? Because anyone who read Mr.
> > Hillsborough's work knows that it is far from comprehensive and
> > possibly alot of stuff was left out---this thesis may help us fill in
> > the 'gaps'.
>

Sawasdee Khun Meredith,

I think it is very difficult to prove the importance of the Ikedaya
affair in the context of whether or not it exacerbated Choshu
hostility or if it extended the life of the shogunate.

Sure it pissed off Choshu---but Choshu would have chosen any chance
to fight---I think we need a Choshu expert to help explain their
side of things.

Many western accounts written during that era leave out Ikedaya
altogether. Even Japanese texts which cover the "bakufu side" (and
especially the SHINSENGUMI) such as:

Yamaguchi, Ken. Translated from the Japanese by Sir Ernest Mason
Satow. Kinsé shiriaku A history of Japan, from the first visit of
Commodore Perry in 1853 to the capture of Hakodate by the Mikado's
forces in 1869. Wilmington, Del., Scholarly Resources 1973, 1906 ;
ISBN: 084201411X

*does *not even mention Ikedaya (perhaps I missed it but...I just
can't find it in the book).

Perhaps Ikedaya was key only to the Shinsengumi narrative---but not
key to the entire "fall of the shogunate" story

Because another dimension which we must pursue is this:
were the shogunate forces defeated by modern weapons or more
importantly...Capitalism? Therefore one although *key raid such as
Ikedaya would be ultimately ineffective in the overall conflict.

and is the view of the Restoration as a capitalist revolution
(ultimately with victorious domains controlling various industrial
and military monopolies) a sound approach? Maybe it is....

sorry I cannot answer your question---but I know other members here
may be able to help (^___^)

I specialize in Siam/Thailand (fluent in the language) feel free to
email me offlist secretarytocapt3(a)hotmail.com if I can assist you

Thai scholars who study the Bakumatsu are in agreeement with some
Japanese scholars (Mr. Hirotada Tokugawa mentioned this lone opinion
that the Restoration was simply the monopolization of land to gain
taxes to fund one government---controlled by a few men from certain
domains)---the Thai scholar (I have a copy of this note) mentioned
that the Bakumatsu was an attempt to gather all farmland---*asses
the national resources and then decide on the nature of a
capitalist/industrial complex which followed. Basically, Sat-Cho
victors were incredibly ignorant of the the Norther (Eastern)
domains and what those territories possessed in terms of natural
wealth. War = Plunder in other words.

I think we are all happy to hear that the Shinsengumi are alive in
an academic setting as well as in pop-culture.

Thank you for posting!!!!!!

--- In SHQ@yahoogroups.com, "slvrgriffn"
wrote:

I've run into claims that the "Ideda'ya affair extended the war by
two
years at least" more than 5 times, but I HAVEN'T found an
intelligible
explanation of that claim.

>
> Thanks!
> Meredith

*Lurks from out of the shadows*

I may be wrong (as I have often been), but the
reasoning that the Ikeda-ya Affair delayed the
eventual Meiji Restoration has been explained thus:

The Ikeda-ya Affair triggered the Choshu's March on
Kyoto (or officially Kinmon-no-Hen), as vastly
exaggerated accounts of how many, many, many Choshu
men had been massacred reached the province, which
prompted them to take up arms.
Then, their almost absolute defeat at Kinmon-no-Hen
undermined Choshu - militarily, politically and
economically. Based on this, people have reasoned that
had it not been for Kinmon-no-Hen (for which Ikeda-ya
has been credited as one of the direct causes), Choshu
would have risen up earlier.

There is also the notion that Ikeda-ya (or
Kinmon-no-Hen rather) actually speeded up the
Bakumatsu: had it not been such a catalyst for Choshu
to take action, then their rebellious politics might
have festered for much longer before coming to the
boil.

Either way, it was a matter of a few years earlier or
a few years later. Hope this helps.

Best Wishes,

Mio.

--- slvrgriffn <meredith_hartley@...> wrote:

> I know this is an old topic, but I'm new and was
> catching up on old posts.
> First -- I AM in Utah in the Asian Studies program
> at a different
> university. There are MANY students in the program
> here who have
> become VERY interested in samurai of all periods.
> And, if you mention
> Shin sen gumi in a room of Asian Studies Majors,
> you'll get a
> joyously heated discussion. IT IS ALIVE AND WELL IN
> UTAH.
>
> In fact, it's one subject of my abbreviated thesis
> (a series of
> shorter, 8-10 page papers written as an addendum to
> a Grad School
> Application and authorization to pursue publishing).
> I've been work
> with the works of Hillsborough, Keene, Jansen,
> Craig, and Totman
> mainly, but I'd love ANY help y'all can give. I
> speak fluent Thai, but
> my Japanese is still hideously rudimentary.
>
> If y'all could:
> I've run into claims that the "Ideda'ya affair
> extended the war by two
> years at least" more than 5 times, but I HAVEN'T
> found an intelligible
> explanation of that claim. Hillsborough doesn't seem
> to buy it, and
> devotes a few paragraphs to it. The claim is
> popularly accepted, but
> I'd like a data-based analysis of it.
>
> Any ideas or sources, folks?
>
> Thanks!
> Meredith
>
>

___________________________________________________________
Try the all-new Yahoo! Mail. "The New Version is radically easier to use" – The Wall Street Journal
http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/nowyoucan.html

Or was I just stating the painfully obvious?

I've been such a non-actor on this list that I really
can't tell.

--- Mio Yamada <purplealienmio@...> wrote:

> *Lurks from out of the shadows*
>
> I may be wrong (as I have often been), but the
> reasoning that the Ikeda-ya Affair delayed the
> eventual Meiji Restoration has been explained thus:
>
> The Ikeda-ya Affair triggered the Choshu's March on
> Kyoto (or officially Kinmon-no-Hen), as vastly
> exaggerated accounts of how many, many, many Choshu
> men had been massacred reached the province, which
> prompted them to take up arms.
> Then, their almost absolute defeat at Kinmon-no-Hen
> undermined Choshu - militarily, politically and
> economically. Based on this, people have reasoned
> that
> had it not been for Kinmon-no-Hen (for which
> Ikeda-ya
> has been credited as one of the direct causes),
> Choshu
> would have risen up earlier.
>
> There is also the notion that Ikeda-ya (or
> Kinmon-no-Hen rather) actually speeded up the
> Bakumatsu: had it not been such a catalyst for
> Choshu
> to take action, then their rebellious politics might
> have festered for much longer before coming to the
> boil.
>
> Either way, it was a matter of a few years earlier
> or
> a few years later. Hope this helps.
>
> Best Wishes,
>
> Mio.
>
> --- slvrgriffn <meredith_hartley@...> wrote:
>
> > I know this is an old topic, but I'm new and was
> > catching up on old posts.
> > First -- I AM in Utah in the Asian Studies program
> > at a different
> > university. There are MANY students in the program
> > here who have
> > become VERY interested in samurai of all periods.
> > And, if you mention
> > Shin sen gumi in a room of Asian Studies Majors,
> > you'll get a
> > joyously heated discussion. IT IS ALIVE AND WELL
> IN
> > UTAH.
> >
> > In fact, it's one subject of my abbreviated thesis
> > (a series of
> > shorter, 8-10 page papers written as an addendum
> to
> > a Grad School
> > Application and authorization to pursue
> publishing).
> > I've been work
> > with the works of Hillsborough, Keene, Jansen,
> > Craig, and Totman
> > mainly, but I'd love ANY help y'all can give. I
> > speak fluent Thai, but
> > my Japanese is still hideously rudimentary.
> >
> > If y'all could:
> > I've run into claims that the "Ideda'ya affair
> > extended the war by two
> > years at least" more than 5 times, but I HAVEN'T
> > found an intelligible
> > explanation of that claim. Hillsborough doesn't
> seem
> > to buy it, and
> > devotes a few paragraphs to it. The claim is
> > popularly accepted, but
> > I'd like a data-based analysis of it.
> >
> > Any ideas or sources, folks?
> >
> > Thanks!
> > Meredith
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
>

___________________________________________________________

>
> Try the all-new Yahoo! Mail. "The New Version is
> radically easier to use" – The Wall Street Journal
> http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/nowyoucan.html
>

___________________________________________________________
Try the all-new Yahoo! Mail. "The New Version is radically easier to use" – The Wall Street Journal
http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/nowyoucan.html

(sorry for the delay...my husband has been in and out of the hospital
and academics had just been on the back burner for a few weeks!)

Thanks for the response. It led to a three hour debate with my advisor
about what might have happened if the plot had NOT been discovered
and Kyoto had burned (or any other of the proposed aspects of the plot
had occured). It's been debated that the destruction of Kyoto would
have had a similarly catalyzing effect on the pro-Bakufu
factions...Which led to a discussion of the Social Atmosphere in
Kyoto. Ain't history grand?

I think we've nailed down a focus for my preparatory thesis -- the
Cultural and Sociological Foundation of the Shinsengumi with emphasis
on their violence and sociological evolution. I think -- Mind, I say
I THINK -- that most of the moronic ideas thrown around my department
regarding military corps and their movtivations arise from on overly
politicized point of view. My colleagues fail to recognize that these
were INDIVIDUALS making decisions based on their beliefs and past
experiences. They overemphasize political events without considering
the social atmosphere (for one thing, I don't think it's wise to
ignore the potential impact being raised in a region plagued by
banditry had on a young Kondo and his fellows).
Anyway! I think I'm trying to construct an academically supported
thesis which puts their "violence and zealotry" (as a very loudmouthed
fellow put it yesterday) in context -- not just the political context,
but how these men INTERPRETED that political context -- and how their
lives and experiences influenced that interpretation. Every history
I've read is either political or biographic or economic (with the
exception of Hillsborough, who is either loved or vilified by anyone I
ask). Someone needs to look at the organic evolution of the corps.

Whew!

I'll post my inital research subjects in a separate post after this
one. Thanks!

--- In SHQ@yahoogroups.com, Mio Yamada wrote:
>
> *Lurks from out of the shadows*
>
> I may be wrong (as I have often been), but the
> reasoning that the Ikeda-ya Affair delayed the
> eventual Meiji Restoration has been explained thus:
>
> The Ikeda-ya Affair triggered the Choshu's March on
> Kyoto (or officially Kinmon-no-Hen), as vastly
> exaggerated accounts of how many, many, many Choshu
> men had been massacred reached the province, which
> prompted them to take up arms.
> Then, their almost absolute defeat at Kinmon-no-Hen
> undermined Choshu - militarily, politically and
> economically. Based on this, people have reasoned that
> had it not been for Kinmon-no-Hen (for which Ikeda-ya
> has been credited as one of the direct causes), Choshu
> would have risen up earlier.
>
> There is also the notion that Ikeda-ya (or
> Kinmon-no-Hen rather) actually speeded up the
> Bakumatsu: had it not been such a catalyst for Choshu
> to take action, then their rebellious politics might
> have festered for much longer before coming to the
> boil.
>
> Either way, it was a matter of a few years earlier or
> a few years later. Hope this helps.
>
> Best Wishes,
>
> Mio.
>
> --- slvrgriffn wrote:
>
> > I know this is an old topic, but I'm new and was
> > catching up on old posts.
> > First -- I AM in Utah in the Asian Studies program
> > at a different
> > university. There are MANY students in the program
> > here who have
> > become VERY interested in samurai of all periods.
> > And, if you mention
> > Shin sen gumi in a room of Asian Studies Majors,
> > you'll get a
> > joyously heated discussion. IT IS ALIVE AND WELL IN
> > UTAH.
> >
> > In fact, it's one subject of my abbreviated thesis
> > (a series of
> > shorter, 8-10 page papers written as an addendum to
> > a Grad School
> > Application and authorization to pursue publishing).
> > I've been work
> > with the works of Hillsborough, Keene, Jansen,
> > Craig, and Totman
> > mainly, but I'd love ANY help y'all can give. I
> > speak fluent Thai, but
> > my Japanese is still hideously rudimentary.
> >
> > If y'all could:
> > I've run into claims that the "Ideda'ya affair
> > extended the war by two
> > years at least" more than 5 times, but I HAVEN'T
> > found an intelligible
> > explanation of that claim. Hillsborough doesn't seem
> > to buy it, and
> > devotes a few paragraphs to it. The claim is
> > popularly accepted, but
> > I'd like a data-based analysis of it.
> >
> > Any ideas or sources, folks?
> >
> > Thanks!
> > Meredith
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
> ___________________________________________________________
> Try the all-new Yahoo! Mail. "The New Version is radically easier to
use" – The Wall Street Journal
> http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/nowyoucan.html
>

Dear slvrgriffin
I think what is lacking, as you've said, is an understanding of the
background of the Shinsengumi.

The only text written by an outstanding scholar has been summarized
here

Steele, M. William. Alternative Narratives in Modern Japanese
History.
New York: Routledge Curzon, 2003.Isbn 0415305705

http://www.shinsengumihq.com/FarmersofEdo.htm

(the Facts section has been revised to make navigating more easy
http://www.shinsengumihq.com/facts.htm)

More interesting perhaps is that it is more *easier* to paint the
Shinsengumi to be *villains because their enemies, the Ishin have
been generalized as men with a vision for a democratic Japan.

Both sides were motivated by ideals however there is in fact very
weak evidence to suggest that democracy or an egalitarian society
(which really exists nowhere in the world) was even on the minds of
the revolutionaries.

Words like "revolutionary" hold a romantic appeal for people in the
west and automatically researchers look to the data and filter for
evidence which would recreate the Ishin to fit their framework. For
many, pre-1868 Japan was nothing but a primitive and
intellectualy "dark" society. Only after 1868 did Japan see
the "light" (which was from the West ofcourse). Thus, the men who
brought about the revolution must be torch bearers and their
opposition must be all "evil".

Reading texts on the Bakumatsu and Meiji Era in chronological order
according to publication date shows how deeply entrenched the bias
was...only in the 1930s and post WWII do we see western scholarship
*really look at the Meiji Era for what it was.

Currently, I am working on Unmasking the Meiji Era (still
incomplete) http://www.shinsengumihq.com/Ishin-1.htm (the
navigation, index, essays, biographies are on the left of the image
map)which will not only show the real agenda of the Meiji government
but also their *fear of a *real revolution. As soon as they came to
power, they used legal means to be sure that the ideals which the
west erroneously assigned to them...would never in fact achieve
fruition.

I hope this mailing list and the http://www.shinsengumihq.com are
helpful in your studies. We look forward to learning from you.


--- In SHQ@yahoogroups.com, "slvrgriffn"
wrote:
My colleagues fail to recognize that these

> were INDIVIDUALS making decisions based on their beliefs and past
> experiences. They overemphasize political events without

considering

> the social atmosphere (for one thing, I don't think it's wise to
> ignore the potential impact being raised in a region plagued by
> banditry had on a young Kondo and his fellows).

[ANNOUNCEMENT: http://shinsengumihq.livejournal.com/ which is
currently "fed" to http://www.shinsengumihq.com will be under the
loving care of Miralee, an accomplished fanfic author. Anyone can
friend the journal and it will friend you back. Miralee will report on
the shinsengumi in pop-culture such as manga/anime or anything else she
decides would be relevant to the community]

THANK YOU MIRALEE

-------------------------------------------
In SHQ@yahoogroups.com, "slvrgriffn" wrote:
Every history

> I've read is either political or biographic or economic (with the
> exception of Hillsborough, who is either loved or vilified by anyone I
> ask). Someone needs to look at the organic evolution of the corps.

-------------------------------------------

Hillsborough's tone in his texts can be improved---however I think if
his works were personal essays expressing his personal opinion
then .fine. As a professional journalist and author he should know the
impact of his product.

even he admits that his work is not 100% history (which we all agree is
part of the Shinsengumi legacy)---however it is possible to
categorize "iffy" details as folktales and solid evidence (documents
relating Aizu and the Shinsengumi for instance) into real history and
proceed with a study of some sort. Details which cannot be confirmed
can easily be footnoted/endnote etc etc (but not abandoned)

this also goes for his other non-Shinsengumi books which are very
popular ... he and many other researchers are just one step away from
making some historical figures messianic [Mori Arinori is a good
example](which in fact damages the humanity of the figures they study
by undermining their complexity)

an organic view of the corps would be interesting given the interesting
mix of martial lineages represented in the group

this was our brainstorm

Blood and Makoto:
The Story of the Shinsengumi Told in Three Volumes
http://www.shinsengumihq.com/BloodandMakoto.htm

we await the fan, non-fan alike to make this project their own

Thank you very much for the introduction!

I will do my best (more than my best in fact) to keep the livejournal
up to date with the latest news.

Miralee.

--- In SHQ@yahoogroups.com, "secretary" wrote:
>
> [ANNOUNCEMENT: http://shinsengumihq.livejournal.com/ which is
> currently "fed" to http://www.shinsengumihq.com will be under the
> loving care of Miralee, an accomplished fanfic author. Anyone can
> friend the journal and it will friend you back. Miralee will report on
> the shinsengumi in pop-culture such as manga/anime or anything else she
> decides would be relevant to the community]
>
> THANK YOU MIRALEE
>