In the months following the action at Ikedaya, Shinsengumi had intentions
for development and expansion. To this day, they languish under the common
misconception people have about them-- that they supposedly hated firearms
and had a near-myth-worthy ideal of chivalry. Romulus Hillsborough's recent
work is a prime example of such a belief. However, the reality was
different.
On or around (by the Gregorian calendar) October 4, 1864, Kondou Isami,
Nagakura Shinpachi, Takeda Kanryuusai, and Ogata Shuntarou departed Kyoto by
fast palanquins for Edo. They took the palanquins until Kuwana, then crossed
the Bay of Ise by boat, and landed at Atsuta in the Tokaido region, and
continued eastward by fast palanquins once more until they reached Edo on
the 8th of October. On the following day, Kondou and his ensemble went to
the Aizu offices in Edo and reported in, then they proceeded to the Matsumae
clan mansion to see then-roju (shogunate senior councilor) Matsumae
Takahiro, and submit a formal petition asking for the shogun to be sent to
Kyoto once more.
While Kondou was still in Edo, recruiting new men for the Shinsengumi,
Hijikata sent him and Sato Hikogoro-- Shinsengumi's "corporate" sponsor from
Tama-- a letter regarding gunnery. In this letter, dated November 7th, 1864,
Hijikata says:
"The entire corps trains in Western-style gunnery every day. Training is
improving every day, and we are preparing to serve in the upcoming attack on
Nagato Province."
Nagato Province was the place where the Choshu domain and its branch domains
were located.
[For those interested, I have drawn this information from pages 138 to 139
of the text "Shinsengumi," by Oishi Manabu (Tokyo: Chuko-shinsho, 2004. ISBN
4-12-101773-0)]
By considering this information, we can see that the myth of Shinsengumi as
men who entirely, exclusively "lived by the sword" is false. The Shinsengumi
were men who, at best, lived by the ways of war. As time went by, they
acquired new technology and put it to good use-- namely, that of the new
firearms imported from the West. It is indeed true that some members of the
Shinsengumi may not have liked firearms or found them dishonorable; however,
as Hijikata, in his role as acting commander in Kondou's absence, was
writing about "daily training" and preparation for the Choshu expedition, we
can see that the *unit's* policy was one of Western-style weapons training,
alongside more traditional sword, spear, and horsemanship (et cetera)
training. The weapons training in gunnery also suggests that Shinsengumi may
have been called upon to perhaps be a spearhead for the Choshu expedition--
which confirms the assertion of historian Harold Bolitho that Matsudaira
Katamori, the lord of Aizu, had more than an incidental role in the
expeditions.
The bottom line: Shinsengumi was not impervious to change. Just as the
Ishin-shishi adapted their philosophy of "sonno-joi" in order to accomodate
their desire to acquire foreign support; so too the Shinsengumi made use of
foreign weapons and tactics to improve their effectiveness. It's a rule of
warfare: those who don't adapt lose quicker. Yes, Shinsengumi lost in the
end, but that was in 1869-- after a good five years of training in
Western-style tactics and gunnery, and that history most definitely counts
for something.
Thank you,
-M.
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