Thanks for posting the torrent link.
Still not 100% sure the Shinsengumi appear in this portrayal---I was
hoping.
The Byakkotai are sort of part of Shinsengumi fandom by "extension"
and one of the best portrayals of the Shinsengumi (and also the
Bakumatsu) happens to be the 1980s film Byakkotai. There are also
interesting connections between the specific Byakkotai who died on
Mt. Iimori with the Fujita family (again it's all really complicated,
throught extension, friendships etc but still fascinating)
The film
http://www.shinsengumihq.com/byakkotai.htm
the history
http://www.byakkotai.net
Spiritus Saitou is sharing some screencaps of this new 2007 Byakkotai
with me and I"m going to look over them today. Now with a bigger
budget and computer effects this epic narrative may take be even more
compelling to a new generation.
The Byakkotai will always be the tragic "poster boys" of Aizu...and
the only source of "rehabilitation" of the domain's narrative. On a
national level, Aizu got the attention of the rest of the country in
much later years *after the Meiji Era (at the height of Japan's
fascism) due to the Byakkotai. HOwever specific reasons for the
military actions against the domain in 1868 have not been been made
transparent (it has been written about but it needs to be brought
into our modern era, our generation and in Eng.) because
the "founding fathers" of teh Meiji Era with their fake Imperial
Edict, fake Imperial Banners and unwillingness to accept Aizu's
earlier attempts for negotiations points to a simple private grudge
between the Ishin and the domain (ofcourse it cost the lives of too
many combatants and civilians and the long term stigamtization of the
survivors).
At the same time Aizu leaders of the Boshin War generation sort of
painted themselves into a corner too...only a handful of them could
actually tell their domain's story in a published format (perhaps due
to various political and social pressures). Incidentally those very
Aizu leaders had very close relationships with the Fujita family.
Thus what we get for Aizu is the Byakkotai and other details of the
role of the domain during the Bakumatsu gets swept under the
rug...again Aizu was the "criminal" domain in the eyes of many
people. Survivors who became successful were the lucky few and had
to be grateful for whatever blessings granted to them (even if they
earned their properity in the Meiji Era through their own sheer
talent and effort).
More Byakkotai/Aizu discussions can be found here
http://community.livejournal.com/edo_meiji/tag/aizu
also Aizu stuff not related to the Shinsengumi can be posted here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/edojidai/
--- In SHQ@yahoogroups.com, "Seven" wrote:
>
> Byakkotai (SP) Part 1 [2007?.01?.06] (704x396 DivX6)?.avi
>
> http://d-addicts.net/torrents/
> byakkotai%20%28sp%29%20part%201%20%5B2007.01.06%5D%20%28704x396%
20divx6%2
> 9.avi.torrent
>