Important Characters:
Kondou Isami: Head of the Shieikan Dojo and of the Tennin Rishin Ryu sword style and later the head chief of the Shinsengumi. He was a large man known for his deadly skill with a blade and solid, charismatic nature. He himself was adopted into a samurai family, and was in fact not a “real” samurai, though he upheld the ideals of bushido fervently. Kondou Isami, the great idealist, was beheaded in 1868 at the age of 35.
Hijikata Toshizo: Vice chief under Kondou. Hijikata didn’t come from a samurai family either; his family sold medicine. Nevertheless, he took up the Tennen Rishin Ryu and became an excellent swordsman. He was also known as “The Demon of the Shinsengumi” due to his cold and serious demeanour, especially when it came to enforcing the rules.
Yamanami Keisuke: The second vice chief of the Shinsengumi. He was almost the polar opposite of Hijikata, being warm and easy to approach (there are many stories of their rivalry). As a planning leader, Yamanami was peerless. His life ended when he was caught trying to leave the Shinsengumi and had to commit seppuku.
Serizawa Kamo: An incredibly fearsome man, prone to violence and anger. As the original founding head chief of the group along with Kondou, their views conflicted greatly. As the story goes, Serizawa was assassinated at night in his room while he slept, though the actual events have since been greatly romanticized by many.
Okita Souji: Arguably the most popular figure in Shinsengumi history. Okita, the captain of the first squad, was practicing kenjutsu at Shieikan by the time he was barely into his teens, and is considered by many to be the best swordsman of the entire group. With unreal sword skill, good looks, and a permanent smile and laugh, Okita’s story is a tragic one because he died at the young age of 25 from tuberculosis.
Nagakura Shinpachi: Captain of the second squad, he was also considered among the top three swordsman of the Shinsengumi along with Okita and Saito. He is most famous for writing a history of the Shinsengumi, detailing much of what we know about them today. He lived well into the Meiji Era, up into the early twentieth century.
Saitou Hajime: Captain of the third squad and brutally efficient when it came to killing. He was a mysterious man with a hazy background and particular quirks. Despite that, he was easily one of the most fearsome members of the Shinsengumi. He lived on to become a police officer in the Meiji Era and died at an old age from his drinking.
Toudou Heisuke: Captain of the eighth squad and one of the younger members along with Okita. Though he has been represented in several different ways throughout the years, the sense that he was an honest and open man never seems to change. Likewise, most people agree that he took a pretty bad slice during the Ikedaya Affair.
Harada Sanosuke: Captain of the tenth squad and the effective spear master of the Shinsengumi. He loved to brawl, was brash and outspoken, but still had incredible heart for his work and for those around him. A long scar across his belly attested to a previous time when he had tried to commit seppuku and survived it – because of that, he was considered somewhat invincible by many.
Obviously there were many, many more members in the Shinsengumi whom I have not mentioned, including military advisors, spies, and accountants. I encourage all of you to look into these other members for yourselves.
