Shinsengumi
Videos
The Shinsengumi was a small secret police organization, an elite group of swordsmen organized by commoners and low-ranking samurai, commissioned by the bakufu during Japan's Bakumatsu period in 1863.
Ancient Kondō Isami's quarters at Nagareyama, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. One of the former Shinsengumi headquarters
Mannequins dressed in Shinsengumi uniform
Coat of mail and helmet of Kondō Isami
Ikedaya incident
Videos
The Ikedaya incident, also known as the Ikedaya affair or Ikedaya riot, was an armed encounter between the shishi which included masterless samurai formally employed by the Chōshū, Tosa and Higo domai
Shinsengumi
…foreign trade from Japan had been made and the Chōshū clan had been forced from the imperial court. They gained considerable fame from events such as the Ikedaya incident and the August 18 coup, among others. The members were drawn from the sword schools of Edo. Japan's forced opening to the west in 1854, which required…
Ikedaya in April 2010
The commemorative plaque standing at the former site of the Ikedaya Inn
This stone marker stele next to the site of the Ikedaya is engraved with the name of Furutaka Shuntarō, a man tortured by Hijikata Toshizō of the Shinsengumi and the one who gave the information necessary for them to start the famous Ikedaya incident.