Romulus Hillsborough's Blog

Shimosawa Kan’s Shinsengumi Shimatsuki and Hirao Michio’s Shinsengumi Shiroku  Shimosawa’s Shinsengumi Shimatsuki is an early account of the Shinsengumi. It was first published in 1928, just before Hirao’s groundbreaking history Shinsengumi Shiroku (original title, Shinsengumishi). Shimosawa’s book is partially based on interviews … Continue reading →

The post Two Masterpieces of Shinsengumi History and Lore appeared first on Romulus Hillsborough's Samurai Revolution.

In my forthcoming book Samurai Swordsmen: The Definitive History of the Shinsengumi (1863–1869), I wrote about Shinsengumi Vice-Commander Hijikata Toshizō’s anticipation of a war in Kyoto between Aizu and Satsuma based on the latter’s refusal to support the Bakufu in … Continue reading →

The post Reflections on Writing about a Different Time, Place, and Culture appeared first on Romulus Hillsborough's Samurai Revolution.

  In Part 4 of this series, I quoted Sakamoto Ryōma’s assessment of Katsu Kaishū as “the greatest man in Japan.” The respect between the two men was clearly mutual. During the months after the two had first met, Kaishū … Continue reading →

The post Kaishū and Ryōma: The Indispensable Relationship (Part 5) appeared first on Romulus Hillsborough's Samurai Revolution.

Sakamoto Ryōma first met Katsu Kaishū, a high-ranking officer of the shogun’s nascent navy, some time during the final months of 1862. In the following spring, while Kaishū moved forward with plans to establish an official Naval Training Center at … Continue reading →

The post Kaishū and Ryōma: The Indispensable Relationship (Part 4) appeared first on Romulus Hillsborough's Samurai Revolution.

The outlaw samurai Sakamoto Ryōma first met the shogun’s vice commissioner of warships, Katsu Kaishū, some time between the Tenth and Twelfth Months of the Japanese year corresponding to 1862. In light of Ryōma’s background as a leader of Takechi … Continue reading →

The post Kaishu and Ryoma: The Indispensable Relationship (Part 3) appeared first on Romulus Hillsborough's Samurai Revolution.

Sakamoto Ryōma became a political outlaw upon fleeing his native domain of Tosa on a rainy night in the spring of 1862, amid unprecedented social and political upheaval. Following is a slightly edited excerpt from my Samurai Revolution, Chapter 11 … Continue reading →

The post Kaishū and Ryōma: The Indispensable Relationship (Part 2) appeared first on Romulus Hillsborough's Samurai Revolution.

It is well known that Katsu Kaishū and Sakamoto Ryōma had a very close relationship for a couple of years. But their relationship abruptly ended with the dismissal of Kaishū as the shogun’s commissioner of warships and his subsequent house … Continue reading →

The post Kaishū and Ryōma: The Indispensable Relationship (Part 1) appeared first on Romulus Hillsborough's Samurai Revolution.

Sakamoto Ryōma’s level of expertise with a sword has long been a topic of debate among historians, writers, filmmakers, and so-called “Ryōma fans” throughout Japan. That he was an accomplished swordsman has never been questioned. He practiced the Hokushin-Itto style … Continue reading →

The post Did Sakamoto Ryōma Hold the Rank of Kaiden? A Historical Reassessment of His Swordsmanship appeared first on Romulus Hillsborough's Samurai Revolution.

“I don’t know about difficult things such as affairs of state.” Saigō Takamori  「私は天下の大勢なんどいふやうなむつかしいことは知らない」西郷隆盛 Katsu Kaishu told an anecdote illustrating Saigō’s kindness and gentility—and his modesty. It has to do with a man named Hitomi Yasushi, who had been among … Continue reading →

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敬天愛人 — “Revere Heaven, love mankind” — was Saigō Takamori’s cherished motto. In Samurai Revolution, I wrote the following: “Revere Heaven, love mankind” represents a Confucian ethic that dictates the relationship between the people, the government, and the Emperor—in a … Continue reading →

The post “Revere Heaven, love mankind” (敬天愛人): Saigō Takamori’s Words of Wisdom appeared first on Romulus Hillsborough's Samurai Revolution.