Samurai Assassins: "Dark Murder" and the Meiji Restoration, 1853-1868

by Romulus Hillsborough

The Japanese word for assassination is ansatsu, “dark murder,” and its significance in the samurai-led revolution that was the Meiji Restoration, by which the shōgun’s military government was overthrown and the Imperial monarchy restored in 1868, forms the substance of this book. The ideology and moral philosophy of the men behind the revolution--including bushido or "the way of the warrior"--informed their actions and would become the foundation of the Emperor-worship of World War II. This first-ever account in English of the assassins who drove the revolution details one of the most volatile periods in Japanese history--also known as "the dawn of modern Japan."

Genres: History, Japan, Japanese History, Asia, 19th Century

224 pages, Paperback

Published April 4, 2017

About the author

Romulus Hillsborough is a leading Western authority on the political upheaval and samurai active in the Meiji Restoration of 19th-century Japan. His fascination with this history has spanned over four decades, including sixteen years living in Japan, where he conducted original research and interviews with descendants of samurai.

He is the author of several acclaimed books, including Ryoma: Life of a Renaissance Samurai, Samurai Revolution, and Samurai Assassins, as well as the forthcoming Samurai Swordsmen: The Definitive History of the Shinsengumi (Helion, 2026). His work has been praised for its narrative style, historical accuracy, and deep cultural insight.

Hillsborough holds a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Humanities. A longtime practitioner of traditional Japanese martial arts, he has trained in Shotokan karate for over five decades under Tsutomu Ohshima — founder of Shotokan Karate of America and direct student of Gichin Funakoshi, the father of modern karate — bringing a rare, lived connection to the samurai spirit and its enduring legacy.

He also provides historical consulting on Bakumatsu–Meiji Restoration history and related samurai-era topics to authors, editors, publishers, documentarians, producers, screenwriters, translators, and other professionals seeking authoritative guidance.

Reviews

[Kaoru Takarai · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one. Though a bit confusing at times due to the great amount of recurring names and the time leaps, it is the most "practical" text I've read on the Bakumatsu and early Meiji periods, as it deals with specific facts that shaped the history of the time.

[Jess Neuner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit that I first became interested in the Bakumatsu period because I watched Rurouni Kenshin, but it's such a fascinating period in Japanese history that I've sought out more information on it, both fiction and non. I knew a little bit about the assassins of this period from Kenshin and from the Taiga Drama Ryomaden and picked this book up in the first place to learn more. While also providing a lot of detail about the political climate that led to assassinations playing such a major role the period, this book mostly focuses on several of the major players. There was a lot of excellent information on a topic that's rarely provided in English - most books on this period are in Japanese! I enjoyed the level of detail and depth the author goes into for each Meiji-era assassin. It really brought the period to life for me.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another masterpiece from the man who brings the Bakumatsu era to life . If you enjoyed Samurai Revolution, than you know what to expect . Regardless the book is more than worth it for the info on Okada Izo alone .

[Dylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look at the political assassinations and climate leading to them in the run up to the Meiji Restoration, it's very readable for those like me who are just getting into this era of Japanese history. I will say, their is a large amount of names and terms initially thrown at you and I worried this would be more a list of people and dates than anything. But, once you get through that first two or three chapters, it settles nicely into a flow. The author breaks up the chapters and presents them in a way that makes the events and information rather easy to follow.

Some notes though, presenting the names in a non-westernized way is a fine call as our most similar decisions made by the author. The one place I disagree with it is using era names instead of Gregorian years, especially since months and days don't align which made organizing events within the same year pretty difficult for the Western reader. While I understand the authors reasoning and intent with this choice, I think it would have done the work good to switch it to provide Gregorian years with the era's in parenthesis rather than the other way around (and note there is a handy chart in the back doing whole year conversation that I did not find until finished).

But, overall, I doubt you'll find a better introduction in English to the subject of the rise of Japanese political assassination. A method of political policy to be heavily important through the end of WW2 and still occasionally rearing it's head today as we have seen.

[Rai Keyri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of the stories, either I already watched in classic to present day jidaigeki-chanbara series or movies. Some I already read in websites especially Wikipedia.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

In another fascinating work on Japanese history, Hillsborough takes a close look at the role played by assassinations and those who directed them and carried them out during the Bakumatsu era. Some familiarity with at least the broad strokes of this history and its major playors is recommended before going into a book containing this much otherwise likely to be confusing detail. As usual with Hillsborough's books, this is an invaluable resource for the non-Japanese-speaking reader interested in these events, as he remains the only writer tackling them comprehensively and relying largely on Japanese sources that, to my everlasting despair, remain unavailable in translation.