--- product_id: 13354735 title: "Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps" price: "€ 10.63" currency: EUR in_stock: false reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.gr/products/13354735-shinsengumi-the-shoguns-last-samurai-corps store_origin: GR region: Greece --- # Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps **Price:** € 10.63 **Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps - **How much does it cost?** € 10.63 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Currently out of stock - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.gr](https://www.desertcart.gr/products/13354735-shinsengumi-the-shoguns-last-samurai-corps) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Shinsengumi: The Shogun's last Samurai Corps is the true story of the notorious samurai corps formed in 1863 to arrest or kill the enemies of the Tokugawa Shogun. The only book in English about the Shinsengumi, it focuses on the corps' two charismatic leaders, Kondo Isami and Hijikata Toshizo, both impeccable swordsmen. It is a history-in-brief of the final years of the Bakufu, which collapsed in 1867 with the restoration of Imperial rule. In writing Shinsengumi, Hillsborough referred mostly to Japanese-language primary sources, including letters, memoirs, journals, interviews, and eyewitness accounts, as well as definitive biographies and histories of the era. The fall of the shogun's government (Tokugawa Bakufu, or simply Bakufu) in 1868, which had ruled Japan for over two and a half centuries, was the greatest event in modern Japanese history. The revolution, known as the Meiji Restoration, began with the violent reaction of samurai to the Bakufu's decision in 1854 to open the theretofore isolated country to "Western barbarians." Though opening the country was unavoidable, it was seen as a sign of weakness by the samurai who clamored to "expel the barbarians." Those samurai plotted to overthrow the shogun and restore the holy emperor to his ancient seat of power. Screaming "heaven's revenge," they wielded their swords with a vengeance upon those loyal to the shogun. They unleashed a wave of terror at the center of the revolution - the emperor's capital of Kyoto. Murder and assassination were rampant. By the end of 1862, hordes of renegade samurai, called ronin, had transformed the streets of the Imperial Capital into a "sea of blood." The shogun's administrators were desperate to stop the terror. A band of expert swordsmen was formed. It was given the name Shinsengumi ("Newly Selected Corps") - and commissioned to eliminate the ronin and other enemies of the Bakufu. With unrestrained brutality bolstered by an official sanction to kill, the Shinsengumi soon became the shogun's most dreaded security force. In this vivid historical narrative of the Shinsengumi, the only one in the English language, author Romulus Hillsborough paints a provocative and thrilling picture of this most fascinating period in Japanese history. Review: Well worth the read - A necessary read to hear the other side of history. Review: Historical and Humanizing - Excellent combintion of historical references and nonfiction creative writing. The history of the Shinsengumi, unfortunately, is not as readily available for English-readers. Thus enters Hillsborough`s work. The text provides an in-depth and complicated look into the political, social, and personal motivations of the biggest names in the Shinsengumi. The appenices and additional citations provide more information for anyone interested in diving further into their history. Highly recommend to history buffs and Japanese culture enthusists! ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #2,974,793 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #585 in Japanese History (Books) #1,202 in Intelligence & Espionage History #12,537 in World History (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.3 out of 5 stars 157 Reviews | ## Images ![Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81PQiFyAFzL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Well worth the read *by M***, on September 18, 2024* A necessary read to hear the other side of history. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Historical and Humanizing *by E***O on June 20, 2021* Excellent combintion of historical references and nonfiction creative writing. The history of the Shinsengumi, unfortunately, is not as readily available for English-readers. Thus enters Hillsborough`s work. The text provides an in-depth and complicated look into the political, social, and personal motivations of the biggest names in the Shinsengumi. The appenices and additional citations provide more information for anyone interested in diving further into their history. Highly recommend to history buffs and Japanese culture enthusists! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Brings Alive the Story of the Shogun's Last Samurai Corps *by J***D on December 1, 2018* I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in the Shinsengumi, Bakumatsu or early Meiji Restoration periods of Japanese history. It gave me a better understanding, despite the author’s at times heavy-handed style, about who the Shinsegumi were, what they did and their role in Japanese history in an easy to understand and readable manner. I appreciated the way hard information, stories and personalities were played out to give the subject matter human depth. Despite the author's tone, I found Shinsengumi less villainous and more men of their times, the Shogunate’s equal and opposite reaction to what we’d now call domestic terrorism. Shinsengumi were violent and merciless and their opponents were no better. The people they were created to defeat were plotting to overthrow the government, at times burn down Kyoto (which would kill lots of innocent people) and abduct the Emperor if need be to carry out their plans. (The Ikedaya incident alone in a good example of this) Ultimately, those revolutionaries and their better contemporaries such as Saigo Takamori did overcome and create a better Japan but their methods were not peaceful. Telling this story fleshes out turmoil in Kyoto and the ground-level fighting done to keep the peace as well as teaching about who the individuals in the Shinsengumi were and their varied backgrounds. What I found most interesting about Kondo Isami and Hijikata Toshizo is that they were self-made samurai who rose from the ranks of peasants, something that should have been impossible in Japan’s rigid caste system but in these chaotic times men like them were elevated based on ability and not birth. The book’s downside is the author’s self-indulgent writing style. He gives himself leeway in the beginning by claiming this isn’t really “non-fiction” because not all of his sources are foolproof, but by that logic no true non-fiction may exist. The book often has a negative tone toward its subject matter and comes off as opinionated when the narrative would better be served by telling the story and giving context to create positive or negative impressions instead of zeroing in on what’s dislikable about X, Y or Z or using colorful adjectives. And as others have said, the ‘propensity to kill’ repetition was pointless and annoying unless the goal was for it to serve as the inspiration for some sweet Shinsengumi-themed death metal song lyrics. (For context though, despite its being peppered throughout the book, the phrase is only obnoxious on one page of constant repetition so it’s not on every other page as our reviews may make it seem.) If it wasn’t for the style I would give this book five stars for being informative, highly readable and memorable. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.gr/products/13354735-shinsengumi-the-shoguns-last-samurai-corps](https://www.desertcart.gr/products/13354735-shinsengumi-the-shoguns-last-samurai-corps) --- *Product available on Desertcart Greece* *Store origin: GR* *Last updated: 2026-05-31*